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INVENTORY OF THE WALTER FRASER OAKESHOTT PAPERS, 1926-1986
(bulk 1949-1986)
900204
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Table of contents
Title: Walter Fraser Oakeshott papers
Dates: 1926-1986
Collection number: 900204
Creator:
Oakeshott, Walter
Fraser
Extent:
5.25 linear ft.
(9 boxes, 1 oversize
folder)
Repository:
Getty Research Institute
Research Library
Special Collections and Visual Resources
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688
Abstract: Scholar of Medieval art, distinguished by his work on the 12th-century Winchester Bibles and on Elizabethan England. The papers
document much of his work and reflect his lifelong passion for studying and collecting early books and maps. The archive primarily
consists of drafts for books, articles, and lectures, along with numerous photographs used for research and the illustration
of these publications.
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Language: Collection material in English
Open for use by qualified researchers.
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Library Rights and Reproductions
Walter Fraser Oakeshott
papers, 1926-1986, Getty Research Institute, Research Library, Accession no.
900204.
Acquired in 1990.
The collection was first processed and described in 1990. Laurie
Pesheck began re-processing this archive in May 1994 and completed this
finding aid and a new catalog description in July 1994.
136 photographs and postcards were pulled from the Oakeshott papers
and are now housed in the repository's Photo Study Collection, Medieval
Section.
6 postcards: the cruette from the treasury of St.-Denis,
France (Louvre); Romanesque French architecture and architectural
sculpture.
23 photos of French Romanesque architectural sculpture
(capitals and related elements) in the Musée des Augustins, Toulouse,
from the Episcopal complex of Saint-Etienne and the Priory of Notre-Dame la
Daurade, Toulouse, France.〹
2 photos of French Medieval architectural sculpture at
Reims and from Corbie.
68 photos of Ms.Add.54782 (the British Library), the Hours
of William Lord Hastings, a Flemish ms. from 15th-century Ghent, illuminated by
the Master of the Older Prayerbook of Maximillian I.
37 photos of Ms.Garrett.13 (Princeton University), the
Akathistos Hymnos, a Byzantine ms. from the 16th-17th
century.
| 1903 | Born Nov. 11 to Walter Field Oakeshott, MD, and Kathleen (Fraser) Oakeshott |
| 1924 | Received diploma in Classical Moderations from Balliol College, Oxford |
| 1926 | Received diploma in Literae Humaniores (Classics) from Balliol College |
| 1928 | Married Nöel Rose |
| 1931-38 | Assistant Master at Winchester College |
| 1934 | Identified a 15th century manuscript in Winchester College Library as Malory's Morte d'Arthur |
| 1936-37 | Released for membership in Pilgrim Trust Unemployment Enquiry |
| 1939-46 | High Master of St. Paul's School |
| 1946-54 | Headmaster of Winchester College |
| 1949-76 | Trustee of the Pilgrim Trust |
| 1953-72 | Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford |
| 1956 | Rhind Lecturer at Edinburgh University |
| 1960-61 | Master, Skinners' Company |
| 1962-64 | Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University |
| 1964-66 | Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University |
| 1966-68 | President, Bibliographical Society |
| 1971 | Fellow, British Academy |
| 1972 | Honorary Fellow of Lincoln College |
| 1980 | Knighted |
| 1987 | Died Oct. 13 |
Scope and Content of Collection
Sir Walter Fraser Oakeshott was a scholar of Medieval art,
distinguished by his work on the 12th century Winchester Bibles, and
Elizabethan England. His career as professor and school administrator included
positions as the Headmaster at Winchester College, Rector of Lincoln College,
and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. While Assistant Master and librarian
at Winchester College, Oakeshott identified the Winchester Malory ms. and went
on to study the great Winchester Bible in the cathedral library, which led to a
long-term inquiry of the 12th century Winchester school of painting, its
sources, and its oeuvre. Oakeshott's interest in book and map collecting led to
several other bibliographic discoveries and identifications, some of them
relating to Sir Walter Raleigh and his peers. Out of such investigations came
many articles and books of both a scholarly and popular nature. The bulk of the
material in this archive dates from 1949 to 1986.
The largest portion of the collection contains writings and research
files on various subjects, but consists mainly of work on Medieval art
historical topics, such as the Winchester Bibles and related material. A second
notable group of documents represents Oakeshott's studies on Elizabethan
England, largely connected with Sir Walter Raleigh, Essex, and Elizabeth I, and
their portrayal in Elizabethan poetry, especially that by Raleigh himself,
Edmund Spenser, and Shakespeare. The collection reflects Oakeshott's interests
in maps, cosmography, and the history of trade. Oakeshott's involvement in the
Oxford stone campaign is represented here by several folders of correspondence,
drafts for articles, and photographs documenting the process of restoration of
stone buildings at Oxford. The archival material consists mainly of typescripts
and ms. drafts for articles, books, and lectures, with many photographs used
for research and/or to illustrate publications.
Additionally, the collection contains correspondence Oakeshott
received, with copies of many of his replies. The letters are of a professional
and personal nature. The archive also contains sermons, addresses, obituaries,
and eulogies written by Oakeshott; miscellaneous photos of art from various
periods; notebooks, clippings and ephemera; some personal photos; and offprints
of articles by other scholars.
Arrangement