MS 443 02

MS 443 02

Noel Blakiston papers: Other Noel Blakiston papers

Series

Noel Blakiston (1905-1984)

Noel Blakiston, author and archivist. He was a King's Scholar at Eton, where he met Cyril Connolly (1903-1974), author and literary reviewer. Their friendship flourished in the 1920s and continued throughout their lives. In 1975, Blakiston published A Romantic Friendship: the Letters of Cyril Connolly to Noel Blakiston.

1926-1986

5 boxes

Correspondence, writings, documents and printed material relating to Noel Blakiston's life beyond his connection with Cyril Connolly. There are over 110 letters written to Noel Blakiston or his wife Georgiana Blakiston, dated 1926-1986, and in addition a cache of just over fifty letters from Noel Blakiston to John Verney dated 1953-1977. Letters to Blakiston include letters from Sir Harold Caccia (relating to appointing Blakiston Honorary Fellow at Eton College), Hugh Casson, Norman Douglas, Augustus John, William LeFanu, Helen McNeish and A. B. Ramsay. In addition, there are two postcards from Evelyn Waugh to John McDougall referring to Blakiston's writing. Writings consist of ten volumes of short stories by Blakiston (holographs, corrected), and an unbound autograph manuscript, 'The Regans'; and uncorrected galley proofs of part of Evelyn Waugh's A Tourist in Africa. A volume otherwise devoted to Spanish vocabulary contains the autograph of a speech Blakiston made at the 1951 Old Collegers dinner. There are also 5 commonplace books dated 1929-1930. Other Papers include several book contracts, Blakiston's will, a reading diary dated 1940-1942, notes on the 1864 Clarendon Report, Blakiston's working copy of a printed version of Sir H. C. Maxwell Lyte's Report on the Manuscripts of Eton College, pocket calendars, an address book, and clippings primarily related to The Roman Question and book reviews written by Blakiston.