Literary manuscripts, correspondence, and publications of Wilfred Rowland Childe, with material relating to him

Comprises: (1) 34 larger or smaller notebooks of Wilfred Childe's autograph manuscript poems, only partially dated, 1920 onwards; (2) 20 folders holding more of his manuscript poems, some held in copies of newspapers dated variously from 1933 to 1949; (3) 30 copies of journal issues or books which include one or more poems by him, notably issues of The poetry review, Northern review, Northern lights, Poetry Manchester, The Yorkshire Catholic monthly, Leeds University poetry, 1950, Leeds University Verse Anthology, 1949, and a copy of Childe's book The Little City, 1912; also included is Alan Hadfield's play Great is Diana, 1946, to which Childe wrote the preface; (4) At least 12 packets containing a miscellany of manuscript poems, press cuttings including one or more of his poems, and some correspondence, notably between Wilfred Childe and John Gawsworth, 1934-1951; (5) A typescript memoir of Wilfred Childe written by his brother, Godfrey S. Childe, 1954, and a typed extract from an unpublished autobiography by E.H.W. Meyerstein; (6) 1 framed silhouette profile of Childe dated 4 July 1923; (7) 1 copy of the publication issued by the University of Leeds on the opening of the Brotherton Library on 6 October 1936; (8) An obituary card for Childe issued by Mr and Mrs Godfrey Childe in January 1953, including a small photograph of him; (9) A typescript essay on Childe's work by Jonathan Wood, entitled 'An English Dream of Sacred Ivory Towers', 1997; (10) Various lists and notes on the archive made at the times of acquiring the material. It has been estimated that the whole archive probably includes nearly 2000 poems in manuscript or typescript, of which a minority are duplicates or close copies. Many of the poems are unpublished. The archive also includes 2 verse plays, neither of which appears to have been published. The notebooks include some lecture notes and a short religious tale.

Wilfred Rowland Childe (1890-1952), the English Catholic poet and lecturer in English literature at the University of Leeds from 1922 until his death. For fuller details of his life and achievements, see Who was who, Vol.5.

Access is unrestricted.

The first part of the archive to be acquired was purchased from G.F. Sims on 25 September 1959. The main archive was purchased from Godfrey S. Childe and Miss Hylda Ostler on 1 and 5 July 1960 respectively. Additions were made to it by gift from Mrs D.U. McGrigor Phillips on 4 June 1962 and Miss E.M.C. Sadler on 8 September 1972 and by purchase from Rota on 28 June 1973.

In English.