Moore, Thomas Sturge

The material comprises correspondence between Thomas Sturge Moore (TSM) and various members of the Moore, Sturge and Appia families, friends, literary colleagues, including R.C Trevelyan, A.H Fisher, W.B Yeats, Robert Ross, Wyndham Lewis, George Bernard Shaw and Charles Ricketts, publishers and various others; diaries, notebooks and journals; drafts, proofs and published copies of his poems, articles, speeches and lectures; sketches and designs for costumes, book covers and bookplates for both his own work and that of others, most notably W.B Yeats; personal and family papers and photographs. Also included are copies of correspondence between the artist Charles Ricketts and friends, colleagues and various others; copies of his journals and diaries; material relating to his work and art collection; draft notes for a biography of Ricketts by Ursula Bridge and personal papers of the artist Charles Shannon.

Thomas Sturge Moore was a poet, art and literature critic, book designer, illustrator, editor, stage-designer and wood engraver. He was born on 4 March 1870 and was educated at The Croydon Art School and Lambeth Art School. Sturge Moore was a prolific poet and his subjects included, morality, art and the spirit. His first pamphlet, Two Poems , was printed privately in 1893 and his first book of verse, The Vinedresser , was published in 1899. His love for poetry lead him to become an active member of the Poetry Recital Society. His first (of 31) plays to be produced was Aphrodite against Artemis (1906), staged by the Literary Theatre Club of which he became a member in 1908. He received a civil list pension in 1920 in recognition for his contribution to literature and in 1930 he was nominated as one of seven candidates for the position of Poet Laureate. He died on 18 July 1944.

1. Correspondence. 2. Written Work. 3. Art Work. 4. Notebooks, Diaries and Loose Notes. 5. Personal and Business Papers. 6. Literary Figures and Societies. 7. Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon.

Open, but access to some archive collections may be restricted under the Freedom of Information Act or the Data Protection Act and some files may be closed. Please contact Special Collections for details. 24 hours notice is required for research visits.

The Sturge Moore family.

Catalogued online. A handlist is held in the Special Collections reading room. A pdf version of the handlist is attached to the sub-fonds description.

The British Library holds correspondence with Sir Sydney Carlyle Cockerell, 1915-1941 (Ref: Add MS 52737), letters to Katherine Harris Bradley, under her pseudonym of Michael Field, 1901-1911 (Ref: Add MS 45856), correspondence with Macmillans, 1904-1943 (Ref: Add MS55000), correspondence with Shri Purohita Svami, 1931-1932 (Ref: Add MS 45732), correspondence with Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon, 1899-1930 (Ref: Add MS 45732), and correspondence with the Society of Authors, 1926-1940 (Ref: Add MSS 63306); Reading University Library has correspondence, mainly with John Gawsworth, 1937-1944 (Ref: MS 165); Cambridge University Library contains letters to George Edward Moore, 1892-1940 (Ref: Add 8330); the Royal Society of Literature holds letters from Sturge Moore to the Society, 1911-1942; Trinity College Library, Cambridge University, has letters to Robert Calverley Trevelyan, 1899-1939.

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