64 cards and letters from Laurence Housman and 54 cards and letters from Katharine E. Symons arranged in a roughly chronological run from 1939 back to 1936. These are interspersed with a few other items [possibly originally enclosures in the surrounding letters], as follows:
Item 20, Typed extract from the A.E.H. notebooks, no date.
Item 38: Typed letter from E. J. Forsdyke, Director of the British Museum, 5 Mar. 1937
Item 66: Copy of a typed letter to Laurence Housman from Desmond MacCarthy, n.d.
Item 93: Photograph of Perry Hall, Bromsgrove
Item 94: Photograph of Fockbury House
Item 116: Typed extract from a poem
Item 117: Notes in Laurence Housman's hand, no date, headed 'From AEH'
Item 120, a letter from Laurence Housman to Gow dated 9 July 1936 is accompanied by an extract
Item 122: Draft in Laurence Housman's hand of an idea for A.E.H. memorial
Item 135: Letter from N. V. H. Symons dated 7 May 1936
(Lymington, Hants.?)—Expresses support for the proposed edition of A. E. Housman’s articles, and offers related advice.
(Carbon copy.)
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Transcript
Professor O. Skutsch, Dr. Phil.
University College, | London.
20 Dec. 1960
Dear Professor Skutsch,
Thank you for your letter of the 15th Dec. which reached me yesterday.
I am the nearest surviving relative of A. E. Housman, the next relatives are my nephews, and I think I can speak better than anyone else on behalf of his family. On behalf of the family I would raise no objection at all to the kind of publication you contemplate for the purpose of promoting scholarship. I feel very strongly on the question of the dead imposing their wills on the living and I think the living are entitled to use their own judgment and discretion in carrying out testamentary directions.
But you will have to be careful to keep on the right side of the law and the position as regards this is as follows:—
(1) Barclays’s Bank were appointed by A. E. H. as his executors & trustees.
(2) He gave & bequeathed all his copyrights to the Bank on trust for the last survivor of his brothers & sisters absolutely.
(3) The last surviving brother or sister was Laurence Housman and he left everything to his great nephew R. E. Symons whose address is Box 1328 Salisbury, S. Rhodesia. All A. E. Housman’s copyrights now vest in R. E. Symons.
(4) A. E. H.’s directions in his will regarding his classical writings are:—
“Lastly I expressly desire and wish my desire to be made as widely known as possible that none of my writings which have apeared† in periodical publications shall be collected and reprinted in any shape or form and I expressly forbid the Bank to allow the reprinting of any such artcles† the copyright of which is vested in myself.”
The points that arise are:—
(1) Which, if any, of the writings it is desired to publish are still protected by copyright?
(2) If there are any such, does the embargo imposed on the Bank as regards reprinting apply in any way to R. E. Symons?
(3) If not, is he willing to allow reprinting?
If you decide to aproach† R. E. Symons on point 3, I suggest that you should give him the facts on point 1 and that you should take legal opinion on point 2 and furnish him with it.
I would also request you to send him a copy of this letter so that he will know my attitude which is, of course, not in the least binding on him.
I am informing Barclay’s Bank of what has transpired so far.
Yours sincerely,
(Sd) N. V. H. Symons
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1 sheet. Carbon copy of a typed original. The last line was added by hand.
† Sic.
With note in pen on back: 'Joe Hunt, Housman Soc. St Lawrence's [sic], Ludlow. A.E.H memorial '
There is also a reference number in pencil, 'N. V. H. S. 4', probably indicating that this was a photograph originally belonging to Noel Victor Housman Symons.
With note in pen on back: ''Clay original of 7ft statue of A. E. H[ousman] now being cast in bronze. To be unveiled at Bromsgrove in March 1984. You need not return this. N. V. H. S. [Noel Victor Housman Symons, presumably to Gerald Symons]'.