John Hersee Collection of Manuscript Exercise Books

The Hersee manuscript collection extends to nearly 300 volumes from 190 authors. Around 250 of the exercise books are predominantly restricted to mathematical subjects and applications, although a few of these include elements of other subjects such as writing, poetry, music, history, scripture and geography. Fifty further volumes are restricted to these other subjects. The range of mathematics is restricted to elementary subjects: predominantly arithmetic and mensuration but also some geometry, trigonometry and algebra, and applications, particularly commerce and accounting, but also gauging (excise measurements), surveying and navigation. A handlist is available from Special Collections on request.

John Hersee (1930 - 2005) was a first-class honours mathematician from the University of Oxford, who started his professional career as a schoolmaster in Sheffield. He moved to Clifton College, Bristol, in 1959, and subsequently became involved in both national and international mathematics curriculum developments, culminating in his ten-year appointment from 1975 as Executive Director of the influential School Mathematics Project (SMP). He also played a leading and energetic role through various offices for the Mathematical Association, and was fittingly elected as its President for 1992-3. By this time he was working in mathematics teacher education at the University of Bristol. This was his last professional role, until he became seriously affected by Parkinson's disease. He spent the last few years of his life in a nursing home, as the disease took its increasing toll.

For the first 200 books, catalogued by Hersee himself, an alpha-numeric system was adopted, using authors' surnames, where known, or a for "anon" and Sa for several authors. For multiple-volume authorship a single number is followed by a lower-case alphabetical sequence. Storage in 39 boxes largely matches the alpha-numeric ordering. The sequence includes some missing items not catalogued by Hersee. A first editing of the Hersee catalogue was undertaken in 2010 by Dr Jacqueline Stedall. This work standardised the layout for each book under the headings: Item, Date, Author, Place, Contents, Notes and Sources. The "Sources" are the authors of textbooks which provided the substance for much of the copying in the exercise books. One name - Francis Walkingame - is predominant throughout on the basis of his hugely popular Tutor's Assistant, from 1751 through to the late-nineteenth century. All the exercise books are paginated in pencil and their alpha-numeric identifier is added, all largely by Hersee himself. Very detailed lists of contents are available for each mathematical book in the catalogue. The remaining 50 mathematical books were then catalogued by Mr Peter Ransom and Dr Michael Price, and identified by a star added to the alpha-numeric labels. The final 50, non-mathematical books, were catalogued by Dr Mary Walmsley and Dr Michael Price, and identified by a "z" added to the alpha-numeric labels. The additional 100 books are stored in ten more boxes, completing all the work on the Hersee collection.

The Special Collections Reading Room is open Monday-Friday. Opening hours vary, for updates see our Archives Hub repository page.

Researchers are required to book an appointment before their visit, through specialcollections@le.ac.uk or 0116 252 2056.

In 2004, through negotiations with his daughter Margaret, John Hersee's entire collection of mathematical works (both published and manuscripts) was generously donated to the Mathematical Association. From 2005 the published mathematical works were transferred to the University of Leicester Library. In January 2012 the collection of 200 manuscript exercise books was transferred to the Special Collections of the University Library. Although the University of Leicester Library holds the entire collection of 300 exercise books, ownership remains with the Mathematical Association.

A handlist for the collection is available from Special Collections on request.

John Hersee had a long-standing interest in the history of mathematics education. This interest extended to the accumulation, at his Bristol home, of fine collections of published mathematical books from the seventeenth century and mathematical manuscripts from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In 2004 the collection was donated to the Mathematical Association and transferred to the Archive Room in the Association's office in Leicester. This room was formally named the John Hersee Room at a special ceremony on 4 June 2005, as a fitting tribute to his outstanding work for, and his exceptional donation to, the Association. From 2005 onwards, the Mathematical Association looked to process and accommodate the John Hersee Library of published works. As the University of Leicester Library had housed the Mathematical Association Collection since the 1950s, it was appropriate that the published works from the collection should be transferred to the University Library. Antiquarian publications were transferred to the Library's Special Collections, whilst newer publications were added to the open shelves of the Library. The collection of manuscript exercise books remained in the John Hersee Room, in nine crates largely packed alphabetically by author. Access to the collection was enabled through the production of a detailed catalogue (including contents lists prepared by John Hersee) made available on the Special Collections web pages; users were then able to view the manuscripts in the John Hersee Room. Systematic work on processing the manuscripts for conservation, storage and transfer to Special Collections commenced in 2010. In January 2012, 32 boxes (numbered 1- 32) and 7 large boxes (numbered 1T to 7T), each containing on average five exercise books, were transferred to Special Collections. Storage in Special Collections was completed by 2015, in ten more boxes (numbered 33-39 and 8T-10T).

Further accruals are expected

John Hersee's collection of published works forms part of the Mathematical Association Collection and is available through the Univeristy of Leicester Library catalogue.