The Harris Manchester College archive holds material relating to the activity of the College from its creation in Manchester in 1786, through its relocations to York, back to Manchester, to London, and finally to Oxford. The archive covers not only institutional administrative material relating to the College's own history, but also personal collections that relate to its place in the history of Protestant dissent, particularly Unitarianism.
The administrative material is extensive, covering records such as minute books, committee papers, accounts, student information, and some building plans. The personal papers include collections of prominent individuals either associated with the College or with other significant Unitarian connections, including: James Martineau (1805-1900); Harriet Martineau (1802-1871); Joseph Blanco White (1775-1841); Robert Brook Aspland (1805-1869); Thomas Belsham (1750-1829); Joseph Estlin Carpenter (1844-1927); Valentine David Davis (1854-1912); James Edwin Odgers (1843-1925); John Seddon (1719-1769); William Shepherd (1768-1847); and the Woods, Osler-Herford, Radice and Robberds families.
Archivist: Julia Donaldson
Opening hours: Monday and Tuesday, by appointment only
Address: Harris Manchester College, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TD
Phone: 01865 281472
E-mail: archive@hmc.ox.ac.uk
Web: hmc.ox.ac.uk/special-collections
Further reading:
V.D. Davis, A History of Manchester College (George Allen & Unwin, 1932)
B. Smith (ed.), Truth, Liberty, Religion: Essays Celebrating Two Hundred Years of Manchester College (Manchester College Oxford, 1986)
