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The papers consist of correspondence, school notebooks, research notes and drafts, diaries, photographs, and publications documenting most aspects of Davenport's life and work. His contributions to his subject as student, teacher, writer and researcher, are well documented and the collection as a whole is of pedagogical interest. Less fully represented are his extensive travels for visits and conferences (which can sometimes only be deduced from a jotted heading on a lecture script) and his work for the London Mathematical Society.

The 60 boxes of material are organised into seven series: Biographical and personal papers, School and university notebooks and lecture notes, Lectures and addresses, Publications, Research notes and drafts, Faculty of Mathematics, Cambridge and Correspondence.

Series A, Biographical and personal papers, includes Davenport's unpublished reminiscences and reflections on his life's work, written shortly before his death with the assistance of his wife and his colleague D. J. Lewis (A.8-10). Other documentation on his career includes, unusually, his examination scripts and marks awarded at Manchester University in 1927 preserved by his principal tutor, L. J. Mordell (A.30-31).

Series B, School and university notebooks and lecture notes, is a record of mathematical teaching at Manchester 1924-1927 (B.23-54) and Cambridge 1927-1932 (B.55-92), by means of Davenport's notes, carefully taken and preserved, of lecture courses, class work and exercises.

Series C, Lectures and addresses, is a substantial section representing Davenport's own contribution to the teaching of mathematics from the 1930s as a Research Fellow in Cambridge through his various university appointments and lectures abroad, including the lectures at Michigan, later published in book form (C.115-124). Several of these contain sets of problems and solutions, and some examination material. On a less technical note is the address given in 1947 at Accrington Grammar School, Davenport's old school (C.131). A new generation in the filiation of mathematics is represented by the notes on Davenport's lectures at London in 1946 made by C. A. Rogers, his research student, collaborator and eventual successor as Astor Professor (C.167).

Series D, Publications, includes drafts, sometimes accompanied by correspondence with collaborators (see especially D.110-120) or publishers, for Davenport's many papers. These have been linked wherever possible to the numbered list in the Bibliography appended to the Royal Society Memoir by C. A. Rogers and others (Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 17, 1971). In addition, there is considerable material relating to work not listed in the official bibliography: this includes Davenport's books, The higher arithmetic (D.89-92) and Multiplicative number theory (D.170-182), book reviews (D.208), unpublished work (D.201-203) and a posthumous publication (D.207).

Series E, Research notes and drafts, contains a variety of material: paginated narrative sequences perhaps intended for lectures or papers, notes and calculations often on problems arising from work by others, and miscellaneous shorter unidentified notes. There is in consequence some potential overlap with other series, notably C and D. Of interest is the collaborative work with Helmut Hasse arising from Davenport's period in Marburg (E.1-15). Davenport's notes of lectures and talks by others (E.103-126) include mathematicians of an older generation (K. Mahler, L. J. Mordell, C. L. Siegel), friends and contemporaries (P. Erdös, H. A. Heilbronn), and pupils and successors (B. J. Birch, J. W. S. Cassels, C. A. Rogers, K. F. Roth). Another link in the pedagogic chain is J. E. Littlewood's extended list of 'Research Problems' and Davenport's 'Comments' (E.131)

Series F, Faculty of Mathematics, Cambridge, is small but includes a little material on research, examinations and the newly-created Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

In Series G, Correspondence, Davenport's links as student, teacher and collaborator with several generations can be traced. Early correspondence with E. A. Milne (G.206) and L. J. Mordell (G.208) feature their recognition and fostering of Davenport's talent, and that with E. Bombieri (G.28-39), D. J. Lewis (G.175-184) and C. A. Rogers (G.268-278), among many others, indicate his continuing contributions. Special mention must be made of Davenport's close connection with German mathematicians, several of whom he met during his early visits to Marburg and elsewhere and whom he helped and encouraged when they were forced to emigrate: see his correspondence with H. A. Heilbronn (G.123-142), H. Kober (G.165), K. Mahler (G.194-201), and R. Rado (G.257). There is also correspondence with H. Hasse (G.116-122), who remained in Germany. Davenport's command of the language is evident both in the correspondence and in the drafts for lectures and papers elsewhere in the collection.

This series consists of drafts, correspondence, diaries, photographs, and documents, and has been arranged into seven subseries: Obituaries and tributes (A.1-7); Autobiographical writings (A.8-14); Career, honours, and awards (A.15-75); Davenport's death (A.75-91); Diaries (A.92-129); Miscellaneous items (A.130-132); and Photographs (A.133-137).

A.1-7, Obituaries and tributes, includes typescript biographical notes made by Mrs. Davenport after her husband's death (A.7). The Autobiographical writings at A.8-14 include reminiscences (A.8-10) made by Davenport with the assistance of his wife and D. J. Lewis in 1969, although very ill. He died in June of that year (see Memoir, p.165). Some, probably earlier, ms. notes on his career survive, as well as notes on his impressions of America and some humorous writings.

The papers at A.15-75 record Davenport's career and honours, and are arranged in chronological order. These records begin with Davenport's school career, 1917-1924 at The Municipal Secondary School, renamed Accrington Grammar School in 1921, and continue with records from The Victoria University of Manchester, 1924-1927. Davenport was an Affiliated Student at Trinity College Cambridge, 1927-29, taking a second first degree, and in 1932 was awarded a research fellowship. 'On the expiry of his Trinity Fellowship in 1937, Davenport was appointed by Mordell to an Assistant Lectureship in Manchester' (Memoir, p.161), where he stayed until 1941. From 1941 to 1945 he was at the University College of North Wales, Bangor, and from 1945-1948 at University College, London. He took up the Rouse Ball Chair of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge from 1958 until his death.

The papers housed as A.76-91 are primarily letters of condolence after Davenport's death. After a period of illness following the removal of a lung, Davenport died on 9 June 1969. (Memoir, p.165)

The diaries at A.92-129 are all small pocket diaries, mainly university diaries covering the academic year, used chiefly to record appointments and addresses. A.130-132 consists of personal miscellaneous items, and the photographs at A.133-137 include group photographs of Davenport and other mathematicians (A.136).

Photographs of Davenport

One print (c 1920) shows Davenport with his sister [Grace] and 'Marion'.

Contents of a folder so inscribed.

E.125: Ms. notes on various topics made from Hardy-Littlewood. Ms. notes on work by Hecke, including 'Über analytische funktionen und Verteilung von Zahlen mod eins' (published 1921). Ms. notes on Lerche's formula.
E.126: 'Landau. Bedeutung der Pfeifferschen Methode für die analytische Zahlentheorie'. Ms. notes on paper published by E. Landau in 1912. 3pp. ms. notes, headed 'B.M. Wilson'. 7pp. ms. notes and calculations.

Accrington Grammar School (until 1921, The Municipal Secondary School), termly reports

Accrington Grammar School (until 1921, The Municipal Secondary School), termly reports

Ms. notes, some dated 1920-22, not in Davenport's hand.

Two letters from Lancashire Education Committee, re `Open Junior Exhibitions', one of which was awarded to Davenport.

This series consists of notebooks and lecture notes kept at three different institutions: Accrington Grammar School (B.1-22), The Victoria University of Manchester (B.23-54), and Trinity College, Cambridge (B.55-92).

With one exception, the notebooks from Accrington Grammar School (B.1-22) contain Davenport's notes and diagrams on physics, chemistry and mathematics, presumably work for the School Certificate (B.1-2) and the Higher School Certificate (B.3-17), although several are undated. Only B.22 shows Davenport's non-mathematical interests, containing extracts from various writers and drafts of two speeches, possibly delivered to a school debating society.

The notebooks and lecture notes from the Victoria University of Manchester (B.23-54) date from 1924-1927. B.23-30 are hardback notebooks arranged by the covering titles with which Davenport labelled them. Only two, B.24 and B.29, can be dated (1924-1925 and 1925-1926 respectively). None are indexed and only two are paginated (B.29-30). B.31-54 are loose ms. pages of notes on the literature, notes on lecture courses and class work and exercises by Davenport. Many bear an indication of the course number, or of the person giving the lectures and/or supervising the work. The material was kept in bulky wallet folders labelled by Davenport; the contents have been removed and where appropriate preserved in more than one folder for ease of reference. The original folders are at B.54. See B.85-87 for notes originally made at Manchester and subsequently used at Cambridge.

The notebooks and lecture notes from Trinity College, Cambridge (B.55-92) date from 1927-32. B.55-B.64 are hardback notebooks, and excepting B.63-64, all contain lecture notes. Davenport usually labelled the fly-leaves with the name of the lecturer, the subject of the course, and the date. These labels are used as titles here, and his descriptions are preserved in the entries. B.63 and B.64 are exceptions as they are without identification, but it is probable that they come from this period in Davenport's career. B.65-92 are loose ms. pages of notes, chiefly of lectures attended by Davenport. Usually they bear the name of the lecturer and the title of the course, and some are dated. The material was kept in wallet folders labelled by Davenport; the contents have been removed and, where appropriate, preserved in more than one folder for ease of reference. The original folders are at B.89.

Accrington Grammar School (until 1921, The Municipal Secondary School), termly reports

Davenport's Accrington address (inside front cover) replaced by address in Manchester.

Two loose enclosures: ms. drafts of speeches 'Should Capital Punishment be Abolished?' and re question 'Whether Science or Art contributes the more to civilisation'.

Some loose enclosures, one dated March 1924.

'J.M. Vinogradov. On a general theorem concerning the distribution of the residues and non-residues of powers', n.d. 6pp. ms. on paper published by Vinogradov in 1927.

'J.V. Whitworth', n.d. 1p. ms. notes re Whitworth's thesis, 1947, for MSc. at Manchester University.

Educational certificates, issued by Joint Matriculation Board.

E.20: List of Successful Candidates, School Certificate Examination
E.21: School Certificate
E.22: Matriculation Certificate

Accrington Grammar School (until 1921, The Municipal Secondary School), termly reports