Scope and content
Records and publications of gay organisations and individuals in the UK and worldwide,
notably the records of the Albany Trust and the Homosexual Law Reform Society, later
the Sexual Law Reform Society, 1950-1984; the papers of Rupert Beach, 1970-1972, mainly
relating to the Gay Liberation Front; the records of Body Positive, 1985-2000, a support
organisation for those diagnosed as HIV positive; the records of the Campaign for
Homosexual Equality, 1940-1996; the papers of John Chesterman, 1970-1978, mainly relating
to the Gay Liberation Front; the papers of Adam Christie, 1981-1998, concerning his
work as an AIDS educator; the records of the Conservative Group for Homosexual Equality,
later known as the Tory Campaign for Homosexual Equality (TORCHE), 1977-1993; the
papers of Robert Crossman, [1970-1990], mainly comprising material relating to his
work as a Labour politician; the papers of Anthony Edward Dyson, 1958, concerning
the Wolfenden Report and the formation of the HLRS; records of (National) Friend,
1970-1995, a national counselling organisation for gays and bisexuals; the records
of the Gay Activists Alliance, 1977-1980; the records of the Gay Christian Movement,
later known as the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, 1969-1998; records of the Gay
Community Organisation, 1978-1989; the records of the Gay Liberation Front, 1970-1979;
the records of the Greater London Council's Gay Rights Working Party, 1976-1987; the
papers of Antony Grey, 1958-1992, relating to his work in the HLRS and the Albany
Trust; the records of the Joint Council for Gay Teenagers, 1970-1983; the records
of the London Gay Campaign Group, 1980-1987; the papers of Christine Murray, 1972-1980,
concerning women's involvement in gay activism; the records of the National Colleges
of Education's Gay Rights Committee, 1971-1975; the records of the National Council
for Civil Liberties, mainly relating to gay rights, 1962-1989; the papers of Robert
Palmer, 1970-1983, concerning his work with CHE; the records of the Scottish Minorities
Group, later known as, successively, the Scottish Homosexual Rights Group and Outright
Scotland, 1970-1984; the papers of Peter Tatchell, [1970]-1999, relating to gay rights
and politics; the papers of Simon Watney, [1970-1998], mainly concerning his work
as an AIDS campaigner; the papers of Christopher Woods, 1983-1993, relating to gay
issues. The Hall-Carpenter Archives also holds a large collection of gay, lesbian
and bisexual journals, 1954-1999, collected from the UK and the rest of the world,
particularly the USA; an extensive collection of ephemera, 1953-2000, relevant for
the for study of gay, lesbian and bisexual history; and the administrative papers
of the Archives, 1973-1994.
Record creators history
The Hall-Carpenter Archives, named in honour of the lesbian novelist Marguerite Radclyffe
Hall and Edward Carpenter, the writer on social and sexual reform, exist to publicise
and preserve the records and publications of gay organisations and individuals. The
Hall-Carpenter Archives had their roots in the Gay Monitoring and Archive Project
established by the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) in 1980 with the purpose
of scrutinising the media for evidence of discrimination and caring for material deposited
with CHE by earlier gay rights organisations. The Gay Monitoring and Archive Project
later became separate from CHE, and spent some time in the care of one of its founders,
Julian Meldrum, who was employed on a part-time basis by a Manpower Services Commission
grant. It was incorporated in 1982 as a limited company under the name of the Hall-Carpenter
Memorial Archive Ltd, with a remit of recording and documenting the history of gays
and lesbians in Britain. The first Directors were either librarians and information
scientists, journalists working for gay publications, or gay rights campaigners interested
in maintaining a historical resource. Charitable status was granted in 1983. During
this period the Archives were given office space at the National Council for Civil
Liberties. From 1984 to 1989, the Hall-Carpenter Archives were housed in the London
Lesbian and Gay Centre, and were staffed mainly by volunteers, who collected archives,
journals and ephemera, indexed and sorted press cuttings, wrote publications and ran
archival projects. Funding was provided by various grants, most notably from the Greater
London Council. GLC funding was withdrawn in 1986, and despite approaches, no replacement
funding was available, forcing the Archives to leave the LLGC. They were split into
several parts, with the organisational archives, the journals and the ephemera being
deposited in the British Library of Political and Economic Science in 1988. The Hall-Carpenter
Archives Management Committee was in abeyance between 1989-1991. In 1991 Oliver Merrington
took over as the Honorary Secretary and began to strengthen the management structure
of the Archive, dissolving the Limited Company, arranging annual meetings, issuing
occasional newsletters and drawing up formal agreements with the repositories which
held its materials. The Hall-Carpenter Archives have continued to grow whilst at the
British Library of Political and Economic Science, with new accessions every year.
Archival history
Deposited by the Hall-Carpenter Archives in 1988. Increased by deposits and donations
from various organisations and individuals.
Processing information
Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 project.
System of arrangement
The Hall-Carpenter Archives are arranged into sub-fonds as outlined in the Scope and
Content.
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Rights to access and re-use digital objects:
Unknown
Copyright remains with the Hall-Carpenter Archives, except where copyright already
resides with the original depositor or publisher.
Other finding aids
Most of the collections which form the Archives have a printed handlist and an on-line
catalogue.
Related material
Other sections of the Hall-Carpenter Archives may be found at various repositories:
the press cuttings collection is stored at the Art and Design Library of Middlesex
University, the press cuttings relating to HIV/AIDS are in the custody of the Terence
Higgins Trust, and the oral history collection is at the National Sound Archive, London.
Extent
c 1086 boxes
Keywords
Subjects:
Adolescence
Age distribution
Age groups
Bisexuality
Civil and political rights
Counselling
Cultural conditions
Cultural life
Gay liberation movement
Groups
Health education
HIV/AIDS counselling
HIV/AIDS education
Homosexuality
Homosexual law reform
Human rights
Law
Law reform
Legal systems
Lesbian and gay press
Lesbian and gay religious groups
Lesbian and gay youth
Lesbian, gay and bisexual campaigning groups
Lesbian, gay and bisexual rights
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual social groups
Lesbianism
Liberation movements
Life styles
Political movements
Press
Religion
Religious groups
Gender minorities
Sexual behaviour
Sexuality counselling
Social work
Transsexuality
Transvestism
Youth
Personal names:Beach, Rupert, fl 1970-1972, gay activist Chesterman, John, d 1996, gay activist Christie, Adam, fl 1981-1999, HIV/AIDS educator Crossman, Robert, d 1997, Labour politician and gay activist Dyson, Anthony Edward, fl 1958-1998, lecturer and gay activist Grey, Antony, b 1927, gay activist, real name Anthony Edgar Gartside Wright Murray, Christine, fl 1972-1980, gay activist Palmer, Robert, fl 1970-1983, gay activist Tatchell, Peter, b 1952, gay and HIV/AIDS activist, social worker, journalist and
author Watney, Simon, fl 1970-2000, art historian and gay and HIV/AIDS activist Woods, Christopher, b 1966, journalist and gay activist
Corporate names: Albany Trust Body Positive Campaign for Homosexual Equality Conservative Group for Homosexual Equality Friend, Fellowship for the Relief of the Isolated and Emotionally in Need and Distress Gay Activists Alliance Gay Christian Movement Gay Community Organisation Gay Liberation Front Greater London Council, Gay Rights Working Party Hall-Carpenter Archives Homosexual Law Reform Society Joint Council for Gay Teenagers London Gay Campaign Group National Colleges of Education Gay Rights Committee National Council for Civil Liberties Scottish Minorities Group
Language of the material
Record creator
Content provider
British Library of Political and Economic Science