Home > Archives & MSS > Modern Papers > Jowett Papers

Jowett Papers - Group II Class K

Group II

Class K - Material mostly connected with Benjamin Jowett's college work and his duties as Vice- Chancellor

This class consists mostly of material connected with BJ's teaching and college work, and his duties as Vice-Chancellor, but there are also miscellaneous items connected with him, as well as some items connected with the Abbott and Campbell papers.

K1

Two petitions laid before the Hebdomadal Council by Oxford M.A.s during BJ's term as Vice-Chancellor, 1882-6.

• [1] Petition to lay before the University a scheme by which women may be admitted to at least some of the Honour Examinations. The petition itself is printed,below which there are about 120 signatures. These were originally written on several pieces of paper, which were then stuck together to make a long continuous roll. Some of the joins, however, have come unstuck, and some parts of the roll have become torn. Undated, but the petition is known to have bee presented in 1884.
• [2] Petition to protest at the endowment of a chair of physiology because of the nature of some of the experiments which will be performed on animals, and to ask the Council to decree that experiments involving pain to animals be forbidden. There are 8 signatures.

K2

Letters to BJ from various correspondents, and two from BJ himself, dated 1889-93. Almost all concern entering men for Balliol.

• [1] Evelyn Abbott to BJ. Headington Hill, 23 Mar 1891, ALS [1 leaf]. Abbott encloses 2, and explains that he knows its writer Suggestions about when David Maugham should arrive in England from Australia.
• [2] Edward Harris to an unnamed addressee. The King's School, Parramatta, New South Wales, 16 Feb 1891, ALS [1 leaf]. Harris asks that one of his pupils, David Maugham, be considered a candidate for Balliol to enter in October 1891.
• [3] G.C. Bell to BJ. The Lodge, Marlborough College, 26 Mar 1887 recte 1891?], ALS [1 leaf]. Bell gives BJ his opinion of H.M. MacVicar [see further 19-20].
• [4] H.J. Bhabha to BJ. Education Secretary to the Government of Mysore, Bangalore, Southern India, 5 Apr 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. Thanks for all BJ's letters on the selection of 2 professors to teach in Mysore. A death in the royal family has delayed the Maharajah from making a final decision [see further II I2/11-15].
• [5] E.H. Bradby to BJ. n.a., 26 Nov [?], ALS [1 leaf]. Acceptance of an invitation to be a select preacher at the University.
• [6] Kenneth E. Chalmers to BJ. Garrows, Dunkeld, Perthshire, 15 Aug [1893?], ALS [1 leaf]. Chalmers is sending BJ some grouse.
• [7] F.C. Davies [to BJ?]. The Rectory House, Stanfield, E. Dereham, Norfolk, 26 Jul 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. Has his nephew E. Read Davies taken his B.A.? Somewhat rambling diatribe against the education offered by Balliol as being unsuitable for today's young men.
• [8] H. Fairbrother to BJ. Holmlea, Barrington Road, Altrincham, 6 Jan 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. Can BJ enter his son Percy as a candidate for Balliol in October? [A note is added in Martha Knight's hand M r Fairbrother to call upon the Master]
• [9] Percy T. Fairbrother to BJ. Holmlea, Barrington Road, Altrincham, 12 Feb [1893], ALS [1 leaf]. Thanks for BJ's letter. Arrangements for his coming up to Balliol.
• [10] E. Floyd[?] to BJ.  Allendale, Wimborne, Dorset, 15 Aug [1893?], ALS [1 leaf]. He understands from Saul Wilmot that BJ has not heard of Stacy Waddy, and therefore tells him something of Waddy's good character.
• [11] Hugh Fraser to J.L. Strachan-Davidson. Exmouth, 9 Aug 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. On his son failing Responsions. He had given up hope of his going to Balliol, but A.L. Smith has implied that he might be able to try again. Suggestions about when he should resit the exams.
• [12] Hugh Fraser to unnamed addressee. Exmouth, 9 Aug 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. Can his son try for the exams in October 1894?
• [13] Hugh Fraser to unnamed addressee. Exmouth, 14 Aug 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. Thanks for letting his son apply for Balliol in October 1893.
• [14] H.W.L. Grant of the Anti-Liberation Society [a Society campaigning against the Disestablishment of the Church of England] to BJ. 47 Essex Street, Strand, London W.C., 16 Feb 1889, letter in a secretary's hand with Grant's signature [1 leaf]. Three and a half sides of this letter consist of printed material on the work of the Society with a list of its members. BJ asked to contribute a guinea to the society's work.
• [15] M.E. Grant Duff to BJ. York House, Twickenham, Middlesex, 4 Aug 1893, ALS [2 leaves]. He has been asked to recommend a travelling tutor for the son of a friend. Can BJ think of anyone suitable?
• [16] Montagu Harris to BJ. 50 Finborough Road, West Brompton, London, 21 Aug 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. Request to apply for a place at Balliol. BJ wrote on the letter to come Friday Thurs or Friday.
• [17] Lord Henley to BJ. Watford Court, Rugby, 7 Apr 1891, ALS [1 leaf]. Henley tells BJ of his wish to enter his son Anthony for Balliol.
• [18] G.W. Kekewich to BJ. Education Department, Whitehall, 2 May 1893, ALS [2 leaves]. On the controversy over altering the entrance regulations to St. Pauls School.
• [19] J.D. MacVicar to BJ. Suffolk House, Cheltenham, 23 Mar 1891, ALS [1 leaf]. MacVicar asks to have his son Herbert entered for Balliol next October [see further 3].
• [20] J.D. MacVicar to BJ. Suffolk House, Cheltenham, 28 Mar 1891, ALS [1 leaf]. BJ thanked for entering his son. Enquiries about whether he can have rooms in College.
• [21-25 are in an envelope addressed in an unknown hand to The Reverend the Master of Balliol, and inscribed in BJ's hand (pencil) Papers on Technical Education]
• [21] G. Herbert Morrell to BJ. Headington Hill Hall, Oxford, 10 May 1890, ALS [1 leaf]. He encloses a copy of the last Science and Art report. Details of where the National Association for the Promotion of Technical and Secondary Education holds its lectures in Oxford.
• [22] Printed promotional pamphlet from the National Association for the Promotion of Technical and Secondary Education, explaining the 1889 Technical Insctruction Act [1 leaf].
• [23] Printed promotional pamphlet from the National Association for the Promotion of Technical and Secondary Education, explaining the changes of the New Education Code of 1890  [1 leaf].
• [24] Printed promotional pamphlet from the National Association for the Promotion of Technical and Secondary Education, with revised instructions to inspectors in the light of the Education Code Bill of 1890 [1 leaf].
• [25] Printed promotional pamphlet from the National Association for the Promotion of Technical and Secondary Education titled Notes on the Working of the Technical Instruction Act [1 leaf].
• [26] Printed card from the Headmaster of Shrewsbury School [H.W. Moss] inviting BJ to the Shrewsbury Speeches on Thursday 19 Jun [1873, 1879, 1884 or 1890 - because of the context, 1890 seems likeliest].
• [27] H.W. Moss to BJ. School House, Shrewsbury, 1 Jul 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. Looking forward to seeing BJ soon for speech day at Shrewsbury.
• [28] W.L. Newman to BJ, 1 Pittville Lawn, Cheltenham, 25 Apr 1889, ALS [1 leaf]. News of a slow improvement in his health.
• [29] Thomas Raleigh to BJ. All Souls College, 24 Nov 1891, AL[S] [1 leaf; beginning of letter only; at least 1 leaf, with conclusion, is lost]. Report on some Balliol men he has been teaching [names indexed].
• [30] J.W. Russell to BJ. Ballure, Bardwell Road, Oxford, 1 May 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. Can W.R. Davies have his science scholarship extended for a fifth year? He does not recommend similar treatment for G.F. Howse.
• [31] P.W. Sixwell-Oxenden to unnamed addressee [BJ?]. 7 Elgin Park Gardens, London S.W., 13 Aug 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. On what should be done if his son Basil fails Smalls.
• [32] A. Smith to BJ. The School House, Sutton Coldfield, 13 Mar 1891, ALS [1 leaf]. Smith asks that one of his pupils, Michael J. Donovan, be entered for Balliol for October 1893.
• [33] A.L. Smith to BJ. 7 Crick Road, Oxford, 6 Apr 1891, ALS [1 leaf]. Lord Henley has entered his son's name for Balliol, and Smith approves of him.
• [34] J.L. Strachan-Davidson to BJ. Derwent Hill, Keswick, 11 Aug 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. He encloses a letter from a Mr. Fraser [see 11 above] about his son's application to Balliol, and the fact that he has failed Responsions. A muddle by A.L. Smith has raised the father's hopes that he can try again.
• [35] E.F. Sykes to BJ. Holleydene [sic], Southmoor Road, Oxford, 4 Aug 1893, ALS [1 leaf]. Is Balliol going to reconsider not renewing Sykes' certificate of residence for the Goldsmith's Exhibition?
• [36] Saul C. Wilmot to BJ. Glan-y-don, Southwold, Suffolk, 8 Aug [1893?], ALS [1 leaf]. Wilmot understands that his nephew Stacy Waddy is travelling from Australia to come to Balliol. Wilmot has been asked by Waddy's father to check arrangements for him. Will he have rooms, and will he have to pass Responsions?
• [37] Saul C. Wilmot to BJ. Glan-y-don, Southwold, Suffolk, 12 Aug [1893?], ALS [1 leaf]. Request that BJ consider Stacy Waddy as a candidate for Balliol.
• [38] BJ to Mrs. Llewellyn Brown. Balliol, 12 Nov 1892, ALS [1 leaf], envelope with stamp preserved [this is stamped as unclaimed]. Did BJ send her a copy of Plato?
• [39] BJ to an unnamed 1891 freshman. Balliol, 19 Aug 1891, ALS [1 leaf]. BJ asks if the freshman wants rooms in college, and tells him when to come up. Inside is a copy of a letter in an unknown hand. Addressee, writer, address and dates are unknown, but it too is concerned with when an undergraduate should come up to Balliol for a Michaelmas Term.
• [40] Envelope inscribed in pencil in Martha Knight's hand Notes about Conference. Inside are 3 leaves also in pencil in Martha Knight's hand, with some corrections in pencil in BJ's hand, which seem to be notes (for a speech?) on the relationship between secondary schools and universities.

K3

Envelope inscribed in BJ's hand in pencil Plan for an Oriental Honour School, with 1 leaf of notes in BJ's hand in ink, dated 28 Nov 1876 at the top and 7 Jun 1877 half way down.

K4

Medium NB (200 by 165mm), limp red marbled paper cover, slightly faded and worn, no title or label, although part of the top right hand corner has been cut out to reveal the word Letters written on the first page. Only ff 1-20 used. Pages lined. Pencil with a little ink. The whole NB is in Martha Knight's hand, apart from a few words in BJ's.

• The first page of the NB is headed Letters and Engagements, and the NB's purpose seems to be to list BJ's appointments and letters to reply to, under dates from 31 Jan to 30 Apr [it is unclear for which year]. Almost every name has been crossed out; this was probably done when a letter was written or an appointment kept [names not indexed].

K5

Miscellaneous printed material. Its appearance in the Jowett Papers seems curious, but since Thomas Erskine and Alexander Ewing were both friends of BJ, it is possible that some items were collected by BJ himself, and the rest could be examples of unsolicited mail which somehow escaped destruction.

• [1] Circular from Thomas Baines, Printers, concerning stocks of books on religion (undated but must be between 1885-1896, as F. Temple is described as Bishop of London) [1 leaf]
• [2] Two copies of a pamphlet titled In memoriam John Ridley (after Dec 1887) [both 1 leaf].
• [3] Copy of two poems by John G. Whittier, The Minister's Daughter and The Eternal Goodness (undated) [both poems on 1 leaf].
• [4] Advertisement for The Christian Revelation of God, the Basis of True Philosophy, with extract from the preface (undated) [1 leaf].
• [5] Copy of poem by Emily H. Hickny [sic] And now Abideth .... Hope (undated) [1 leaf].
• [6] 2 copies of an offprint from The Spectator of 5 Jun 1884 of an article called Prayers for the Dead [each 1 leaf].
• [7] Offprint from the Contemporary Review for Apr 1878 of  review by Rev. J. Baldwin Brown of Dr. Farrar's Eternal Hope [1 leaf].
• [8] Offprint from the Christian World for 7 Apr 1881 of an article by Rev. J.B. Heard titled The Reaction of Law on Theology [1 leaf].
• [9] 2 copies of an offprint from The Spiritual Order and other Papers by Thomas Erskine titled The Purpose of God (undated) [each 1 leaf].
• [10] 2 copies of an offprint from an unknown journal titled Three Modern Worthies [namely John Macleod Campbell, Thomas Erskine and Alexander Ewing] by 'H.M.W.' [each 1 leaf].

K6

A selection of examination papers from 1873-1882 arranged as follows [1 copy of each paper unless otherwise indicated].

• [1] Preliminary Exams before Responsions: Hilary 1873 (Greek and Latin Grammar; Latin Sentences), Michaelmas 1873 (Euclid), Hilary 1875 (Latin and Greek Grammar), Michaelmas 1875 (Latin and Greek Grammar) and Easter 1879 (Greek and Latin Grammar).
• [2] Matriculation Exams for Michaelmas 1873 (Latin Prose), Michaelmas 1877 (Mathematics), and Michaelmas 1882 (Latin Prose).
• [3] Balliol College Classical Scholarships and Exhibitions Exams for 1877 (Greek Unseens [2 copies]; Latin Unseens; English Essay; Mathematics; Questions in History and Divinity; Greek Verse Composition; Latin Verse Composition; Greek Prose; Latin Prose) and 1878 (English Essay [3 copies]; Greek Unseens [4 copies]; Greek Prose [3 copies]; Latin Unseens [3 copies]; Latin Prose [3 copies]; Latin Verse Composition [3 copies]; Greek Verse Composition [4 copies]; Questions in History and Divinity [3 copies]; Questions in Grammar and Literature [3 copies]; Mathematical Questions [3 copies]).
• [4] Balliol College Jenkyns Exhibition Exams for 1875 (Questions in Philosophy etc.; Greek Prose) and 1879 (Latin Unseens [2 copies]; Greek Unseens [2 copies]).
• [5] Balliol College Brakenbury Scholarship Exams for 1876 (8 papers, numbered I-VIII, all untitled, and all on modern [i.e. non-classical] history).
• [6] Craven Scholarship Exams for 1873 (Latin Prose; Latin Unseens; Greek Prose; Greek Unseens; Latin Unseens; Literature; Latin and Greek Verse Composition; Latin and Greek Literature; History and Questions in Grammar, etc.) and 1877 (Latin Prose; Greek Verse Unseens; Greek Prose; Latin Prose Unseens; General Paper; Greek Prose Unseens; Philological Questions; Latin Verse Unseens; Latin and Greek Verse Composition [with an alternative Prose Composition paper]).
• [7] Balliol College Collections for Michaelmas Term 1873 (Latin Unseens [2 copies]).
• [8] Balliol College, Examination for Shakespeare Prize for June 1873 (Long Essay Paper [4 copies]; Short Essay Paper [3 copies]).
• [9] Dean Ireland's Scholarship Exams for 1875 (Latin Verse Composition; Latin Verse Unseens; Greek Prose Unseens; Greek Prose Composition; Latin Prose Composition; Greek Verse Composition; Latin Prose Unseens; Greek Verse Unseens; Critical and Grammatical Questions; General Questions).
• [10] Boden Sanskrit Scholarship Exams for 1873 (Grammatical Questions; Questions on the Literature etc.), 1875 (Questions on the Literature, etc.; Sanskrit Prose Composition; Sanskrit Unseens; Grammatical Questions etc.) and 1879 (Sanskrit Verse and Prose Composition; Grammatical Questions; Questions on the Literature; Sanskrit Unseens).
• [11] Rugby School Exams for Christmas 1876 (Paper on Plato's Philebus).
• [12] Lincoln College Scholarships for Michaelmas 1873 (Greek Unseens).
• [13] Second Public Examination Class Papers for Michaelmas 1877 (Logic; Moral and Political Philosophy; Plato's Republic;  Aristotle's Ethics; Questions on Plato and Aristotle; Ancient History; Herodotus; Thucydides and Xenophon; Questions on Herodotus, Thucydides and Xenophon; Plutarch and Cicero; Sallust and Tacitus; Questions on Plutarch, Sallust, Cicero and Tacitus; Unprepared Translations; Greek Prose; Latin Prose), Easter Term 1878 (Questions on Plato and Aristotle; Questions on Plutarch, Sallust, Cicero and Tacitus; Logic; Herodotus; Thucydides and Xenophon; Ancient History; Plato's Republic; Aristotle's Ethics; Moral and Political Philosophy; Greek Prose; Questions on Herodotus, Thucydides and Xenophon; Unprepared Translations; Cicero and Sallust; Plutarch and Tacitus; Latin Prose; Aristotle Politics; The Age of the Antonines; Locke, Hume and Butler; Kant; Political Economy) and Michaelmas 1878 (Logic; Moral and Political Philosophy; Questions on Plato and Aristotle; Ancient History; Questions on Herodotus, Thucydides and Xenophon; Questions on Plutarch, Sallust, Cicero and Tacitus; Plato's Republic; Aristotle's Ethics; Herodotus; Thucydides and Xenophon; Sallust and Cicero; Plutarch and Tacitus; Latin Prose; Greek Prose; Unprepared Translations). All three groups of papers are held together with brass tags.
• [14] Printed Notice concerning the setting of Collections for people reading for Finals, Michaelmas 1877 [8 copies].

K7

Miscellaneous papers connected with BJ.

• [1] 1 leaf in an unknown hand (undated). It is almost certainly part of a letter whose writer is abroad.
• [2] 2 leaves in Martha Knight's hand of an extract from a speech (probably by BJ) on Lord Lansdowne.
• [3] 1 leaf in Matthew Knight's hand headed Select Preachers with a list of names of candidates [probably from BJ's time as Vice-Chancellor, 1882-6].
• [4] 1 leaf inscribed in Matthew Knight's hand I.C.S. mem. rel g to Age of Candidates.
• [5] 1 large leaf in an unknown hand (but the hand seems to be early rather than late 19th century) consisting of discussion of vegetables [the reason for its place in the Jowett Papers is unclear].

K8

Miscellaneous papers connected with Evelyn Abbott.

• [1] Leaf of paper inscribed in an unknown hand Size of Abbott's Philomythia - corr.. Undated.
• [2] Certificate of posting of a registered post parcel to Mrs. Humphry Ward, 9 May 1894.
• [3] 2 leaves of notes in Evelyn Abbott's hand on Herodotus Book II (undated).
• [4] 2 envelopes with stamps addressed to Evelyn Abbott (contents missing), P/M London 4 Oct 1894 and Slough 10 Mar 1894.

K9

Page proofs for BJ's lectures on the Character and Trial of Socrates, which formed pp.1-66 of the posthumous Essays on Men and Manners. These proofs are stamped by the OUP for 2 May 1896 [see I H95 for more proofs of these pages].

- Robin Darwall-Smith, 1993