Ker, William Paton

Papers of William Paton Ker including letters written to and by Ker, 1892-1923, some of Kerr's poems and other miscellany. Also papers relating to John Henry Pyle Pafford's bibliography of Ker, 1939-1955. Letter from W.P. Ker to Dororthy Stoppard, 1915, enclosed in a copy of "Epic and Romance", 1908.

William Paton Ker was born in Glasgow in 1855. He studied at Glasgow Academy, Glasgow University and Balliol College, Oxford University. He then became Professor of English Literature at the University College of South Wales, Cardiff in 1883 and in 1889 was appointed Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London (UCL). In 1879, Ker was appointed to a fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford and in 1920 was appointed to the Chair of Poetry at Oxford. While at UCL, Ker was responsible for setting up an Honours School of English and organising the Department of Scandinavian Studies. He had a passion for mountain climbing and fell walking. He died in 1923.

Access to this collection is unrestricted for the purpose of private study and personal research within the supervised environment and restrictions of the Library's Palaeography Room. Access to individual items in Senate House Library archives collections may be restricted under the Data Protection Act or the Freedom of Information Act. Please contact the University Archivist for details.

Linda J Stevenson, A Handlist of Letters and Papers Relating to W. P. Kerr (1855-1923) , University of London Library (1972)

Glasgow University Library holds letters and papers including diaries, notebooks and sketchbooks; the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, has letters and papers, 1912-1923 (Ref: Dep 311); the English Faculty Library, Oxford University, contains an icelandic collection; All Souls College, Oxford University, holds letters to Sir William Anson, 1882-1899 (Ref: Anson); the Brotherton Library, Leeds University, has letters to Sir Edmund Gosse, 1899-1920; the British Library, London, has correspondence with Macmillans Publishers, 1891-1922 (Ref: Add MS 55032).

Copies may be made, subject to the condition of the original. Copying must be undertaken by the Palaeography Room staff, who will need a minimum of 24 hours to process requests.