Temple, William (1881-1944)

Letters and papers (vols. 1-62, 110). The remaining volumes (vols. 63-109, 111) comprise scrapbooks, appointment diaries, sermons, articles, press cuttings, photograph albums etc.

William Temple (1881-1944) was appointed bishop of Manchester in 1921, translated to York in 1929 and to Canterbury in 1942.

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), including correspondence on the Archbishops' estates (TR 8-36), and Vicar General records (V).

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The bulk of the letters and papers listed in this catalogue cover William Temple's three years at Canterbury (1942-4) and were left at Lambeth on his death. Certain personal papers, dealing mainly with the period before 1929, have since been deposited in the Library by his widow. No distinction is made between the two which have been arranged and listed in a single alphabetical sequence by subject (Vols. 1-62).

The papers of William Temple as Archbishop are catalogued in greater detail than most of the other 20th-century Archbishops.

Catalogue descriptions originally based on 'Summary catalogue of the papers of William Temple, archbishop of Canterbury, 1942-1944' (typescript, 1981) by Geoffrey M. B. Pick, Assistant Archivist. Correspondents in vols. 1-62 and 110 were not originally noted, except in a few selected instances. Vols. 63-109 were briefly described at file level. Descriptions of vols. 2-62 and 110-111 were augmented by Aaron Hope, Assistant Archivist, 2006-2007.

Descriptions available on the National Archives Discovery site < http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk> as well as the Library catalogue.

Copyright in official papers of Archbishop William Temple is owned by Lambeth Palace Library (transferred by literary executors, 1988).

TEMPLE MATERIAL IN OTHER COLLECTIONS HELD IN LAMBETH PALACE LIBRARY:

ARCHBISHOPS' PAPERS.

R.T. Davidson: Scattered references.

C.G. Lang: Scattered references.

G.F. Fisher: Scattered references.

BELL PAPERS.

File T: Correspondence with Temple, 1941-4; correspondence about memorials and biographies for Temple, 1944-9.

Subject Box: Unemployment; Archbishop of York's Committee on, 1933-9. [now Bell 163]

German Church Papers.

BISHOPS' MEETINGS:

BM 7-9.

DOUGLAS PAPERS:

Scattered references.

LAMBETH CONFERENCES:

1920 and 1930.

MSS. SEQUENCE:

Numerous, particularly:

MS. 1765 - Typescript of letters by Temple to his elder brother F.C. Temple, 1894-1944.

MS. 3106 - Recollections of Temple by his wife, 1881-1942.

MATERIAL IN OTHER REPOSITORIES:

William Temple papers vol. 109 consisted of 9 L.P. records of radio broadcasts, which were transferred to the British Library Sound Archive.

On the evening of D-Day, Tuesday 6 June 1944, the BBC broadcast to the nation a special service, led by Archbishop Temple. The British Library Sound Archive holds a recording (ref: 7443) in nine parts, five disks, which is available in digitised form on-site at the British Library. See FA Iremonger, 'William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury: his life and letters', OUP, 1948, pp. 556-558.

Borthwick Institute of Historical Research (for records as Archbishop of York).

Ordination papers for the diocese of Canterbury, 1902-1944, formerly at Lambeth Palace Library, have been transferred to Canterbury Cathedral Archives.