Correspondence with the Royal Household, 1928-58
- Component identifier:
- Series 8
- Content Summary:
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This series contains formal and informal communications with the Monarch, the Royal Family and the Royal Family's personal staff, during Gowrie's long period of service to the Crown. Together the files span the reigns of King George V, King Edward VIII, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. In some cases Gowrie corresponded directly with the Monarch, but more usually, contact was directed through the successive private secretaries Lord Stamfordham (1901-31), Lord Wigram (1931-36) and Sir Alexander Hardinge (1936-43). Other representatives of the Crown whose letters appear in the files are Sir Edward Harding, Sir Alan Lascelles, Sir Frederick Ponsonby, Lord Passfield, and Godfrey Thomas, Private Secretary to the Duke of Gloucester.
Gowrie's letters principally take the form of periodic reports, describing tours undertaken and current events, as well as reporting issues of political, economic and social importance. Accordingly, the series includes substantial correspondence of a political nature, and incorporates several letters from political leaders, such as Prime Ministers Curtin and Lyons, directly relevant to the accompanying Royal Correspondence. Other topics covered include the succession of office by the Duke of Kent; confidential notes of interview with Sir Robert Garran relating to the political crisis created by the death of Joseph Lyons in 1939; and arrangements for the importation of birds for the Royal aviary.
Please note: Folder 17 is subject to Royal copyright and access restrictions and is therefore closed for 60 years from the date of creation.
- Immediate source of acquisition:
- The papers were donated to the National Library in seven instalments: by Gowrie's grandson, the Honourable Malise Hore-Ruthven, in 1970, 1981 (two instalments), 1983, 1986 and 1993, and; in 1999 by Barbara Blanch, widow of Gowrie's biographer, John Blanch. In addition, in 1969 the Library received a collection of books acquired by Lord Gowrie, which had been housed at Australia House since 1955. Most of the volumes were presentation copies inscribed by the authors. Those books not already held were added to the Library's general book collection, whilst duplicate titles were offered to other libraries through the Clearing Centre.
- Names:
- Hore-Ruthven, Malise
Contents
Access and use
- Parent Restrictions:
- The collection is partly available for reference and partly closed. Files 1, 11, 12 and 15 in Series 6 and Folder 17 in Series 8 are subject to Royal Copyright and access restrictions, and remain closed for 60 years from the date of creation; all other papers are available for reference.
- Parent Terms of Access:
- Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
- Location of this collection:
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Parkes PlaceCanberra ACT 2600, Australia
- Contact: