Author Archives: nspeccoll

George Otto Trevelyan (1838-1928) – July 2013

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Photograph of George Otto Trevelyan
Photograph of George Otto Trevelyan (Trevelyan (George Otto) Archive, GOT 184)

George Otto Trevelyan was born on 20th July 1838, in Rothley Temple, Leicestershire to Charles Edward and Hannah Trevelyan. He was educated at Harrow and then Cambridge University – both institutions that nurtured his pre-existing interests in history and literature.

George had endeared himself to the childless Sir Walter Calverley and Pauline, Lady Trevelyan as a young visitor to Wallington Hall, Northumberland. Walter was so impressed with the scholarly boy and his inexhaustible quests for knowledge and fulfilment that he secretly changed his will so that Wallington would pass to his cousin, Charles Edward, and then to George.

Meanwhile, George fell in love with Caroline Philips, the daughter of Robert Needham Philips – an M.P. and wealthy merchant. Their hasty engagement was blocked by Caroline’s uncle for two years while she rejected all other suitors and, after they married in 1869, they were seldom apart and died within eight months of each other. G.M. Trevelyan said of his parents that “they grew into one another by mind and habit”. George inherited Wallington in 1886 and he and Caroline made Wallington their summer home for the rest of their long lives and their three sons spent hours playing there.

George particularly delighted in the library. He wrote to his sister, Alice, in June 1887, that; “We are extremely busy fitting up the house … Especially I have been spending an immense deal of time over the books”.1 When he wanted to give himself a holiday he retreated into the library to read the likes of Cicero and Theocritus and he has left behind marginalia that capture the dates when he finished reading, or re-reading, books; provide contextual information; and which signal his favourite volumes. George often read aloud to Caroline and the children: the library was the room in which the family assembled. He told Alice; “We have read ‘Persuasion’ aloud. The scene of Captain Wentworth writing the letter is absolutely perfect”.2 In other letters he talks of communal readings of the works of Edward Gibbon and Thomas Hogg’s The Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley.

In his public life, George was an historian, man of letters, politician and the first biographer of his uncle Lord Macaulay. He began his long political career as a radical Liberal with his election as M.P. for Tynemouth in 1865. He served in all of W.E. Gladstone’s administrations, including as Chief Secretary to Ireland after the assassination of the previous incumbent, Lord Frederick Cavendish, in Dublin in May 1882 and as Secretary of State for Scotland (1886 and 1892-95) although he was to split, briefly, from the Gladstonians over Irish issues in 1886. He retired from parliament in 1897 and devoted the rest of his life to his estates at Wallington and Welcombe. As well as estate business he continued to write as an historian on the American War of Independence, becoming a close friend of the President, Theodore Roosevelt. In 1911 he received the Order of Merit from Asquith’s Liberal Government.

The Trevelyan Family Papers, which include the papers of George Otto Trevelyan, are held by Newcastle University Library. Although they had been deposited here in 1967, the papers were formally gifted to the library in 2012.

ootnotes:
1 Letter to Alice from George Otto Trevelyan, June 1887 in: Sir George Otto Trevelyan: a Memoir by G.M. Trevelyan (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1932) p.130. Clarke (Edwin) General, Clarke 1649.
2 Letter to Alice from George Otto Trevelyan, January 11th 1888 in: George Otto Trevelyan: Memoir, p.130. Clarke (Edwin) General, Clarke 1649.

Silhouette depicting George Otto Trevelyan
Silhouette depicting George Otto Trevelyan, cutting in: An Account of the Parish of Hartburn in the County of Northumberland by John Hodgson (Newcastle upon Tyne: Printed by E. Walker, 1827) with Handbook of the Pictures in the Hall at Wallington, Northumberland and miscellaneous illustrations and cuttings relating to Wallington (Edwin (Clarke) Local, Clarke 604)

Marching On Together: Ethel Williams’ Suffragist Banner – June 2013

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Suffragette Marching banner with 'Newcastle on Tyne' across the top and 3 castles in a reddish background
Suffragette Marching banner (Williams (Ethel) Archive, EWL/3/5)

The 8th June 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the suffragette Emily Davison. A militant suffragette, whose family originated from Longhorsley in Northumberland, Emily infamously ran in front of the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby on 4th June 1913. She was seriously injured and died of her injuries in hospital four days later. It has long been speculated whether Emily was actually trying to kill herself in order to draw attention to the suffragette cause. Analysis of newsreel from the day now suggests that she may have been simply trying to attach a suffragette banner to the horse.

This is Ethel Williams’ suffragist banner. Ethel was the first woman to found a general medical practice in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1906. She was also reportedly the first woman to drive a car in the North of England that same year. She attended the London School of Medicine for Women and graduated in 1891, but had to gain her hospital experience abroad in Paris and Vienna due to male prejudice against women training in British hospitals. Such obstacles and her belief in the need to supplement medical care with social reform led to her active involvement in the suffrage movement.

Ethel was an active member of the National Union of Woman’s Suffrage Societies (also known as the NUWSS or the Suffragists). Unlike the Suffragettes, the Suffragists aimed to achieve women’s suffrage using lawful and peaceful methods. Ethel took part in the ‘Mud March’ of 1907 in London, the first large procession organised by the NUWSS, so-called due to the terrible weather conditions on the day. Despite this, over 3,000 women from all walks of life took part. There is a good chance that she may have used this banner during the march as women from across the country brought banners to show which area they represented. Red and white were the official colours of the NUWSS and both colours can been seen in the banner. She was also often seen in suffrage processions along Northumberland Street in Newcastle. During World War One she formed the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

She co-founded the Northern Women’s Hospital in 1917 and, when she retired in 1924, she left her practice to another female doctor, Dr Mona MacNaughton. By this time there were 14 female doctors practicing in Newcastle. Ethel died in 1948 and Ethel Williams’ Halls of Residence were opened in her memory in 1950 at Newcastle University.

Letter to Sir Liam Donaldson from Prime Minister Gordon Brown on his retirement from the role of Chief Medical Officer – May 2013

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Letter to Sir Liam Donaldson from Prime Minister Gordon Brown on his retirement from the role of Chief Medical Officer
Letter to Sir Liam Donaldson from Prime Minister Gordon Brown on his retirement from the role of Chief Medical Officer (Donaldson (Sir Liam) Collection, LD/3/7/20)

Not all of the materials held in Special Collections are old, and that is particularly true of archives. A good example of unique but fairly recent material can be found in the Sir Liam Donaldson Collection.

As well as being the present Newcastle University Chancellor, Sir Liam Donaldson was the 15th Chief Medical Officer for England from 1998 to 2010, an historic role dating back to 1858 as a means of affecting sanitary reforms in the wake of the early cholera epidemics. Their remit developed into being the Government’s top medical advisor on all elements of health policy as well as representing their profession and the public health at the very highest level as the Nation’s doctor.

In this letter, written on 17th December 2009,the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, expresses his sadness at Sir Liam’s decision to step down as Chief Medical Officer and touches on some of the landmark campaigns made possible through his leadership.

He thanks him first for remaining in post to help respond to the H1N1 “Swine Flu” influenza epidemic. Sir Liam had intended to step down in November 2009 but delayed his decision because of the expertise he could bring in responding to such a crisis. Sir Liam had warned as early as 2004 that such new strains of influenza were inevitable and put in place contingencies such as writing infectious disease strategies, establishing the Health Protection Agency to monitor and respond to such outbreaks and major public awareness campaigns. These steps helped to considerably minimise the impact of the severity of this disease in the UK.

The Prime Minister goes on to recognise Sir Liam’s input into NHS reform, with his personal campaigns enacting a quality and patient safety ethos in the organisation; something Sir Liam continued to do on a Global scale as founding Chair of the World Alliance for Patient Safety at the World Health Organization from 2004 onwards.

Gordon Brown finishes by touching on Sir Liam’s efforts to increase the take up of organ donation and his most celebrated achievement in leading on the smoking ban in public places on 1st July 2007: a public health milestone. He tirelessly targeted such modern, self-made epidemics in his influential annual reports which led to action through policy and legislation. Similar efforts based on his concerns over the consumption of alcohol and calls for minimum pricing in 2009 were not greeted as favourably, but speak for the independence of the role of Chief Medical Officer, acting for the greater good rather than political gain.
The full catalogue for the Donaldson (Sir Liam)Archive is hosted on the Archives Hub. It includes archival material on this significant public health reformer’s many campaigns as Chief Medical Officer, his early roots in the North East, and on-going attempts to tackle the world’s most devastating health issues.

The archive has also been selectively digitised and these images can be searched and browsed via CollectionsCaptured.

You can also view an online version of the complementary exhibition, Root and Branch: Public health under the Nation’s doctors, on the Special Collections web pages

Berwick-upon-Tweed: The fortified town – April 2013

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Map of Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1849
Map of Berwick-upon-Tweed from History of Berwick-upon-Tweed: being a concise description of that ancient borough, from its origin down to the present time, by Frederick Sheldon, 1849 (Clarke (Edwin) Local Collection, Clarke 784)

During Elizabeth I’s reign Berwick was heavily fortified to protect it against possible future attacks. This map from 1564 shows the castle, rampart walls and barracks. According to sources over £120,000 was spent on the fortifications, many of which remain today. If true this would make it the most expensive undertaking of the Elizabethan period, amounting to over £25,000,000 of expenditure in today’s money.

In April 1318, Berwick-upon-Tweed was captured by the Scottish in the First War of Scottish Independence. Following the Scottish victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, they regained all of their strongholds and re-taking Berwick was the culmination of this. The Scots however, could not hold the town and it was soon re-captured by the English. In fact over a period of almost 400 years from the late 10th century the town changed hands more than a dozen times.

Its strategic position on the border during many years of English/Scottish war, coupled with the fact that it was a wealthy trade town, meant Berwick was constantly under siege between the 11th and 15th centuries. Part of Northumbria and thus England until the late 10th century, the town came under Scottish control (whether by cession or conquest is unclear) and was made a Royal Burgh by David I. William I of Scotland used Berwick as a stage from which to invade northern England in 1173 and following his defeat the town fell back under the English control of Henry II. However, his son Richard I sold it back to William I in order to raise funds for his crusade.

The 13th century saw much battling and bargaining for the increasingly prosperous town. William Wallace’s severed arm was displayed in Berwick following his execution and quartering in 1305. After the Scots triumphed over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn, they blockaded the town between 1315 and 1318 finally invading and capturing it in April 1318. The English took it back in 1333 and held it until 1461 when deposed King Henry VI’s wife Margaret of Anjou gifted it to the Scots for their help against the Yorkists during the Wars of the Roses. Finally in 1482, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (and soon-to-be King Richard III) recaptured the town and Berwick has been English ever since.

Henry V – March 2013

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Illustration of Henry V
Illustration of Henry V from History of the battle of Agincourt: and the expedition of Henry the Fifth into France, in 1415 by Sir Nicholas, Harris, London, 1833 (White (Robert) Collection, 942.042 NIC)

21st March 2013 marks the 600th anniversary of Henry V’s accession to the English throne. Widely considered to have been an excellent King, Henry is renowned for winning the Battle of Agincourt against the French and his immortalisation in Shakespeare’s play of his life.

Henry V, the eldest son of Henry of Bolingbroke and Mary de Bohun, was born in 1387. In 1399 his father deposed Richard II of England and claimed the throne for himself after the King disinherited him. Richard died soon afterwards (he was very probably murdered in captivity) and Henry was created Prince of Wales at his father’s coronation. Henry and his father were of the House of Lancaster and this seizure of the throne was one of the first acts in the Wars of the Roses, which were to continue until 1485.

Henry showed his military abilities as a teenager, commanding his father’s forces in the Battle of Shrewsbury against Harry Hotspur in 1403. He also spent five years fighting against Owen Glendower’s rebellion in Wales. He was keen to have a role in government and ruled effectively as regent for eighteen months from 1410 when his father was ill. However, once recovered, Henry IV dismissed the prince from his council and reversed most of his policies.

Henry became king in 1413. In 1415,he successfully crushed a conspiracy to put Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, on the throne. Shortly afterwards he sailed for France, which was to be the focus of his attention for the rest of his reign. Henry was determined to regain the lands in France held by his ancestors and laid claim to the French throne. He offered to fight the French Dauphin for the throne in personal combat but was refused. He defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt on 25th October 1415. The battle was notable for the fact that the English army of no more than 6,000 men defeated the supposedly far superior French army numbering around 20,000.

Between 1417 and 1419 Henry followed up this success with the conquest of Normandy. The French were forced to agree to the Treaty of Troyes in May 142. Henry was recognised as heir to the French throne and married Catherine, the daughter of the French king. Unfortunately, Henry died two months too early to be crowned King of France. He died suddenly, probably of dysentery, on 31st August 1422 at the Château de Vincennes. He was only 35 years old. His nine-month-old son, whom he had never met, succeeded him as Henry VI. It was a dangerous period for a child to be King with rival claimants to the throne everywhere. The following 50 years saw the throne change hands several times and Henry VI’s eventual murder in the Tower of London, reputedly by the princes of the House of York.

Henry V’s reputation is one of a chivalrous warrior but he had another side. Described as a man of conviction, Henry was a well-educated and pious man. He was a lover of art and literature and had a particular interest in liturgical music. He gave pensions to well-known composers of his time, and he ordered a hymn of praise to God, which was sung after Agincourt. From 1417, Henry promoted the use of the English language in government, and was the first king to use English in his personal correspondence since the Norman Conquest.

We have William Shakespeare to thank for forming most people’s opinions of Henry. Henry V is one of Shakespeare’s historical plays. It forms the fourth part of a tetralogy dealing with the historical rise of the English royal House of Lancaster. Written in approximately 1599, it tells the story of King Henry V, focusing on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt. Readers have interpreted the play’s attitude to warfare in several different ways. On one hand, it celebrates Henry’s invasion of France, but it also speaks of anti-war sentiment. Henry is portrayed as a hero but he has invaded a non-aggressive country and killed thousands of people. When Shakespeare wrote the play in the late sixteenth century, Henry was considered to be a hero. Henry VIII aspired to be like him and as a Lancastrian he was idolised by the Tudors. He was a warrior King who could not rule today but in his time he restored national pride to England and became a hero the people admired.

Battle scene illustration from Shakespere's Historical play of Henry the Fifth by William Shakespeare, Manchester
Image from Shakespere’s Historical play of Henry the Fifth by William Shakespeare, Manchester, 1872 (19th Century Collection, 19th C. Coll. 822.33 SHA(Cal)

Richard III (from Several Sovereigns for a Shilling by Joseph Crawhall) – February 2013

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Print of Edward V and Richard III, by Joseph Crawhall II,
Print of Edward V and Richard III, by Joseph Crawhall II, from Several Sovereigns for a Shilling! Adorned by Joseph Crawhall (London: Hamilton, Adams; Newcastle upon Tyne: Mawson, Swan & Morgan, 1886) (Crawhall (Joseph II) Collection, Crawhall 45)

Joseph Crawhall II (1821-1896) revived the chapbook tradition. Several Sovereigns for a Shilling (1886) is a collection of lithographed portraits of monarchs, alongside irreverent rhymes – quite typical of Crawhall’s humour.

On 4th February 2013 archaeological experts from the University of Leicester announced to the world that “beyond reasonable doubt” they had uncovered the bones of Richard III. Richard was 32 years old when he was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 by the forces of Henry VII. As this verse from Joseph Crawhall describes, Richard was “knock’t on the head” and the skeleton bears evidence of eight injuries to the skull. He was the last English king to die in battle and with his death came the end of the Plantagenet dynasty, giving rise to the House of Tudor.

The skeleton also provides evidence of scoliosis – a curvature of the spine – but no hunched back or withered arm as William Shakespeare and Tudor historians like Thomas More would have you believe.

Richard was born at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire but spent many of his formative years at Middleham Castle in Wensleydale and it was in the North of England, as President of the Council of the North, that he earned respect as a protector against the Scottish raids and as a just keeper of the peace.
On the death of their father in 1461, Richard’s brother became Edward IV and created Richard Duke of Gloucester. When Richard’s brother, Edward IV died, Richard was made protector of his two young nephews: Edward and Richard. Accusations of illegitimacy mounted against the boys and Richard III was crowned King in July 1483 whilst the boys, who had been lodged in the Tower of London, mysteriously vanished. Rumour would have us believe that Richard murdered the princes: “Poor Edward the fifth was, young, kill’d in bed, By his Uncle, Third Richard”, as Crawhall puts it.

Richard was said to have been buried under the choir of Greyfriar’s Church in Leicester but the building had been demolished in the 16th Century. It was by analysing maps that the location of the church was identified, where a car park stands today. Descendants of Richard, who provided DNA samples for comparison, were traced using historic records and documents. This demonstrates the continued relevance of primary sources and other historic materials.

Whether you admire Richard as a brave military leader (he remained on the battlefield while several of his men defected) and the person who introduced an early form of legal aid (the Court of Requests), or whether you believe the Tudor propaganda, it must be remembered that the period of the Wars of the Roses was particularly brutal and that people were governed by a different moral code. Richard’s Council of the North improved economic conditions in the North and he also banned restrictions on the printing and sale of books.

Richard will be reinterred in Leicester Cathedral.

If you are interested in reading contemporary accounts of Richard and this period, you might refer to the Paston Letters (White (Robert) Collection, W942.04 PAS) and to the account by Robert Fabyan, both of which are held in Newcastle University Library’s Special Collections.

Japanese Paper Balloon Bombs – January 2013

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Diagram of a Japanese Fire Bomb from Japanese Paper Balloon Bombs:
Diagram of a Japanese Fire Bomb from Japanese Paper Balloon Bombs: The First ICBM
Henry Morris, Bird and Bull Press, 1982 (Rare Books, RB623.451 MOR)

Necessity is often said to be the mother of all invention. Sadly, with war, this often came in the form of scientific advances devised to kill and spread panic with more efficiency and devastation. During World War II, Germany’s most important technical achievement was the development and use of the V-2 missile; an unmanned, liquid propellant rocket capable of reaching overseas targets and the first known man-made object to enter space. Completed by July 1944, they were responsible for the death of 2,754 civilians in England alone and had an even greater propaganda value as a weapon coveted by the allies and feared by citizens at risk. However, they were not the only Axis power to launch such terrible initiatives, with Japan even outdoing the V-2 in terms of spanning continents to become the first truly inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), albeit in a less successful, more rudimentary way…

This annotated sketch, enclosed in a book explaining the history behind them, depicts a prototype fire bomb or füsen bakudan, which Japan developed during World War II as a means of spreading terror, starting fires and inflicting casualties on North American soil. After the disastrous defeat of their Navy at the battle of Midway (4 – 7 June 1942), the Japanese Military were intent on causing a similar psychological victory over the U.S. Over the next two years, the Imperial Japanese Army’s elite Noborito Laboratory, staffed by over 1000 of the country’s top scientists, engineered and tested incendiary and anti-personnel devices attached to 32 foot balloons made of Japanese handmade paper. These were capable of travelling on the trans-Pacific upper wind currents or ‘jet streams’ over the Pacific Ocean.

Considerable research was carried out to allow the balloons to maintain the minimum altitudes needed during the estimated 60 hours and over 6,200 miles it took to reach America. An aneroid barometer detonated explosives to release sandbags when they descended too far. When all these ballasts had dropped, the weapon was presumed to be over its target and the bombs were released. Rubberized silk was trialled for the balloons, but found to be much too heavy, whereas the light but exceptionally strong paper was more successful.

From November 1944 to April 1945, more than 9000 füsen bakudan were launched. It is estimated 1000 reached America; roughly the success rate of 10% predicted by Japan. However, the U.S. authorities, fearful of the panic they would spread and not wanting the Japanese to know how successful they had been, ordered radio stations and newspapers to give no publicity to such incidents. Although damage was minimal, six Americans, a pregnant Pastor’s wife and five Sunday school children did lose their lives in Oregon on 5th May 1945 when they investigated a downed balloon and the still attached bomb exploded; the only deaths due to enemy action to occur on mainland America during World War II. Ironically, this tragedy took place on land owned by the Weyerhaeuser Company, who were papermakers.

This diagram and the accompanying book was one of only 375 copies printed at the Bird and Bull Press, Pennsylvania, founded by Henry Morris, a printer and papermaker, in 1958, specializing in the art, craft, and history of papermaking.

Grimms’ Fairy Tales – December 2012

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Fairy tales by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm; illustrated by H. E. Butler, c.1910
(Burnett Collection, Burnett 20)

The first collection of folk tales compiled by the brothers Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm was entitled Kinder-und Hausmärchen or Children’s and Household Tales. Published 200 years ago, on 20th December 1812, they were based on German folk tales, which were widely-known in oral tradition but had never been written down as a complete collection. The brothers’ aim was to gather the traditional folk tales of the common people together and for them to be accepted and read by the rising middle classes. However, they have been criticised for changing characters and meanings in order for the stories to appeal to an audience that valued hard work, patience and obedience. Kinder-und Hausmärchen was the second most popular book in Germany during the Twentieth Century, second only to the Bible.

These images are from an early twentieth-century edition of the original tales. The illustrations were completed by Herbert Edward Butler (1861-1931). Butler trained at the Royal Academy, where he also exhibited in 1909. He and his wife, Sophia, lived in Polperro, Cornwall where he had a painting school. He specialised in large oil canvases, although after the First World War he began painting smaller watercolours and illustrating books.

Despite their misleading title, Grimms’ fairy tales were not originally intended as stories for children. It became increasingly popular for parents to read them to children, and the tales were revised in order to make them more morally acceptable, often removing references to sex and violence. The sanitised stories we assume Walt Disney was responsible for creating, were in fact products of the Grimm Brothers themselves who set about ‘cleaning-up’ the tales. Below are some of the most interesting changes that have taken place in the classic fairy stories since their first publication in 1812:

  • The first-edition versions of Snow White and Hansel and Gretel featured the children’s birth-mothers as the villains, but this was later changed to the step-mothers, possibly to mitigate the violence of the stories.
  • In Rapunzel, her relationship with the Prince was sexual as, after his evening visits, she noticed her clothes getting tighter; she was clearly pregnant. In this edition it is not included but their sexual relationship is still alluded to as the Prince discovers her living with their twins at the end of the story.
  • In Snow White, the original tale ends with her step-mother, the wicked Queen being forced to put on red-hot iron shoes and dance until she fell down dead.
  • In Cinderella the sisters cut off parts of their feet in order to make the slipper fit and trick the Prince into marrying them. In the end they get their eyes pecked out by pigeons.

The re-writing of fairy tales has been constant and continues today. In the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries the idea of Christian meritocracy was introduced into fairy stories, particularly in Britain and the US. God was portrayed as being on the side of the hero and religious paraphernalia was incorporated into illustrated editions of the fairy tales, such as bibles placed on bedside tables. In Nazi Germany, traditional folk tales were considered to be holy and sacred and were promoted by the government from 1933 onwards. The Nazis said that Kinder-und Hausmärchen was a book that every household should own and used the stories to create feelings of nationalism. They embraced the traditional folk ideals of purity, loyalty, maternal sacrifice and male courage and used the stories to socialise children. It can be argued that the close association of the Nazis with the traditional fairy tales was the cause of the accusations of anti-Semitism that plagued Walt Disney during his lifetime.

In February this year many of the national newspapers ran stories claiming that parents are no longer reading fairy tales to their children. Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood were considered to be too scary; Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was seen as inappropriate because of the use of the term ‘dwarves’ and Goldilocks and the Three Bears for condoning stealing; and Cinderella apparently sent an outdated message about women being responsible for doing housework. Conversely, fairy tales have been popular for 200 years and the habit of reading them to children is well-established. The common themes of growing-up, familial struggles and fear of the unknown continue to make the stories relevant today. In addition they teach children important lessons about not trusting strangers, obeying their parents and loyalty. Will fairy tales die out? It’s doubtful, after all everyone loves a happy ending…

Fairy tales by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm; illustrated by H. E. Butler, c.1910
(Burnett (Mark) Collection, Burnett 20)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – November 2012

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Photograph Depicts civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King being introduced by Newcastle University's Public Orator J. H. Burnett as part of his ceremony to accept an honorary doctorate of Civil Law on 13th November 1967.
Photograph of Martin Luther King’s Honorary Degree ceremony, 1967 (University Archives, NUA/052589/11)
Depicts civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King being introduced by Newcastle University’s Public Orator J. H. Burnett as part of his ceremony to accept an honorary doctorate of Civil Law on 13th November 1967. Newcastle University was the only UK University to bestow this honour on Dr King during his lifetime.

On the afternoon of Monday 13th November 1967 in King’s Hall a congregation was held to award an honorary Doctor of Civil Law. Present at the ceremony were the Chancellor of the University, His Grace the Duke of Northumberland and the Vice-Chancellor Dr. C.I.C Bosanquet.

The Public Orator, Professor J.H. Burnett, in his speech of introduction described some events from the life of the candidate:

“I do not suppose that many of us, shopping with an eight-year-old son, have been required to sit in a particular part of a shoe shop because of the colour of our skin, nor do I imagine that our wives have often had to explain to distraught children that “Daddy went to jail to help other people”, and, although I hope we could all behave in this way, I seriously question the ability of most of us to return to a wife and young baby in a bomb-blasted house surrounded by a clamouring crowd and say “Don’t get your weapons. He who lives by the sword will perish by the sword. We are not advocating violence. I want you to love our enemies”…

The man being honoured on that day 45 years ago was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the American civil rights leader.

Unusually, but perhaps not surprisingly, as he was probably one of the 20th Century’s greatest orators, Dr. King delivered a speech in reply.

The speech, according to the report of the event in the Courier, was made without the aid of notes.

Photograph depicts civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King signing the visitors' book during his visit to Newcastle University to accept an honorary doctorate of Civil Law on 13th November 1967.
Photograph of Martin Luther King signing the University’s visitors’ book (University Archives, NUA/052589/05)
Depicts civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King signing the visitors’ book during his visit to Newcastle University to accept an honorary doctorate of Civil Law on 13th November 1967.

Extract from Professor J.H. Burnett’s speech

“… I can assure you that honouring me today in this very meaningful way is of inestimable value for the continuance of my humble efforts. Although I cannot in any way say that I am worthy of such a great honour, I can also assure you that you give me renewed courage and vigour to carry on in the struggle to make peace and justice a reality for all men and women all over the world. …”

“… It may be true that morality cannot be legislated but behaviour can be regulated: it may be true the law cannot change the heart but it can restrain the heartless: it may be true that the law cannot make a man love me but it can restrain him from lynching me. …”

“… So while the law may not change the hearts of men it does change the habits of men if it is vigorously enforced. Through changes in habits, pretty soon attitudinal changes will take place and even the heart may be changed in the process. …”

Photograph of Martin Luther King Jr., the then Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of the University and Lord and Lady Mayoress of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Photograph of Martin Luther King with University staff and dignitaries (University Archives, NUA/052589/07)
Depicts civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King with Newcastle University’s Chancellor the Duke of Northumberland (left), the Lord and Lady Mayoress of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (centre), and Vice-Chancellor Charles Bosanquet (far right). Taken during during Dr King’s visit to accept an honorary doctorate of Civil Law on 13th November 1967.

Dr. King’s extremely busy schedule meant that he had to leave Newcastle almost immediately after the ceremony, to return to America.

However, earlier in the day, before the ceremony he had had time to meet a group of students for an informal question and answer session.

Photograph depicts civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King speaking with Newcastle University students over an informal coffee morning during his visit to Newcastle University to accept an honorary doctorate of Civil Law on 13th November 1967. Among the students shown are Meredyth Bell (nee Patton), Deputy President of the Students Representative Council (far left), and C. B. 'Nick' Nicholson, President of the Students' Representative Council (far right).
Photograph of Martin Luther King and students at a coffee morning (University Archives, NUA/052589/15)
Depicts civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King speaking with Newcastle University students over an informal coffee morning during his visit to Newcastle University to accept an honorary doctorate of Civil Law on 13th November 1967. Among the students shown are Meredyth Bell (nee Patton), Deputy President of the Students Representative Council (far left), and C. B. ‘Nick’ Nicholson, President of the Students’ Representative Council (far right).

Find out more

Read the full text of Dr. King’s speech online (from the University website). Also, watch the video of the congregation ceremony (from the University website).

Featured in a digital exhibition as part of Freedom City 2017; a city-wide programme commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s honorary degree – https://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/digital-resources/martin-luther-king/

History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland… – October 2012

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Illustration of Bridge over Tees
Bridge over Tees. Gainford, * 1860, from Market House, Bishop Auckland, 1860 by J.B. Bond, from History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland…2 vols. Bishop Aukland WJ Cummins,1872 (Rare Books, RB Quarto 942.81 RIC)

In our June 2011 Treasure we featured illustrations added by William Bowness Bond to “Vestiges of old Newcastle and Gateshead”.

For this month’s Treasure we highlight illustrations he added to another book in his collection: Richley, Matthew – History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland…

As he says in the hand written note on the flyleaf of volume 1:

“I have extra illustrated this History of Bishop Auckland, in which town I was born, by inserting 270 engravings, water colour drawings and autographs.”
WB Bond, Venice September 1913.Mr. Bond had added numerous items to the volume. There is a type-written list of the items at the end of volume 2.

The book in its original form was a single volume comprising 190 pages. With the additions it consists of 2 substantial volumes half bound in green goatskin with green cloth sides.

William Bowness Bond died in Venice in April 1932. He had bequeathed his book collection to Armstrong College, one of the Colleges that would later form Newcastle University. Most of the collection reached the library in January 1933, but, according to the Library Committee minutes of the period one box of material was delayed in Customs. The collection consisted of approximately 360 volumes and some miscellaneous material.

We have been unable to find any further information about Mr. Bond, or why he bequeathed the books to the College.

Illustration of Market House, Bishop Auckland
Market House, Bishop Auckland, 1860 by J.B. Bond, from History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland…2 vols. Bishop Aukland WJ Cummins,1872 (Rare Books, RB Quarto 942.81 RIC)

* “Bridge over Tees. Gainford. 1860.” is Gainford Railway Bridge completed in 1856 allowing the Darlington to Barnard Castle branch of the North Eastern Railway to cross the Tees. The branch line was closed in November 1964.