Revis Barber and Dennis Bellamy Papers.

Scope and Content

Biographical information about Alderman Revis Barber (1895-1965) and Dennis Bellamy (1894-1964).
1. Speech by Revis Barber on the status of Bradford Technical College, 21 September 1954.
2. Biography by Joyce Bellamy of Revis Barber (published in Bellamy, Joyce M., and Saville, John, Dictionary of Labour Biography, Vol. 5, London : Macmillan, 1979).
3. Biographical notes and interview with Dennis Bellamy, from Electra-Mag vol. 4, no. 9, December 1935.
4. Biography by Joyce Bellamy of Dennis Bellamy.

Administrative / Biographical History

Revis Barber was a Bradford trades union activist, conscientious objector and Labour Party councillor and alderman. He was especially interested in further education, and, as Chairman of the Further Education Sub-Committee, supported the Bradford Technical College in its ambition to become a university. He was the first Chairman of the Board of Governors for the College when it became Bradford Institute of Technology, one of the new Colleges of Advanced Technology, in 1957.
In 1962, the CATs were released from the control of local education authorities. Dennis Bellamy was appointed as the representative of the Ministry of Education on the new Board of Governors of the Bradford Insitute of Technology. Bellamy had just retired from his role as Chairman of the Yorkshire Electricity Board, after a long career of managing electricity services, alongside social concerns notably the Rotary Club. He was appointed Chairman of the new Board, and over the next two years helped plan the transition of BIT into a University, taking particular interest in the management school at Emm Lane and in social and cultural activities. He died in 1964. Revis Barber was Chairman again in 1965, signing the petition to the Queen to create a Royal Charter for the University of Bradford. He died a few days later.
These two chairmen were commemorated in the naming of halls of residence at the University and Alice Barber, Revis's widow, received an honorary degree in 1981.

Access Information

Available to researchers, by appointment. Access to archive material is subject to preservation requirements and must also conform to the restrictions of the Data Protection Act and any other appropriate legislation. There are currently no restrictions on access to this collection.

Acquisition Information

Donated to the University by Joyce M. Bellamy in 1979.

Archivist's Note

Described by John Brooker using ISAD(G)2, April 2001; minor edits by Alison Cullingford, May 2013.

Conditions Governing Use

Rights in items 2-4 held by Joyce Bellamy. Copies may be supplied or produced at the discretion of Special Collections staff, subject to copyright law and the condition of the originals. Applications for permission to make published use of any material should be directed to the Special Collections Librarian in the first instance. The Library will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.