Records of the Writers' Club

The archive consists of 48 manuscript letters concerning the Writers' Club, the majority addressed to committee members Miss Florence Routledge (daughter of publisher George, and later wife of playwright St John Hankin), and some to Miss EE Dickinson (Honorary Secretary), concerning subscriptions, meetings, membership, recommendations and well wishing.

The Writers' Club [for Women] (1892-fl.1920) was founded in 1892 by the journalist Frances Low at 10 Norfolk Street, near Fleet Street, London. It claimed to be unique in being the only club devoted to women of one profession. Entry, which was limited to 300, was based on evidence of literary or journalistic work. Entrance fee was one guinea for town members and the same amount for the annual subscription. Many well -known authors were members and a quiet room was reserved for writing. The suite included a writing room, dining room, kitchen, cloakroom and two reception rooms. 'At Homes' were held every Friday afternoon when guests (including men) could be invited to tea. No residential accommodation was provided and silence was enforced in the Writing Room. In the early 1900s a group of members, dissatisfied with the Club's lack of physical amenities, broke away under the leadership of Constance Smedley, to form the Lyceum Club. The Writers' Club was still in existence in the 1920s.

Original order lost, arranged alphabetically by surname and chronologically where possible.

This collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

Purchased by the Women's Library at auction, 20 Jul 2005.

The Women's Library Catalogue

See also records held at the following repositories:

*Isabella Banks: notebooks, letters and papers held at Manchester University: John Rylands Library and Manchester Archives and Local Studies centre (ref: MS.F.928.23.B112 )

*Pearl Mary-Teresa Craigie: correspondence and papers, 1888-1911 held at University of Rochester: Rush Rhees Library, New York, USA (ref: NUC MS 76-1346), literary papers held at Columbia University Libraries: Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New York, USA, letters to Ellen Terry, 1894-1905 held at Ellen Terry Memorial Museum, Kent, correspondence with William F Brown and scrapbooks held at Reading University Library, Reading

*Alice Stopford Green: correspondence 1864-1929 held at the National Library of Ireland, Dublin (ref: MSS 15069-137 ), correspondence with Macmillans 1877-1928 held at British Library, Manuscript Collections (ref: Add MSS 55059-61 ), correspondence with Lord Haldane and miscellaneous held at National Library of Scotland, Manuscript Collections, Edinburgh (refs: MSS 5912-6084 passim, MSS 10290-91)

* Flora Louise Lugard [nee Shaw]: papers 1890-1901held at News International Archive and Record Office, London (ref: NRA 19359 The Times), papers c1888-c1925 held at Oxford University: Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House (ref: MSS Lugard; Brit Emp s 30-90), correspondence with Lord Gladstone 1914-1915 held at British Library, Manuscript Collections (ref: Add MSS 46078-81), letters (70) to WT Stead 1887-89 held at Cambridge University: Churchill Archives Centre (ref: STED 1/65)

*Flora Annie Steel: correspondence with Macmillans 1892-1927 held at British Library, Manuscript Collections(ref: Add MS 54968 ) *

*Frances Evelyn Greville: correspondence and papers held at Warwickshire County Record Office, Warwick (ref: CR 1886 ), correspondence with Society of Authors 1927-34 held at British Library, Manuscript Collections(ref: Add MS 56840), letters (31) to WT Stead c1893-1900 held at Cambridge University: Churchill Archives Centre (ref: NRA 32593 Stead)

*Mary Augusta Ward: family diaries 1885-1920 held at London University: University College London (UCL) Manuscripts Room (ref: MS ADD 202), correspondence with Society of Authors 1909-18 held at British Library, Manuscript Collections (ref: Add MS 56840),

*Katharine Sarah MacQuoid: correspondence with Macmillans 1870-1913 held at British Library, Manuscript Collections (ref: held at British Library, Manuscript Collections (ref: Add MS 56840)

*Anne Isabella Ritchie: literary papers 1864-1918 held at Senate House Library, University of London (ref: MS 508 MS 907 )

For full and up-to-date listings of locations of archives search the National Register of Archives (NRA) website at www.nra.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra

See also Location Register of 20th-Century English Literary Manuscripts and Letters (British Library, 1988)