Runcie, Robert Alexander Kennedy (1921-2000)

The majority of the collection comprises official papers from Runcie's period as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980-1991, most of which was arranged by the Archbishop's staff in yearly series of alphabetical subject files (Runcie/ACP; Runcie/ACV; Runcie/EAC; Runcie/EAOC; Runcie/EG; Runcie/EOC; Runcie/ELRC; Runcie/ERCC; Runcie/EV; Runcie/MAIN). Other official papers include material relating to the 1988 Lambeth Conference (Runcie/LC), speeches, sermons, statements and press articles (Runcie/SPEECH; Runcie/STATEMENT; Runcie/PRESS), official diaries (Runcie/DIARIES), papers relating to the Anglican Consultative Council (Runcie/ACC), papers of members of Runcie's staff (Runcie/HILL; Runcie/LYTTLE; Runcie/TOMPSON; Runcie/WAITE), and papers relating to the restoration of Lambeth Palace Chapel (Runcie/CHAPEL) and Lambeth Palace Garden (Runcie/GARDEN).

The papers also include material from before Runcie became Archbishop of Canterbury, including his period as Bishop of St Albans from 1970-1980 (Runcie/STA). Photographs (Runcie/PHOTO) and personal papers (Runcie/PERSONAL; Runcie/POST) date from throughout his clerical career.

For detailed information on the major events of Runcie's life and archepiscopate see Platten, S, 'Runcie on reflection' (Norwich, 2002) [Lambeth Palace Library H5198.R8P5]; Carpenter, H, 'Robert Runcie, the reluctant archbishop' (London, 1996) [Lambeth Palace Library H5198.R8C2[R]]; Hastings, A, 'Robert Runcie' (London, 1991) [Lambeth Palace Library H5198.R8H2] and Alan Webster's article in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

These form part of the Archbishops' Papers. These in turn form part of the archives of the Archbishops of Canterbury, which also comprise: Bishops' Meetings records (BM), Cartae Antiquae et Miscellaneae (Lambeth Charters) (CM), Convocation records (Conv), Court of Arches records (Arches), Faculty Office records (F), Lambeth Conference papers (LC), Temporalities records (ED and T), and Vicar General records (V).

Open

The Archbishops' Papers are subject to a thirty-year closure period. Papers of the Archbishop are released annually after thirty years. Additionally, some correspondence relating to living persons has been closed under the provisions of the Data Protection Act and withheld. This will be made available in due course.

The bulk of the papers were transferred to Lambeth Palace Library directly from Lambeth Palace where they were originally created and stored.

Correspondents are selectively identified in the catalogue, for instance members of the clergy and eminent individuals.

Copyright in official papers of Archbishop Runcie is owned by Lambeth Palace Library (given, Jan 2002).

The sequence of official papers transferred from Lambeth Palace was appraised according to the following criteria: copies of minutes and papers sent for information purposes only have been destroyed where a full set is held by the originating body; correspondence of a routine administrative nature has been destroyed; correspondence from members of the public has been sampled; printed material related to bodies under the patronage of Archbishop Runcie, and Orders of Service for services in which he participated have been transferred to the printed books collection.

Majority of audio recordings at the British Library Sound Archive, some remain at Lambeth Palace Library.