"...the history of Manchester College is not peripheral to the study of English intellectual and social history...but central" -Asa Briggs
The Harris Manchester College Archives holds material relating to the activity of the College from its creation in Manchester in 1786, through its relocations to York, back to Manchester, to London, and finally to Oxford. It holds not only institutional administrative material relating to the College's own history, but also personal collections that relate to its place in the history of social change and of Protestant dissent, particularly Unitarianism.
The administrative material covers records such as minute books, committee papers, accounts, some student information, and building plans. The personal papers include collections of prominent individuals. These include: James Martineau (1805-1900); Harriet Martineau (1802-1871); Joseph Blanco White (1775-1841); Robert Brook Aspland (1805-1869); Thomas Belsham (1750-1829); Joseph Estlin Carpenter (1844-1927); Valentine David Davis (1854-1912); James Edwin Odgers (1843-1925); Evasio Radice (1794-1855); John Seddon (1719-1769); William Shepherd (1768-1847); and members of the Woods, Osler-Herford, and Robberds families.
For the most up to date (though not exhaustive) listing of Archive holdings please see the Catalogue of Manuscripts in Harris Manchester College (searchable PDF). Some items in our Archive collections are available to view in full on Digital Bodleian.
The Archive is open Tuesday-Thursday, by appointment only. All researchers must complete our researcher registration form. For enquiries and to make an appointment please contact the College Archivist, Julia Donaldson: archive@hmc.ox.ac.uk.
Researchers may find it helpful to consult some of the secondary sources dealing with the history of the College and its antecedents. These give a flavour of the content of the Archive collections:
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Truth, Liberty, Religion: Essays Celebrating Two Hundred Years of Manchester College edited by Barbara Smith (Oxford: Manchester College, 1986)
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A History of Manchester College: From its Foundation in Manchester to its Establishment in Oxford by V.D. Davis (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1932)
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Manchester College: A short history, 1786-1990 by J.H. Parker and Richard Ennis (Oxford: Manchester College, 1990)
The Archivist is keen to collect original material that reflects the history of the College and student life at HMC. Please read our collections development policy for more information. All donors are asked to complete our deposit agreement. Please do get in contact if you have material that you would like to donate: archive@hmc.ox.ac.uk.
Check our other collections here:
