The archive consists of files related to the following themes: Northern Counties Electoral League for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts, state regulation of vice, the British, Continental and General Federation for the Abolition of Government Regulation of Prostitution, personal papers, and the Contagious Disease Acts in India. These files contain reports, circular letters, statements of evidence, correspondence, press cuttings, annual reports, notices of meetings, memoranda, printed copies of speeches, leaflets, handbills, petition forms, notes, draft petitions, statistical reports.

Mr Wilson was Honorary Secretary of the 'Northern Counties Electoral League For The Repeal Of The Contagious Diseases Acts' throughout its existence. These papers were mainly accumulated by him in his official capacity as the Northern Counties League Secretary. However, there are also papers Wilson created through his personal involvement with the movement. Wilson constructed the files and gave them the titles given here, and numbered the items throughout the file series, consecutively in bold blue pencil numbers. The files were further organised by theme c. 1909-c.1922 and were 'weeded' at some point.

Unfortunately, soon after the files were deposited in the Fawcett Library, the then Librarian extracted letters from prominent persons in the Contagious Diseases movement and to place them in an artificial 'Josephine Butler Letter Collection' (ref 3JBL). Items taken from Wilson's personal archive can be recognised from Henry J Wilson's usual stamp for those files and the blue pencil numeration on them. The original files can be reconstituted from that numeration. Wilson letters located in 3JBL include the period Jul 1871-Dec1874, plus three letters found in the Autograph Letter Collection (ref. 9/).

The papers of Peter Tatchell includes correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles, press releases, posters, leaflets and publications on the following topics: Aids/HIV research, vivisection and animal rights, homophobic violence and policing, the age of consent, media portrayal of homosexuality, negative comments on sexuality by 'personalities', homophobic lyrics and the music industry, international politics, green socialism, Labour and politics, Members of Parliament and 'outing', the Bermondsey By-election, the Greater London Assembly, Christian, Jewish and Islamic leaders' stances on homosexuality, the law and sexuality, the prosecution of homosexual acts, and the employment of homosexuals in the armed forces.

Papers of author and journalist Paul Tabori (1908-1974), comprising the following: draft typescripts of novels, poetry and works of fiction, 1927-1973; draft typescripts of completed short stories, ideas and fragments for fiction works, 1938-1970; typescripts of non-fiction works, including typescripts of completed books on a variety of topics covering the supernatural, travel, crime, historical and biographical topics and erotica, along with draft non-fiction fragments and ideas, 1930-1973; typescripts of articles for magazines on various subjects including crime, travel, erotica, the supernatural, historical and biographical topics, along with interviews with international political and celebrity figures, 1940-1969; typescripts of film scripts, screenplays or ideas written or edited by Tabori, including scripts for Hammer and London Films, along with stills [photographs] from some of the productions, 1944-1960; typescripts and working scripts written or edited by Tabori for television and radio plays, including material broadcast in the television series, the Errol Flynn Theatre and The Vise, along with stills [photographs] accompanying the working scripts, 1950-1970.

The Josephine Butler Society Library is an unrivalled resource for the study of sexuality and public morality from the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth century. This unique collection of books, pamphlets, periodicals, leaflets and, campaigning documents, covers subjects ranging from the regulation of prostitution, venereal disease, social purity, sexuality and public health to criminology, penology, eugenics and population control. Although a small number of individual items continue to be added to the collection by the Josephine Butler Society, the bulk of the printed materials date from the late nineteenth and early to mid twentieth centuries.

The Josephine Butler Society Library is particularly important because it brings together the Library of the organisation alongside its campaigning literature and business papers. In addition to sources for the study of prostitution and attitudes to sexuality in Britain the collection includes significant amounts of material on slavery, procuring, public health and the armed forces in India. It contains late nineteenth century works on sexology by Havelock Ellis, Bloch, Forel and Krafft-Ebing and psychology by Freud, Jung and Ellis, as well as works on marriage, the family and sex education. Although most material in the collection is in English there are small but significant numbers of works in European languages. The geographic scope of the collection extends beyond Britain and the Commonwealth; papers of the International Bureau for the Suppression of Traffic in Persons 1899-1968, for example, relate to the Bureau's work with the League of Nations.

The archive consists of minutes (including those of the British Vigilance Association (BVA)), annual reports, and publications. Correspondence and campaigning files on issues of public morality, sexual morality, traffic in women, the armed forces, obscenity, prostitution, entertainment and employment. Case files (including some individuals) including regional cases from Wales and North-East England. Administration in connection with British National Council, International Bureau, Travellers' Aid Society (TAS); also the Public Morality Council; and miscellaneous papers including campaign, resource and administrative files about various issues connected with social morality and public morality.

The archive consists of Minutes of the Executive Committee (1871-1890) and letterbook (1883-1886).

The archive consists of minutes of the Manchester and District Association committee and executive committee meetings (1894-1921), of the Lancashire and Cheshire Association executive committee (1923-1939) and rough minutes and accounts of joint committee meetings with the Manchester Vigilance Association (1915-1917); accounts including audited annual accounts (1928, 1930), cashbook (1923-1939), receipt book (1931-1939) and receipted accounts (1923-1932); annual reports of the Manchester and District Association (1898-1920) and the Cheshire and Lancashire Association (1924-1931), copies of circular letters on the revival of the latter in 1923 and manuscript notes on the history the Manchester and District Association (1893-1913); membership papers (1900; 1930-1932); correspondence (1926, 1938); publications (1901-1930); list of records (1941).

The archive consists of seven volumes of minutes of the Executive Committee (1875-1880) including 2 copies of loose minutes of a meeting at Bristol 1875 and one in 1879; loose leaves of minute books, printed report of conference of Committee and branch representatives (1907), press cuttings, minutes of the conference on amalgamation with the British Branch and joint meeting of their subscribers (1915); 1 volume of Special Sub-committee minute book (1912, 1915), minutes of the council of the London branch (1883-1895).

The archive consists of papers regarding the presentation of the Women's Testimonial to James Stansfeld (1895); draft and final deed of trust (1895-6); minutes of trustees meetings with list of recipients of book (1896-1934), address books, financial papers including ledgers (1896-1934), cashbook (1896-1934) and bankbook (1896-1934), conference papers and related correspondence (1917); lists, manuscripts and press cuttings of lecture series (1921-1925); papers related to the publication of the book on James Stansfeld (1928-1934); papers on women's suffrage (1907-8); scrutineers reports (1896-1902, 1904-1915); annual reports (1896-1915); obituary of GW Johnson.

Records of the British National Committee for the Suppression of the White Slave Trade (BNC), comprising:
Minutes of the committee (1928-1953) and subcommittee to review the constitution (1948); draft minutes and papers for the 1936 annual meeting; files comprising rules (1931, 1933), invitations to lecture conferences (1943) and International Bureau for the Suppression of Traffic in Persons: British National Committee (BNC) subcommittee minutes; notes and minutes of meetings (1936-1950), International Bureau papers on procedures at congresses, resolutions transmitted, committee membership and correspondence including that of general secretary (1947-1951), report on the work of the International Bureau since 1947 (1948), Rachael Crowdy's suggestions re: Article VI of draft United Nations (UN) convention.

The archive consists of minutes of the Bureau (1899-1940, 1942-1953), annual reports (1952-1966), conference papers, publications printed and received, League of Nations files and documents related to other advisory committees, country files containing correspondence and official materials, files of the general secretary containing similar files covering the post-war period and correspondence.

Abbreviations include:

ACISJF - Association Catholique Internationale Services de la Jeunesse Feminine: International Catholic Society for Girls.

AMSH - Association for Moral and Social Hygiene.

ASHA - American Social Health Association.

BNC - International Bureau for the Suppression of Traffic in Persons: British National Committee.

BVA - British Vigilance Association.

FAI - Fédération Abolitionniste Internationale.

IAF - International Abolitionist Federation.

IB - International Bureau.

IBS - International Bureau for the Suppression of Traffic in Persons (also known as IBSTP).

IBSTWC - International Bureau for the Suppression of Traffic in Women and Children.

NGO -Non-Governmental Organisation.

NVA - National Vigilance Association.

TAS -Travellers' Aid Society

UN - United Nations.

UNESCO - United Nations Economic and Social Organisation

USSR - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

VD - Venereal Disease

CD - Contagious Diseases

CDA - Contagious Disease Acts

Comprising research files containing press cuttings, correspondence and notes regarding incest, illegitimacy, sexual literature, censorship, homosexuality, banned books, prison reform, the Royal Family, separation, witchcraft, sexual behaviour and venereal disease, possibly for use in his works Sex and Revolution (1934), The Banned Books of England (1937), Above All Liberties (1942) and other publications (1922-1942); typescripts for submission to the 'Encyclopedia of Sexual Behaviour' (n.d.); issues of nudist and health periodicals and offprints of articles by Alec Craig and others (1936-1953).

Papers of Sir Francis Champneys, [1908-1923], including note by Champneys on midwives; note by Champneys stating his opinions on 'coitus interruptus', 'french letters' and 'undue indulgence'; note by Champneys on his opinions regarding contraception; note by Champneys on the affects of childlessness; letters from Dr Mary Scharlieb to Champneys, 17-22 Oct 1923 on contraception, including a press cutting on an address by Scharlieb in the Church Times, 19 Oct 1923; pamphlet entitled 'Why should I support Preventive and Rescue Work?: answer by Sir Francis Champneys', issued by the Archbishops' Advisory Board; pamphlet of a paper read by Champneys to the Chichester Diocesan Purity Association entitled 'Sex', 16 Jun 1927; pamphlet of an address by Champneys on 'Maternity and Child Welfare', delivered at the town hall, Liverpool, 2 Jul 1917; leaflet on cancer of the womb by Champneys, Jun 1908 and letter from the National Council of Public Morals returning a document to Champneys, 4 Aug 1916.

Papers of The Centre for Sexual and Reproductive Health Research comprise posters and ephemera relating to sexual and reproductive health, and evaluation and campaign material, 1980s-1990s. Posters notably concern AIDS prevention and originate from countries across Europe including Norway, Greece, Switzerland and UK. Posters use strong imagery including condoms and syringes to illustrate the importance of sexual health, for example a Swedish poster includes an image of man and woman with condoms as halos, the caption reads 'Var din egen skyddsangel' or 'Be your own guardian angel'. Ephemera includes badges, bags, leaflets and tapes and videos from various countries concerning AIDS and sexual health campaigns.

Evaluation and campaign material relates to work carried out in 1980s and 1990s concerning AIDS and notably includes pamphlets and leaflets from campaigns carried out across Europe, AIDS Strategic Monitor publications and surveys and research collated by various market research companies. The material was presumably collected from and hence relates to Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Italy, Luxemburg, UK, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Norway and Greece.

This archive consists of letters primarily by Josephine Butler, but also by key members of her family (such as her husband) and by colleagues and friends (such as Henry Wilson). Josephine Butler was a Victorian social reformer who campaigned against prostitution and the Contagious Diseases Acts (1864,1866 and 1869). In addition to the original letters held by The Women's Library, this archive includes photocopies of correspondence held at the University of Liverpool Special Collections.

At some point (probably in the 1960s) the correspondence held at The Women's Library was placed in chronological order. Prior to the collection being copied to microfiche (possibly in the 1980s), the photocopies from Liverpool were interleaved. Also interleaved and copied to microfiches were abstracts and administrative history notes made by Miss Burton, a member of the Fawcett Library.

The online catalogue includes the index of who the letters were to and from; the date of the letter; abstracts of each individual letter; and the administrative history and biographical notes made by Miss Burton.

The catalogue supercedes the original finding aid, a card index of correspondents that was available in The Women's Library Reading Room. The collection is available on microfiche in the Reading Room.

Henry J Wilson was Honorary Secretary of the Northern Counties Electoral League For The Repeal Of The Contagious Diseases Acts. There are a number of letters in the Josephine Butler Letters Collection which relate to the Northern Counties Electoral League. These letters bear Henry J Wilson's usual stamp for those files and his reference numbers (marked in blue pencil). At some stage his copies of letters were removed from his personal archive and placed in the Josephine Butler Letters Collection. Readers should also look at 3HJW for further records re the Northern Counties League.

Some of the copy letters are very faint, both on the microfiche and in the original. These are primarily letters that were copied using a 'wet' process. A thin sheet of tissue paper was damped and blotted over the original letter. This took a pale, often fuzzy copy of the letter, which was read 'through' the tissue. As well as being very faint these copies are very fragile.

ABBREVIATIONS:

CD / CDA Contagious Diseases Act

'RR' in the notes refers to 'Rough Record' a copy of which is available in the library, [search Printed Collections Catalogue for 'Keyword' for 'Rough Record'.]

The archive consists of records, mostly originating from the General Secretary, of the British Vigilance Association, 1923-1971. These include campaign and resource files (prostitution, immoral earnings, and conditions of employment for au pair girls), correspondence with individuals and organisations, fragments of other administrative series and files relating to the final winding up of the British Vigilance Association (BVA), International Bureau for the Suppression of Traffic in Persons (IBS) and their associated organisations in 1971.

The minutes of the British Vigilance Association, including those of the Sub-Committee on the Welfare of Irish Girls in England (renamed the Irish Girls' & Related Problems Sub-Committee) are also held by the Women's Library but within the National Vigilance Association Archive (see 4NVA).

The archive consists of Annual Reports (1875-1880), Executive Committee (1887-1888) and British Committee (1890-1915) minutes with British Committee Chairperson's Book and Log (1897-1903), circulars (1909), pamphlet (1896), indexes to pamphlets (1874-1909) and indexes to Henry J Wilson files, an 'inwards' letter-book including an envelope containing copies of correspondence with government (1893), a letter-book of correspondence from India and a report compiled by Dr Kate Bushell and Mrs Andrews during a visit there (1891-1896).

Papers of Jeremy Bentham, 1750-1885, consist of drafts and notes for published and unpublished works, and cover many subjects including: Bentham's codification proposal, a plan to replace existing law with a codified system, an idea which manifested itself in Constitutional Code (London, 1830), a blueprint for representative democracy and an entirely open and fully accountable government, 1815-1832; penal code, which involved penal law giving effect to the rights and duties of civil law, [1773]-1831; punishment, to certain actions which, on account of their tendency to diminish the greatest happiness, would be classified as offences, [1773-1826]; Bentham's Panopticon, a way of maintaining and employing convicts in a new invented building, 1785-1813; Chrestomathia, the secondary school designed by Bentham, 1815-1826; evidence in law, [1780]-1823; religion, and the Church, 1800-1830; logic, ethics, deontology (the science of morality), morals, utilitarianism and the greatest happiness principle, 1794-1834; political economy, [1790]-1819; Supply without burthen or Escheat vice taxation, a proposal for saving taxes, 1793-1795; legislation, including law amendment and law reform, [1770-1843]; procedure, and procedure codes, [1780]-1830; law and issues in other countries, including Greece, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium and Tripoli, 1810-1830; A Comment on the Commentaries, being a criticism of William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, also Bentham's and Blackstone's views on civil code, [1774]-1830; sexual nonconformity, [1774]-1816; Scotch reform, 1804-1809; Court of Lords delegates, 1807-1821; parliamentary papers, and parliamentary reform, [1790]-1831; poor law, and poor plan, 1796-[1845]; correspondence, 1761-1866, including a corrected draft letter to James Madison, President of the United States of America, in which Bentham made an offer to draw up a complete code of laws for the USA, 1811.

The archive consists of:

GB 160 AMS/A - Administrative records (1897-2006): Executive Committee minutes; Minutes of Sub-committees; Minutes of Annual General Meetings; Financial records; Constitutional and organisational papers; Correspondence; Papers relating to the Josephine Butler Collection.

GB 160 AMS/B - Enquiries and Campaigns (1824-1999): Memorial of the Contagious Diseases Acts; Canvassing Parliamentary candidates regarding solicitation laws; Ten Towns Enquiry; Solicitation (papers and publications on amending solicitation laws eg Street Offences Act 1959); Venereal diseases; Procuration; Armed Forces; Seamen in ports; Sexual morality; Women in the Colonial Office / Colonies Service Committee; Traffic in Women; Employment of Women Police; Russian Women's Hostel in Shanghai; Executive Committee Correspondence; Sexual offences and age of consent; Prostitution; Mrs Bligh Scrutton's papers; Female circumcision; Human rights (majority of papers relate to Human Rights Year 1968); Women's Action Group; Correspondence and reports of W Moody; Press cuttings

GB 160 AMS/C - International work : India (1867-1979): Acts, Regulations and Parliamentary Papers; Correspondence and papers of Henry J Wilson; 1893 Cantonments enquiry; Secretary's India files 1913-1925; Meliscent Shephard: correspondence 1928-1946; Organisation of the work in India 1929-1937; Papers relating to work in Bombay (1878-1934), Ceylon (1899-1955), Madras, Mysore, Delhi, Calcutta (1929-1939); Association for Moral and Social Hygiene in India (1943-1979)

GB 160 AMS/D - International work : other countries (1869-1970): Papers concern the international work of the Association for Moral and Social Hygiene in opposing the state regulation of prostitution (apart from India). Material consists of fact-finding (reports, enactments and press cuttings) and action (memoranda, articles and correspondence). Countries: Africa, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, British Guyana, Canada, China, Colonies, Congo, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Ireland, Ethiopia, Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Mui Tsai in Hong Kong and Malaya, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel [Palestine], Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Rangoon (Burma), Romania, Seychelles, Singapore and Malaya, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tangier, Turkey, Uganda, USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), United States of America, Uruguay, West Indies

GB 160 AMS/E - Papers relating to the International Abolitionist Federation (1876-1999): Minutes of meetings of the International Committee and of the Executive Bureau of the International Abolitionist Federation; Reports; Papers relating to Congresses of the Federation and other related conferences; Correspondence concerning the publication of Congress proceedings; Papers relating to Constitutional reform; Publications

GB 160 AMS/F - Other organisations (1948-1997): Papers relating to: Anti-Slavery Society for the Protection of Human Rights and their relations with Minority Rights Group, Interights, Liberty, Human Rights Network; British Council of Churches; British Federation against the Venereal Diseases; British Social Biology Council and British Social Hygiene Council (both formally the National Council for Combatting Venereal Diseases); Commonwealth Countries' League; Commonwealth Secretariat; European Parliament; International Council of Women; Mothers' Union; National Council for Voluntary Organisations; National Council of Women; Status of Women Committee; United Nations including the United Nations Status of Women Commission and United Nations Association (UNA) Women's Advisory Council (WAC); Wel-Care; The Women's Council (co-operating with Women of Asia); Women's Freedom League; Women's National Commission; Papers relating to French organisations; publications

GB 160 AMS/G - Photographs (c 1850-1997): Portraits of Josephine Butler; Representations of Josephine Butler; Photographs of the Butler family; Individual portraits; Group portraits; Photographs of buildings associated with Josephine Butler

GB 160 AMS/H - Memorials and centenaries (1882-1983): Josephine Butler Centenary Memorial at Westminster Abbey in 1928; Josephine Butler Memorial Appeal and setting up the Josephine Butler Fellowship; post-centenary memorials (Chrystal MacMillan Memorial, Centenary Dinner of Association for Moral and Social Hygiene, 150th anniversary of birth of Josephine Butler in 1978); Alison Neilans's anniversary and memorials

GB 160 AMS/I - Publicity (1947-2006): Papers relating to the Josephine Butler Society publications 'Newsletter' and 'News and Views'; papers relating to articles written about the Josephine Butler Society in journals or newspapers; material concerning radio and television broadcasts about the Josephine Butler Society or film proposals about the life of Josephine Butler

GB 160 AMS/J - Josephine Butler miscellanea (1873-1993): Manuscript material by Josephine Butler; Printed material by Josephine Butler; Material relating to death of Josephine Butler; Articles about Josephine Butler; Material about the Grey Family; Representations of Josephine Butler; Play and screenplay about Josephine Butler; Audio cassette

GB 160 AMS/K-L Objects and Paintings are uncatalogued

GB 160 AMS/M - Publications (1847-1960) (Please note that publications can be found throughout this collection): Acts and statutory instruments; various pages from House of Commons Parliamentary Debates: Hansard; 3 volumes 'Social Evil Extracts'; 3 volumes of reports, press cuttings, flyers and posters

GB 160 AMS/N - Press cuttings (1950-1970) (Please note that press cuttings can be found throughout this collection): These press cuttings are uncatalogued

This catalogue includes material previously referenced as 3/AMS2 and 3/JBS/2.

This archive contains many publications. Any duplicates have been removed and can be consulted in The Women's Library Printed Collection. A note to this effect is made in the archive description.