Gabbott family papers, 1908-1963 M2009

Malgorzata Schaefer
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
August 2017
Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford 94305-6064
specialcollections@stanford.edu


Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution: Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: Gabbott family papers
creator: Gabbott, Parry
creator: Gabbott, Frank R.
creator: Gabbott, Cecil P.
creator: Gabbott, Bernard L.
creator: Gabbott family
Identifier/Call Number: M2009
Physical Description: 1 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1908-1963
Date (bulk): 1920s-1960s
Language of Material: English.

Biographical / Historical

Brothers Bernard Lee Gabbott, Cecil Parr Gabbott, and Francis (Frank) Ridyard Gabbott were the youngest children of Edward Ridyard Gabbott and Ellen Gabbott. The three settled abroad as export brokers and businessmen in China. Frank was a partner and the Managing Director of the import-export company Gabbott, Begg, & Co., Ltd which was incorporated in Hong Kong, and was also involved in F.R. Gabbott & Company. Bernard was in partnership with his brother Frank as a financial and purchasing administrator for F.R. Gabbott & Company. Cecil appears to have been an administrator in the Property Department of Palmer & Turner Architects, Surveyors and Civil Engineers, based in Hong Kong, and later established the firm C.P. Gabbott and Partners. Their eldest brother, [Edgar] Parry Gabbott, settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and he, too, established some sort of commercial enterprise abroad.

Scope and Contents

The materials consist primarily of correspondence from the four Gabbott brothers to their mother Mrs. [Ellen] Gabbott, and to their sister [Eleanor] Mabel Gabbott, both in Leytonstone, UK. Comprises 77 letters (mostly sent from Hong Kong and Shanghai), approximately 10 marine insurance policies for large cargos of goods being exports from China to England, some correspondence related to the shipments, and a small assortment of personal photographs. A few letters are from Ruby Gabbott (Frank's wife) and Ethel Gabbott (Cecil's wife). The collection gives insight into trade between Britain and China in the first half of the 20th century. The correspondence includes commentary on an array of subjects such as communism in China, the Chinese Civil War, general living conditions in Hong Kong, financial affairs, and inter-personal matters. Also included are a few miscellaneous letters from Dermot Spencer and R. G. Spencer of Surrey's Windmill Press, (William Heinemann Publishers) to Elizabeth Wheeler Schermerhorn, author of "Malta of the Knights" and others.

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase; 2014. Accession MSS 2014-031.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Gabbott family papers (M2009). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

China -- Commerce -- Great Britain -- History
Great Britain -- Commerce -- China -- History
Gabbott, Parry
Gabbott, Frank R.
Gabbott, Cecil P.
Gabbott, Bernard L.
Gabbott family

box 1, folder 1-7

Insurance company invoices of goods shipped, 1930's.

box 1, folder 8

Frank Gabbott correspondence, 1908-1937, Shanghai

box 1, folder 9

Sister Ruby Gabbott (Franks' wife?) correspondence, 1934-1935, Shanghai

box 1, folder 10

Bernard Gabbott correspondence, 1925-1960, Hong Kong

box 1, folder 11

Bernard Gabbott correspondence and photographs, 1961-1963, Hong Kong

box 1, folder 12

Parry Gabbott correspondence, 1921-1952, Philadelphia

box 1, folder 13

Frank Gabbott correspondence, 1952-1961, Hong Kong and one from Vancouver

box 2, folder 1

Cecil Gabbott correspondence, 1922-1937, Shanghai

box 2, folder 2

Windmill Press letters, Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, 1928-1930 and n.d.

box 2, folder 3

Miscellaneous letters, 1923-1953 and n.d.

box 2, folder 4

Ethel Gabbott (Cecil's wife) correspondence, 1924-1926, Shanghai

box 2, folder 4

Ethel Gabbott (Cecil's wife), correspondence,1924-1926, Shanghai

box 2, folder 5

Photographs

half-box 3

Nitrate negs

Conditions Governing Use

Closed except with permission.