Papers relating to Noel Grudgings (c.1909-1967), pharmacist, 1929-1994

The collection includes the following items.

Notebook containing drafts of poems in the style of Old Norse sagas, later published as 'Grimnismal' in 1931. Pencil and ink annotations indicate that the poems were in the late stages of redrafting. Undated, c.1930 (MS 177/1);

Notebook containing prose pieces, including items entitled 'The Masque' and 'Epic and Idyll'. Undated, c.1932 (MS 177/2);

Typescript translation of 'The Waking of Angantyr' from Old Norse into English by Noel Grudgings. Undated (MS 177/3);

Typescript poem by Arthur Sale about Noel Grudgings entitled 'Order of the Bath or Fulfilled Unrenown for N.U.G.'. Undated, c.1994 (MS 177/4);

Typescript prose item entitled 'Lodder' by Noel Grudgings. Undated, c.1930 (MS 177/5);

Photocopy of a poem translated from Old English, presumably by Noel Grudgings in about 1930, entitled 'The Wanderer'. Undated, c.1998 (MS 177/6);

Copies of translated poems in English. The poems are by Grudgings and the copies were made by Arthur Sale. Undated, c.1998 (MS 177/7).

Bound notebook containing handwritten copy of 'Brynhild. A play written for Arthur Sale', signed by Noel U. Grudgings, and at the back, 'Onnurmal', a poem in English. Undated, c.1930-1932 (MS 177/8).

Book list maintained by Noel U. Grudgings, undated, c.1930-1967. Bound typescript and handwritten lists of books owned by Grudgings, organised into subject categories and using handwritten and illuminated dividers. The majority of the books listed are on the subject of Old Norse (MS 177/9). This list was presented to the University of Nottingham in 1967 along with Grudgings' library and for many years was itself part of the Library collections under classmark Z997.G78. It was identified as a manuscript item in 2024 and transferred into the Papers of Noel Grudgings collection.

Noel Upton Grudgings of Desborough, Northamptonshire, was born in about 1909 and was educated at the grammar school in Kettering, Northamptonshire. He entered University College Nottingham (now the University of Nottingham) in 1929 at the age of 20 to study pharmacy. While at college, he became deeply interested in Old Norse and Viking culture. Together with a number of other students he learned Old Norse in classes run by Alice Selby, outside the usual curriculum. He contributed a number of items to the undergraduate magazine 'The Gong' and in 1931 published a collection of poetry, 'Grimnismal', drawing upon his study of the language and saga literature. He left college in 1931 after passing the chemists and druggists qualification examination.

Little is known of Grudgings' life after he left Nottingham or his career as a pharmacist in Bath and Melksham, Wiltshire. He retained his interest in Old Norse and built up an extensive library on the subject.

Arthur Sale, poet and teacher of literature, met Grudgings when they were both students at University College Nottingham. Sale was for a time editor of the student magazine, 'The Gong'. Their friendship was maintained, and Sale's memories of Grudgings as a young man and of their time at Nottingham form part of the collection. Sale was responsible for the proposal after the death of Noel Grudgings that his extensive library of Icelandic and Viking literature should be presented to the University of Nottingham.

The collection has been listed in the order of the accrual of the items by the University.

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This description is the only finding aid available for the collection. Copyright on the description belongs to The University of Nottingham.

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Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk).

Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

In 1967 the library of Noel Grudgings was incorporated into the University's general library holdings, in which it has provided the basis for a considerable strength in Old Norse literature. A number of manuscript items were removed to form the present collection. These were added to in later years (1994 and 1998) by papers from Arthur Sale in Cambridge, recording work by Grudgings.