Geoffrey Trease Collection

This material is held atSeven Stories Archive

  • Reference
    • GB 1840 GT
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1931-2006
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 16 archive boxes, 1 artwork box + books

Scope and Content

Archive created by Geoffrey Trease during the course of his career as a writer. The collection includes research material, notes and drafts relating to 27 of Geoffrey Trease's published titles for children, as well as notes and drafts relating to 'Portrait of a Cavalier', Trease's biography of William Cavendish, first duke of Newcastle, and to the autobiographical 'A Whiff of Burnt Boats'. The collection also contains material documenting Trease's early career, including short stories written for various serial publications, short stories written for broadcast on BBC radio, and scripts for some BBC Schools Television programmes written by Geoffrey Trease. In addition to material relating to Trease's published works, the collection contains notes and drafts relating to various speeches, lectures and articles written by Trease, along with numerous press cuttings and magazine articles. The collection also includes a complete set of Geoffrey Trease's published works, including foreign language editions of several titles.

Administrative / Biographical History

Created by Geoffrey Trease during the course of his career as a writer.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 8 series as follows:

GT/01 Short stories and serials

GT/02 Radio and television

GT/03 Juvenile fiction

GT/04 Biography

GT/05 Autobiography

GT/06 Unpublished work

GT/07 Lectures and articles

GT/08 Printed books

This system of arrangement reflects the original order of material at the time of deposit, and in most cases the series and file titles given are Trease's own.

Access Information

Accessible to all researchers, by appointment only.

Appraisal Information

This collection has been appraised, and all duplicate material removed.

Custodial History

The typescript drafts of 'Page to Jane Seymour' and 'Elizabeth, Princess in Peril' were donated to Seven Stories, along with a signed copy of 'Page to Jane Seymour', by Geoffrey Trease in 1996. The rest of the collection was deposited with Seven Stories by Trease's daughter, Jocelyn Payne, in 2007. The collection was originally deposited on long-term loan but was then donated to Seven Stories in 2008.