Davies (Margaret G.) Papers

Collection context

Summary

Title:
Margaret Gay Davies Papers
Creators:
Davies, Margaret Gay, 1901-1989
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Margaret Gay Davies Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

--By Paul H. Hardacre

The papers of Margaret Gay Davies (1901-89) were donated under two clauses of the Margaret G. Davies Trust, dated October 13, 1981. Section A, Article V, para. 1 directed that there be distributed to the Henry E. Huntington Library all correspondence, notes and other papers relating to the Gay and FitzRandolph families, or to the work of my late husband Godfrey Davies, which shall be found among my papers after my death. Most of the papers by or relating to Godfrey Davies had been donated by Mrs. Davies during her lifetime, and the few conveyed under the Trust have been integrated into the Godfrey Davies Collection.

She had also donated during her lifetime the Edwin F. Gay Collection, which included a large quantity of Gay and FitzRandolph materials. On her death there were found in her possession letters to the family from her two aunts, Mary Gay (1872 -1977) and Edith Gay Bittinger (1874-). These complement the letters of the same writers to their brother, Edwin Francis Gay, in Gay Collection, Box 84.

The Trust goes on (Section A, Article V, para. 2) to bequeath to the Trustee my personal correspondence and all papers, manuscripts, lectures and working notes relating to my historical work, to deal with in whatever manner shall seem fit to him. These materials were delivered in several installments. On April 5, 1991, two lots were accepted, consisting of Printed Maps and Photographic copies of 16th and 17th century records from various British repositories (see list attached). These are separately shelved and catalogued. Mrs. Davies' personal and professional correspondence was delivered over the following months (May 1991-February 1992). The lectures were prepared for delivery in various courses at Pomona College, and have not (with one exception) been preserved. The exception was selected as typical of her teaching, and is devoted to the Great Depression; it is a good example of her ability to combine the long (secular) and short (business cycle) views in dealing with complicated economic and social problems. The working notes were extremely voluminous, and dated from Mrs. Davies' first research trip to Britain (1927). They were in several forms: 3 × 5 slips, half-sheets, full-sheet tabulations, etc. It was judged as unlikely that another scholar could make use of them without consulting the originals from which they were derived. Moreover, the publications based on them are so thoroughly footnoted that there should be no difficulty in following her trail. Accordingly they have not been preserved.

Physical description:
ca. 10 boxes

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by Paul H. Hardacre; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Xiuzhi Zhou.
Date Prepared:
© 2000
Date Encoded:
Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, March 2000. Supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Xiuzhi Zhou.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information please go to following URL.

Terms of access:

In order to quote from, publish, or reproduce any of the manuscripts or visual materials, researchers must obtain formal permission from the office of the Library Director. In most instances, permission is given by the Huntington as owner of the physical property rights only, and researchers must also obtain permission from the holder of the literary rights. In some instances, the Huntington owns the literary rights, as well as the physical property rights. Researchers may contact the appropriate curator for further information.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Margaret Gay Davies Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191