Series B - School and university notebooks and lecture notes

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 See B.85-87 for notes originally made at Manchester and subsequently used at Cambridge.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.

For Davenport's school reports 1919-1924 see A.15-A.18.