Marjorie Nicholson papers

IDENTITY STATEMENT AREA

Reference code(s): MNP

Title: Marjorie Nicholson papers

Date(s): 1935 - 1997

Level of description: Fonds

Extent and medium of the unit of description: c45 linear feet

CONTEXT AREA

Name of creator(s): Marjorie Nicholson

Administrative/Biographical history: Marjorie Nicholson was born in 1914. She attended Oxford University in the 1930s and after graduating, taught before becoming an extra-mural organising tutor with Ruskin College. Whilst on a working trip to Nigeria in 1949 she became convinced that to help develop democratic self-governing institutions she had to work full time from within the labour movement. First, she worked as secretary at the Fabian Colonial Bureau producing pamphlets and memoranda and editing its monthly journal Venture. The Fabian Society took a special interest in the Colonies, founding its Colonial Bureau in 1940, thanks to the knowledge and enthusiasm of Nicholson and Rita Hinden. The Bureau only provided expert advice to members of both Houses of Parliament, but befriended many young colonials, mainly students, on their first visits to London. Through her work at the Bureau, Nicholson met and assisted Jawaharlal Nehru and Krishna Menon, Eric Williams from Trinidad, Hugh Springer from Barbados, Siaka Stevens from Sierra Leone, Tom Mboya from Kenya, Lee Kuan Yew from Singapore and Kwame Nkrumah from Ghana - all who went on to become leaders of the National movements in their own countries. During this period, she also stood three times, unsuccessfully, as the Labour candidate for Windsor. From 1955 Nicholson worked in the International Department of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), and was one of the few women working in policy development employed by the trade union movement.

After her retirement in 1972, she began writing up the history of the TUC's involvement overseas from her own papers and cuttings collection. The first volume, The TUC overseas: the roots of policy, was published in 1986 and she was still working on a second volume at the time of her death in July 1997.

Archival history: Marjorie left her research papers to the TUC in her will hoping that her work would be completed from her notes. Marjorie's solicitor collected all the papers he could find and passed these to Michael Walsh, Head of the TUC International Department. In January 1998 the TUC transferred the papers in their possession to the TUC Library Collections in the University of North London on permanent loan.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer:

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE AREA

Scope and content: The collection contain notes, press cuttings, annual reports, minutes, correspondence, copies of talks and speeches, fact sheets, press releases, articles, books, pamphlets, journals and personal papers that have been divided into the following sections:

Subject Files Collection (ref:MNP/ SF/boxes 1 - 45)

Personal Papers (ref: MNP/ PP/ Boxes 1- 9); Press cuttings (ref: MNP/PC/ Boxes 1 - 31); and Pamphlets and Books

The Subject files were classified by Nicholson using the TUC Registry system and cover a range of areas including British law and practice; labour law, colonial labour law and welfare; communism; Britain and the British colonies; France and the French Empire; Italy and the Italian colonies; Holland and the Dutch Empire; the British TUC structure and the organisation's activities both internationally and nationally; the politics of various countries; decolonisation; and trade unions, unionism in the British colonies. The countries covered include: China , Hong Kong, Aden, Palestine, Malaya, countries in Africa, Cyprus, India, Burma, and islands in the Caribbean.

The Personal Papers (PP) are divided into six sections: Photographs; Miscellaneous, Letters and Cards; Unpublished Work ; Published and Broadcast Work; and Reference Sources. The personal papers have been allocated reference codes relating to their format as they do not fit readily into the classification scheme used for the rest of the written material. The Press cuttings are arranged by country and date and have been catalogued and numbered according to this original arrangement. There are two sequences of cuttings, a set arranged by country (and then by date also) and a set arranged by date. This set contains only information about which countries are not included, this usually corresponds to material which has been classified by country or subject in the other sequence. The pamphlets have been placed in the subject file sequence where many were already filed and a full list of books included in this collection can be found in the TUC survey report. The survey report also contains a list of key figures mentioned in the papers.

The Marjorie Nicholson Papers cover the activities of a wide number of organisations including All Africa Trade Union Federation; All India Trade Union Congress; Colonial Advisory Committee (CAC); Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC); Central Office of Information; Department of Employment; Department of Employment and Productivity (DEP); General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU ); International Confederation of Free Trade Unions Asian Regional Organisation; Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London; League Against Imperialism (LAI); and Workers Welfare League of India

Subject files of note include those under the following headings:

ISLAM ((806, box 6, 1946 - 89)

Colonial Office Lists (930/1, box 13, 1954 - 61)

Colonial Development and Welfare - background (931, box 13, 1920 - 92)

Trade Unions and the Colonies (932.5/2 box15, 1941 - 71)

Trade Unions (including International) politics (932.59500), box 16, 1945-66);

India - visit and background and related records (954/1 - 8, box 22 - 25)

West Indies - background (972/1, box 40), West Indies - TUC I & 11 (972/2 &3, box 40)

West India Royal Commission I, II & III (972A/1,2 &3, box 41)

Jamaica - Background and TUC (972.1,/1&2 box 42)

Windward and Leeward Islands (ref:972.21, box 42)

Barbados - TUC & Background (ref:972.27, box 42)

British Honduras (972.28, box 42)

Bahamas/Bermuda (972.8/1&2, box 43)

British Guyana (972.8/2,3 &4, box 43 & 44)

Trinidad - Background and TUC (972.9/1 &2, box 44)

The biographies contained in this section include those of Kwame Nkrumah , Ras Makkonen, and George Padmore as well as Walter Citrine, Clement Attlee, Jack Jones and Ernest Bevin (ref: 892/1,2 & 3, box 6) The press cuttings (PC) of note include the following the Commonwealth (box 5), the West Indies -including Bahamas and Bermuda -(box , 4, 5 & 29) and the Windwards and Leewards (Box 23)

Record series of note include:

Islam (ref: MNP/ SFbox 6/ 806, 1946 - 1969). Includes extract from Egyptian Education Bulletin (October 1950), and articles on `The treatment of Muslim history and culture in some European textbooks' and `The contribution of Islam to medicine'.

Decolonisation (ref: MNP/ SFbox 13/ 930/3, 1959 - 1991). Pressing clipping and notes, including note on Imperial sunset' by James Lunt (1981), notes and draft plan of the Congress of Peoples against Imperialism.

Colonial Development and Welfare - Background (ref: MNP/ SFbox 13/ 931, 1920 - 1992). Comprises of photocopies and notes on congress reports, 1929-1930,notes on colonial development and welfare, Government's statement of policy (1940) notes on P S Gupta, Imperialism in the British Labour Movement (1914-1964) a paper by John Holford on Mass education and community development in the British colonies (1940-1960) and papers covering Downing Street and the colonies (1942) and Overseas resources development bill (1947).

Colonial Labour (ref: MNP/ SFbox 14/ 932, 1950). Includes records on the Colonial Labour Advisory Committee, Trade unionism in the colonies, and a pamphlet entitled 'Labour in the United Kingdom dependencies' (1956).

African (additional papers) - TUC and Pan-Africanism (ref: MNP/ SFbox 30/ 960/4, 1964 - 1975). Includes the `Extract from East Africa and Rhodesia' (MN 9/10/64); note `Extract from West Africa - new charter for unionists' (MN 31/7/64); list of books on Africa and industrial relations; copy of article from Afro-Asian Bulletin,( 1975) note on Africa from Citrine's papers; notes on All African Trade Union Federation; Notes on Casablanca conference; notes and papers on Pan-Africanism (1958)

West Indies - TUC (ref: MNP/ SFbox 40/ 972/2, 1926 - 1951). Includes notes on a report by F O Roberts on his visit in 1926; photocopies of TUC reports and conference proceedings; loose notes; Citrine's draft on Trade Unionism in the West Indies 3/5/39; a photocopy of an interview with Sir Walter Citrine from TUC file 972 and other copies from this file; notes on CAC minutes; notes on ICFTU/ORIT conference May 1951;extracts from TU News Overseas; notes on Development and welfare in the West Indies 1940-42, report by Sir Frank Stockdale (1943); a copy of BBC Broadcast to the West Indies on British Trade Unionism by Mr Victor Feather plus notes; notes on US bases in the West Indies; List of TUC West Indies Correspondents, November 1940;Draft copy of Royal Commission on West Indies ;Copies of Resolutions passed by the British Guinea and West Indies Labour Congress conference held at Port of Spain, Trinidad (1938);Notes on West Indies and Commonwealth conferences.

West India Royal Commission, I, II & III ( MNP/ SFbox 41/ 972A/1-3, 1937 - 76). Includes Citrine's papers ;the report, notes on method of drafting the report and notes on the papers and the report; Notes on Citrine's papers and on newspaper cuttings; notes on interviews with Lord Citrine 25,27,31 September 1976

Jamaica - TUC (ref: MNP/ SFbox 42/ 972.1/2, 1937 - 1955) Includes notes from TUC file 832.52 and 932.2; notes on TUC contact with unions, 1937-38;photocopies from TUC file 972.1 on Jamaica and notes on the formation of the Trades Union ; Council of Jamaica, the Jamaica sugar dispute (1941), the detention of Bustamante and Railway workers; and Paper marked, `extract from Jamaica 1938 'Birth of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union' (BITU 19658).

WINDWARD AND LEEWARD ISLANDS (Windward Islands are: Antigua, St.Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, Sombrero, Virgin Islands , and the Leeward Islands are: Dominica, St. Lucia, St.Vincent, Grenada) (ref: MNP/ SFbox 42/ 972.21, 1939 -1987) Includes extracts from trade disputes bills; notes on Leeward and Windward Islands prepared for meeting of OEF/TUC tripartite meeting 15/12/54? ; note on conversation with Vincent Bird 17/9/54; ICS seminar paper and notes, 1987; Records also contain A duplicate of W[alter] H[ood] note on discussion with Mr Barltrop, Colonial Office about the situation in Dominica 16/6/53; note on conversation with Mrs. Allfrey 15/12/57; notes on TUC file on Antigua 1939-1957 972.21 plus photocopies; notes on TUC file on St. Kitts and Anguilla 972.23 plus photocopies; notes on TUC file on Dominica 972.22 plus photocopies; notes on TUC file on Grenada 972.26 plus photocopies; Notes on TUC file on St.Lucia 972.24 plus photocopies; and notes on TUC file on St. Vincent 972.25 plus photocopies.

Barbados - TUC & Background (ref: MNP/ SFbox 42/ 972.27, 1909 - 1978). Includes records of the rules of the Barbados Labour League, 1909;notes on House of Lords debate 23/2/38;extracts from TUC news for overseas 1961-1965;copy of Barbados Workers Union 19th annual report and history, 1960;copy of tribute to Sir Grantley Adams; photocopies from TUC file 932.52;responses to the crisis in the sugar industry in Barbados & Martinique 1960-1977; notes on Barbados archives; and notes on Royal Commission documents on Barbados and notes on file 972A; and COI fact sheet, 1958.

British Honduras (ref: MNP/ SFbox 42/ 972.28), 1950 - 1959) Notes and copies from CAC papers, 1950-59; a copy from TUC file 932.52; duplicate of a survey of industrial relations in British Honduras, 1954; report of a visit to British Honduras financed from Carnegie funds by E W Evans; and background note on British Honduras from COI.

Bahamas/Bermuda (ref: MNP/ SFbox 43/ 972.3, 1956 - 1961) Includes COI fact sheets, 1954; Notes on and copies of CAC minutes and papers relating to the Bahamas Federation of Labour (1956), Bahamas trade union, trades disputes & labour legislation (1958), Bermuda: request for TUC visit (1961) ; Note on conversation with Miss S Ogilvie (Colonial Office) 21/8/56; and notes and photocopies from TUC file 972.35

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals: No further deposits are expected

System of arrangement: The papers and cuttings have been arranged in three sections: subject files, classified by Nicholson using the TUC Registry system; personal papers; and press cuttings, arranged by country and date. The collection also included a large quantity of books and pamphlets. The pamphlets have been placed in the subject file sequence where many were already filed.

CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE AREA

Conditions governing access: Open to bona fide researchers at the discretion of the TUC Librarian.

Conditions governing reproduction: At the discretion of the TUC Librarian and subject to copyright conditions.

Language/scripts of material: English

Physical characteristics: Condition is generally good although some press cuttings and file material may be fragile due to age and care should be used when handling. Handwriting on hand-written notes is mainly easily legible apart from some rough lecture notes which May need more care.

Finding aids: : List (1998), copy at the National Register of Archives, Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts; in addition some files contain Nicholson's own detailed contents guides, also there are her own card files, arranged initially by format and then subdivided by country or subject, and a guide to the press cuttings in the personal papers.

ALLIED MATERIALS AREA

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies: Rhodes House Library holds Fabian Colonial Bureau records, 20th century (Ref: MSS Brit Emp s 365). Berkshire Record Office holds papers relating to her parliamentary candidature

Related units of description: Papers from Marjorie Nicholson's time at the Fabian Colonial Bureau are at the Rhodes House Library in Oxford and the papers relating to her period as a parliamentary candidate are at Reading Records Office where they were transferred by the National Museum of Labour History.

Publication note: The TUC overseas: the roots of policy, Marjorie Nicholson, London (1986), Obituary in the Guardian 11/8/97 (copy held by the TUC Library Collections)

DESCRIPTION CONTROL AREA

Recorder's note: Source: Obituary in the Guardian 11/8/97 (copy held by the TUC Library Collections). Compiled by Janet Foster as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project, based on a description by Amanda Mason who listed the papers in 1998.

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: October 1998/Amanda Mason

Interest: Caribbean, Black, Asian

Specific group:

Subjects

Economic and social development

Trade unions

Labour movements

Labour law

Decolonization

Colonialism

Colonial countries

Personal/Corporate names

Nicholson, Marjorie, 1914-1997

Places

Jamaica

Bermuda

Barbados

Bahamas

Caribbean