Correspondence 1901-1905
Reference code
GOW/01/01
Title
Correspondence 1901-1905
Date
1901-1905
Level of description
sub-series
Extent and format
1 folder
Scope and content
Mostly incoming letters to William Gowland, from a variety of correspondents, concerning the excavations at Stonehenge; some with draft replies by WG. Mostly filed on a tag in chronological order of receipt, March 1901-June 1902, and 1905, but with some grouping by correspondent. With five untagged letters from 1901 and 1902.
The letters are listed and numbered chronologically, whether tagged or loose.
Correspondence relating to Stonehenge, 1905; 1915; 1918: GOW/01/08.
Correspondence relating to Stonehenge, 1908-1921: GOW/02/01/01.
1. 1901, 3 March. Letter from CH Read, BM [British Museum], to Gowland, inviting him to act on the Stonehenge committee. 1 sheet.
2. 1901, 28 August. Telegram from [Detmar] Blow, Amesbury, to 'Reid' [Read], Antiquaries: 'Excavations start Monday. Hope Gowland will come Sunday to stay at Abbey'. 1 sheet.
3. 1901, 28 August. Telegram from Read, West Malvern, to Gowland, 19 Russell Road, Kensington: 'Blow wires can you go to Amesbury to dig for a week'. 1 sheet.
4.1901, 28 August. Telegram from Read, West Malvern, to Gowland, Ripley, Yorkshire: 'Blow wires can you go to Amesbury to dig for a week'. 1 sheet.
5. 1901, 28 August: Letter from Read, West Malvern, to Gowland: digging to start on Friday. 1 sheet.
6. 1901, 29 August: Letter from Read, West Malvern, to Gowland: glad that Gowland can get to 'the Stonehenge diggings'; encloses another telegram from Blow [possibly no 2 above] and suggests that Gowland may as well stay at Amesbury [Abbey]; Read is pleased that there is any digging, because 'I thought that having got the enclosure, we shouldn't see much else done'. 1 sheet.
This is a reference to the erection of a fence around the stones by Antrobus, Spring 1901.
7. 1901, 29 August. Letter from Detmar Blow, on Society of Antiquaries paper, to Gowland: work has been postponed several times for harvest and 'other delays', but now definitely fixed for next week, probably Tuesday; anticipates a week to excavate the leaning stone and another week for 'the next two stones on the list'; adds that he can see the importance of 'a most careful examination of the ground'. 2 sheets.
8. 1901, 29 August. Letter from Detmar Blow to Gowland: delighted Gowland can come; if necessary Blow will request postponement of the work although 'I believe Sir Edmund Antrobus would like to get it over'. 2 sheets.
9. [1901], 5 October. Letter from Florence Antrobus to Gowland, mainly concerned with her forthcoming article for Country Life, including photographs which she expects Miss [Clarissa] Miles to provide shortly; with request for a brief description of Gowland's working methods. 1 sheet.
Her article 'Stonehenge, 1901' appeared in Country Life 19 October 1901, pp 485-487.
10. Undated, probably October 1901. Pencil draft by Gowland, noting 'I think we have found a satisfactory photographer'; will be seeing Miss Miles next Wednesday to make final arrangements. 1 sheet.
11. Undated, probably October 1901. Pencil draft by Gowland, to D.L.A.' [Dear Lady Antrobus], offering a draft, to be put into her own words, for explaining the positions of the objects found. 1 sheet.
12. 1901, 8 October. Lettercard from Florence Antrobus to Gowland, thanking him for the notes. 1 sheet.
13. 1901, 10 October. Letter from Sir Edmund Antrobus to Gowland: hopes Gowland has received 'the further consignment of flint instruments' sent last Tuesday; the letter of the Vicar of Amesbury, printed in The Times on 7 or 8 Oct has been well-received; wonders who wrote the article in yesterday's Times.
14. 1901, 10 October. Pencil draft by Gowland [to Antrobus]: the finds arrived safely; when has finished his work on them, Gowland hopes to exhibit them 'on your behalf' at the Society of Antiquaries, the Anthropological Institute and the Royal Society; does not know who wrote the article, but Lord Dillon [President, Society of Antiquaries] and Gowland think Antrobus should not reply; 'An attempt has been made to induce the Society soon to take action on the matter on behalf of the so-called rights of the public but has so far failed.' 1 sheet.
15. 1901, 13 October. Letter from Basil Stallybrass, C/o Mrs Drew, Fargo Cottage, Amesbury, to Gowland: explains the excavations in Section N, and how he has refilled and concreted afterwards; 'The great stone looks well now the rubbish is cleared away and his roots are warmly clothed in turf'; the men left on Saturday. 1 sheet, loose.
There is no reference in Gowland's papers or his report to 'trench N', but Stallybrass's letter implies that it was another part of the excavations around the foot of stone 56.
16. 1901, 18 October. Letter from Sir Edmund Antrobus to Gowland, forwarding a sketch and letter from Mr TH Thomas and suggesting that perhaps 'the symbols were masons directing the position of the stone - & the characters might in that case be traced as Phoenician', or might be 'nothing at all'; he wrote 'the enclosed' to Read but did not send it [no 18, below], but would like to write to The Times as follows, with draft; asks Gowland to return the sketch at some point. 1 sheet.
17. 1901, 17 October. Letter from TH Thomas, Cardiff, to Sir Edmund Antrobus: sends Antrobus a drawing (returned from the Daily Graphic] of a symbol at Stonehenge which has not hitherto been noticed or deciphered; he understands that Mr Robinson made the observation and rubbing, probably from stone 67, while looking for Ogham inscriptions, 'just before he was compelled to leave'. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 16, above.
Thomas Henry Thomas (1839-1915), artist and geologist. [Worked for Daily Graphic]
18. 1901, 16 October. Letter from Sir Edmund Antrobus to Read [struck out]: was pleased to see his reply in The Times; explains his imposition of an entrance fee; knows that Gowland will be address the 'Anthropology Society on the finds, and Sir Norman Lockyer will address the Royal Society on the astronomical observations at Stonehenge. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 16, above.
19. 1901, 19 October. Letter from Florence Antrobus to Gowland, sending a copy of her article from Country Life; asks if Gowland saw Petrie's article in The Times, and also that from 'our Parson'. 1 sheet.
19. 1901, 31 October. Letter from Lady Antrobus to Gowland: she is now working on another article [for Country Life], to be named 'Amesbury Abbey'; asks if she may quote from Gowland's paper when she has seen it; 'has received the Stonehenge set of photographs from Brook Street, which are excellent; Miss Miles said that Gowland was going to take some photographs on his own account from the same places [among the stones]; Lady Antrobus could send him some of the many from around the base of the [leaning] stone. 1 sheet.
The article appeared in Country Life on 1 March 1902.
20-25. 1901, November-December. Six letters concerning the current whereabouts and analysis of chips of stone from Stonehenge.
20. 1901, 10 November. Letter from John W[esley] Judd, 22 Cumberland Road, Kew, to Gowland, mainly concerning sarsen stones; is examining the specimens which Gowland left with him. 1 sheet.
Judd's findings were published as an appendix to Gowland's report in Archaeologia 58 (1902), pp 106-118.
21. 1901, 18 November. Letter from Judd to Gowland, concerning stone 'chips'; thinks that he thinks 'the Stonehenge mystery ought to be settled by the excavations'. 1 sheet.
22. 1901, 18 November. Letter from Judd to Gowland, thanking him for the specimens; hopes to compare Gowland's chips with Maskelyne's of the so-called bluestone microliths; can work on the sarsen mauls without waiting for further evidence. 1 sheet.
23. 1901, 21 November. Letter from Judd to Gowland: Read has forwarded a letter from Dr Blackmore [probably Mr William Blackmore of the Blackmore Museum, Salisbury] saying they have a duplicate set of chips, but no sections, which Blackmore suggests may be in the British Museum, Natural History; Fletcher [Lazarus Fletcher, Keeper of Mineralogy at the Natural History Museum] says that all they have are half a dozen slides of some of the bluestones; Judd will write to Maskelyne to ask if he has, and will lend, the sections. 1 sheet.
24. 1901, 25 November. Letter from Judd to Gowland: comments on dating of Stonehenge; has received Maskelyne's box of slides; no chips are at the British Museum nor with Maskelyne, so those at Salisbury must be the 'original' ones, and Judd has asked Read to obtain them for him; will be able to give an account of Gowland's own specimens by 19 December. 1 sheet.
25. 1901, 9 December. Letter from Judd to Gowland: has nearly completed comparison of Gowland's stones with the bluestones; Maskelyne has sent some of his own slides, but Judd has not been able to trace 'the complete series said to have been sent to Salisbury Museum'; Blackmore has sent some small chips previously 'returned by Maskelyne' with some other samples; before completing his notes, Judd would like to look at the material with Gowland in person. 1 sheet.
26. 1901, 19 November. Letter from Sir Edmund Antrobus to Gowland: he is angered by a letter in yesterday's Times; asks if Gowland or Read might speak with Mr J A Burrell, of 66 Lincoln's Inn Fields, a partner in Farrers, who had advised Antrobus that he had the right to enclose Stonehenge. 1 sheet.
27. 1901, 21 November. Letter from JA Burrell, 66 Lincoln's Inn Fields to Antrobus, having received Antrobus's letter and draft letter to The Times and a letter from Mr Wyndham, 'which I return' [see no 28, below]; notes that Antrobus proposes now to 'sit still', although the draft 'would have done very well' with some strengthening of the wording. Annotations by Gowland. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 26 above.
28. 1901, 18 November. Letter from Percy Wyndham, Clouds, Salisbury, to Sir Edmund Antrobus, concerning the controversy over the fence erected by Antrobus; wonders if Shaw LeFevre [chairman of the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society] or 'the Secretary' has visited since the fence was erected; happy for Antrobus to forward this to anyone at the Antiquaries. 2 sheets, originally enclosed with no 26 above.
29. 1901, November. Draft letter from Antrobus to the Editor of The Times, to correct 'a few errors 'in the letter from Mr Chubb, Secretary of the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society, dated 16 November. With some pencil alterations by Gowland. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 26, above.
30. 1901, 12 December. Letter from Judd to Gowland, sending papers by Sir A Ramsay and Teall on the source of the bluestones. 1 sheet.
31. 1902, 7 January. Letter from Detmar Blow to Gowland, asking for loan of 'the specimens and photographs for magic lantern slides to show at our Architectural Institute on 20th January. I do not intend to do more than act as showman, and should like to have as many photographs and specimens as possible'.
Blow's paper to the Royal Institute of British Architects was published in the RIBA Journal, IX (1902), pp 121-136.
32. 1902, 23 January. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: Blow visited last week; sorry to hear of Mrs Gowland's accident; asks Gowland's opinion of the enclosed and wondering 'what Dr Berks Hutchinson has to go on?'. 1 sheet.
33. 1902, 6 January. Letter from Col William Carey to Sir Edmund Antrobus, noting that Dr Berks Hutchinson described to him 'some years ago' something very similar to that now described by Gowland, and suggesting that 'one of your Society' might contact Berks-Hutchinson for 'some interesting particulars'. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 32, above.
Hutchinson appears to have been a Spiritualist, of South African origin, but residing in London.
34. 1902, 28 January. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: has been asked by the Wiltshire Archaeological Society for some specimens for their Museum at Devizes, and by Blackmore for some for the Salisbury Museum; asks if the Antiquaries have their own museum, and also what the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings has; proposes to give some to Devizes, and some to the two societies and possibly to Salisbury Museum, the latter only on loan; the rest are at present deposited at the British Museum, on loan; he also refers to the possibility of Wiltshire County Council buying Stonehenge, and notes that they have formed a committee 'to enquire into the legality of my fence as they are obliged to do under the Act'. 2 sheets.
35. 1902, 30 January. Draft letter from Gowland to Antrobus, apologising for offering the Stonehenge finds to the British Museum for £100; was under the impression that this was what Antrobus wished, but as the offer was conditional upon Antrobus's approval, Gowland went to the museum the previous day and withdrew it; hopes that it will not be necessary to divide the collection, as its archaeological value depends on the stones and chippings not being separated; suggests retaining the whole collection himself for the present, because it may be necessary to make comparisons with future finds, and also questions may arise after the publication of the report. 1 sheet, loose.
36. 1902, 3 February. Letter from W[illiam] Cunnington, 58 Acre Lane, to [Gowland]: 'I have, here, a considerable number of fragments of the different rocks of Stonehenge'; would be happy to show them to Gowland. 1 sheet.
William Cunnington (1813-1906), archaeologist and local historian.
37. 1902, 5 February. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: he is sorry to hear 'the it will be impossible to break up the collection of Stonehenge implements'; in the circumstances, he thinks it best to offer them to the Wiltshire Archaeological Society for their museum at Devizes, on loan for six months. 1 sheet.
38. 1902, 10 February. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: is writing to Mr Medlicott to say that he is offering to place the whole collection at Devizes for six months. 1 sheet.
39. 1902, 12 March. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland, explaining that he and family will be absent for a few weeks, and suggesting that Gowland postpone his forthcoming visit to Stonehenge; if that is not possible, Antrobus has produced a written permit addressed to 'P.C.' for Gowland 'to probe for the stone outside the enclosure'. Pencil annotations by Gowland. 1 sheet.
40. 1902, 4 April. Card from CH Read to Gowland, referring to a good figure of a menhir in James Miln, Fouilles faites a Carnac 1877; bibliographical annotations by Gowland. 1 card. loose.
41. 1902, 29 April. Letter from William Cunnington to Gowland: thanks him for the report on the discussion following Gowland's paper on Stonehenge [read to Society of Antiquaries, 19 December 1901], and enclosing further articles [not now present]; hopes someone will refute the article in The Times, 15 April, about the history of gatherings at Stonehenge on the longest day; asks Gowland to accept a copy of his 'Stourhead Catalogue'. 1 sheet, loose.
42. 1902, 25 May. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: is back home, but does not propose to do any further work at Stonehenge this year; if further work is required 'let the County if they wish acquire it by purchase'. Pencil annotations by Gowland. 1 sheet.
43. [1902], 10 June. Letter from Lady Antrobus to Gowland: at Sir Edmund's request, is writing to ask Gowland 'to come here and dig the half of the mystic Circle near the Railway'; is pleased with the 1,000 copies of her guide book, just delivered. 1 sheet.
44. [1902], 14 June. Letter from Lady Antrobus to Gowland, with further points on the guidebook. 1 sheet.
This is incomplete, and may have been added as a postscript to no 40, above.
45. 1902, 16 June. Pencil draft of letter from Gowland to Lady Antrobus: his other commitments will prevent him from undertaking 'the important work of excavating the ancient burials on the semicircle'; this would require at least a month, and he would be glad if it could be postponed until next year; if not, he may be able to find someone to help her; he hopes to come to Amesbury in July for a few days, and will be happy to discuss the matter then. 1 sheet.
47. Undated. Pencil note/draft by Gowland, possibly about outlets for the sale of copies of Lady Antrobus's guide book. 1 sheet.
48. 1902, 16 June. Pencil draft of letter from Gowland to Antrobus: will be sending the whole Stonehenge collection to the Devizes Museum on Sunday; he apologises for the delay, caused by having to label every object 'in such a manner that there should be no danger of any confusion arising afterwards as to the exact position in which each was found'; hopes to visit Amesbury around 10 July, but certainly when he brings the Cocked Hats on 12 or 13 July. 1 sheet.
Gowland seems to have had custody of most or all of the 1901 finds, a large number of which he exhibited when reading his paper on the excavations at a meeting of the Antiquaries on 19 December 1901, and again at a meeting there on 9 January 1902 (Proceedings XIX (1901-1902), pp 33-34).
He appears to have retained some 'chips' of stone, which eventually came to the Society of Antiquaries along with other material presented by his widow and daughter in 1925: see GOW/02/06.
49. 1902, 19 June. Letter from B Howard Cunnington, The Old Town Hall, Devizes, to Gowland: acknowledges safe arrival of the collection of objects found at Stonehenge; notes that the case marked "C" will not be unpacked, as requested. 1 sheet.
50. 1902, 12 August. Letter from W H St John Hope to Gowland: has been looking at the Stonehenge illustrations and asks if it would be better to treat most of the pictures of the stones and implements by half-tone blocks instead of collotypes, as he knows that Gowland agrees that blocks are 'nicer' than plates. Pencil draft reply by Gowland leaving the matter in Hope's hands. 1 sheet. Loose.
This refers to the illustrations for Gowland's report, printed in Archaeologia 58 (1902).
51. 1905, 19 April. Printed letter from W Paley Baildon, 5 Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, announcing next meeting of the Cocked Hats Club, with long MS note from Baildon to Gowland, reporting 'the Stonehenge judgement'; 'It is splendid, action dismissed with costs, ought never to have been brought, … Farwell found against the bounders on every possible question of law and fact'; has 'begged a copy of the pleading and proofs for the Library'. On back, draft reply by WG: 'I rejoice with you that Antrobus has won his case. Now we shall have the stones all made safe'. 1 sheet.
52. 1905, 21 April. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: apologising for the trouble that he has given Gowland over the case, and that in the end Gowland was not called [as a witness]; 'I have written Read at great length'; makes clear that his main reason for refusing to place Stonehenge under the Ancient Monuments Act was his determination to oppose the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society, and to ensure they could not claim any 'surrender' on his part; he is not afraid of the outcome if they choose to appeal. 1 sheet.
See also SAL/08/14/001 and Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries XXXI (198-1919), pp 1-2, for detailed correspondence and an account which give a more detailed picture of the Society's involvement in the discussions and disputes of the early years of the twentieth century over access to and future ownership of Stonehenge.
The letters are listed and numbered chronologically, whether tagged or loose.
Correspondence relating to Stonehenge, 1905; 1915; 1918: GOW/01/08.
Correspondence relating to Stonehenge, 1908-1921: GOW/02/01/01.
1. 1901, 3 March. Letter from CH Read, BM [British Museum], to Gowland, inviting him to act on the Stonehenge committee. 1 sheet.
2. 1901, 28 August. Telegram from [Detmar] Blow, Amesbury, to 'Reid' [Read], Antiquaries: 'Excavations start Monday. Hope Gowland will come Sunday to stay at Abbey'. 1 sheet.
3. 1901, 28 August. Telegram from Read, West Malvern, to Gowland, 19 Russell Road, Kensington: 'Blow wires can you go to Amesbury to dig for a week'. 1 sheet.
4.1901, 28 August. Telegram from Read, West Malvern, to Gowland, Ripley, Yorkshire: 'Blow wires can you go to Amesbury to dig for a week'. 1 sheet.
5. 1901, 28 August: Letter from Read, West Malvern, to Gowland: digging to start on Friday. 1 sheet.
6. 1901, 29 August: Letter from Read, West Malvern, to Gowland: glad that Gowland can get to 'the Stonehenge diggings'; encloses another telegram from Blow [possibly no 2 above] and suggests that Gowland may as well stay at Amesbury [Abbey]; Read is pleased that there is any digging, because 'I thought that having got the enclosure, we shouldn't see much else done'. 1 sheet.
This is a reference to the erection of a fence around the stones by Antrobus, Spring 1901.
7. 1901, 29 August. Letter from Detmar Blow, on Society of Antiquaries paper, to Gowland: work has been postponed several times for harvest and 'other delays', but now definitely fixed for next week, probably Tuesday; anticipates a week to excavate the leaning stone and another week for 'the next two stones on the list'; adds that he can see the importance of 'a most careful examination of the ground'. 2 sheets.
8. 1901, 29 August. Letter from Detmar Blow to Gowland: delighted Gowland can come; if necessary Blow will request postponement of the work although 'I believe Sir Edmund Antrobus would like to get it over'. 2 sheets.
9. [1901], 5 October. Letter from Florence Antrobus to Gowland, mainly concerned with her forthcoming article for Country Life, including photographs which she expects Miss [Clarissa] Miles to provide shortly; with request for a brief description of Gowland's working methods. 1 sheet.
Her article 'Stonehenge, 1901' appeared in Country Life 19 October 1901, pp 485-487.
10. Undated, probably October 1901. Pencil draft by Gowland, noting 'I think we have found a satisfactory photographer'; will be seeing Miss Miles next Wednesday to make final arrangements. 1 sheet.
11. Undated, probably October 1901. Pencil draft by Gowland, to D.L.A.' [Dear Lady Antrobus], offering a draft, to be put into her own words, for explaining the positions of the objects found. 1 sheet.
12. 1901, 8 October. Lettercard from Florence Antrobus to Gowland, thanking him for the notes. 1 sheet.
13. 1901, 10 October. Letter from Sir Edmund Antrobus to Gowland: hopes Gowland has received 'the further consignment of flint instruments' sent last Tuesday; the letter of the Vicar of Amesbury, printed in The Times on 7 or 8 Oct has been well-received; wonders who wrote the article in yesterday's Times.
14. 1901, 10 October. Pencil draft by Gowland [to Antrobus]: the finds arrived safely; when has finished his work on them, Gowland hopes to exhibit them 'on your behalf' at the Society of Antiquaries, the Anthropological Institute and the Royal Society; does not know who wrote the article, but Lord Dillon [President, Society of Antiquaries] and Gowland think Antrobus should not reply; 'An attempt has been made to induce the Society soon to take action on the matter on behalf of the so-called rights of the public but has so far failed.' 1 sheet.
15. 1901, 13 October. Letter from Basil Stallybrass, C/o Mrs Drew, Fargo Cottage, Amesbury, to Gowland: explains the excavations in Section N, and how he has refilled and concreted afterwards; 'The great stone looks well now the rubbish is cleared away and his roots are warmly clothed in turf'; the men left on Saturday. 1 sheet, loose.
There is no reference in Gowland's papers or his report to 'trench N', but Stallybrass's letter implies that it was another part of the excavations around the foot of stone 56.
16. 1901, 18 October. Letter from Sir Edmund Antrobus to Gowland, forwarding a sketch and letter from Mr TH Thomas and suggesting that perhaps 'the symbols were masons directing the position of the stone - & the characters might in that case be traced as Phoenician', or might be 'nothing at all'; he wrote 'the enclosed' to Read but did not send it [no 18, below], but would like to write to The Times as follows, with draft; asks Gowland to return the sketch at some point. 1 sheet.
17. 1901, 17 October. Letter from TH Thomas, Cardiff, to Sir Edmund Antrobus: sends Antrobus a drawing (returned from the Daily Graphic] of a symbol at Stonehenge which has not hitherto been noticed or deciphered; he understands that Mr Robinson made the observation and rubbing, probably from stone 67, while looking for Ogham inscriptions, 'just before he was compelled to leave'. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 16, above.
Thomas Henry Thomas (1839-1915), artist and geologist. [Worked for Daily Graphic]
18. 1901, 16 October. Letter from Sir Edmund Antrobus to Read [struck out]: was pleased to see his reply in The Times; explains his imposition of an entrance fee; knows that Gowland will be address the 'Anthropology Society on the finds, and Sir Norman Lockyer will address the Royal Society on the astronomical observations at Stonehenge. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 16, above.
19. 1901, 19 October. Letter from Florence Antrobus to Gowland, sending a copy of her article from Country Life; asks if Gowland saw Petrie's article in The Times, and also that from 'our Parson'. 1 sheet.
19. 1901, 31 October. Letter from Lady Antrobus to Gowland: she is now working on another article [for Country Life], to be named 'Amesbury Abbey'; asks if she may quote from Gowland's paper when she has seen it; 'has received the Stonehenge set of photographs from Brook Street, which are excellent; Miss Miles said that Gowland was going to take some photographs on his own account from the same places [among the stones]; Lady Antrobus could send him some of the many from around the base of the [leaning] stone. 1 sheet.
The article appeared in Country Life on 1 March 1902.
20-25. 1901, November-December. Six letters concerning the current whereabouts and analysis of chips of stone from Stonehenge.
20. 1901, 10 November. Letter from John W[esley] Judd, 22 Cumberland Road, Kew, to Gowland, mainly concerning sarsen stones; is examining the specimens which Gowland left with him. 1 sheet.
Judd's findings were published as an appendix to Gowland's report in Archaeologia 58 (1902), pp 106-118.
21. 1901, 18 November. Letter from Judd to Gowland, concerning stone 'chips'; thinks that he thinks 'the Stonehenge mystery ought to be settled by the excavations'. 1 sheet.
22. 1901, 18 November. Letter from Judd to Gowland, thanking him for the specimens; hopes to compare Gowland's chips with Maskelyne's of the so-called bluestone microliths; can work on the sarsen mauls without waiting for further evidence. 1 sheet.
23. 1901, 21 November. Letter from Judd to Gowland: Read has forwarded a letter from Dr Blackmore [probably Mr William Blackmore of the Blackmore Museum, Salisbury] saying they have a duplicate set of chips, but no sections, which Blackmore suggests may be in the British Museum, Natural History; Fletcher [Lazarus Fletcher, Keeper of Mineralogy at the Natural History Museum] says that all they have are half a dozen slides of some of the bluestones; Judd will write to Maskelyne to ask if he has, and will lend, the sections. 1 sheet.
24. 1901, 25 November. Letter from Judd to Gowland: comments on dating of Stonehenge; has received Maskelyne's box of slides; no chips are at the British Museum nor with Maskelyne, so those at Salisbury must be the 'original' ones, and Judd has asked Read to obtain them for him; will be able to give an account of Gowland's own specimens by 19 December. 1 sheet.
25. 1901, 9 December. Letter from Judd to Gowland: has nearly completed comparison of Gowland's stones with the bluestones; Maskelyne has sent some of his own slides, but Judd has not been able to trace 'the complete series said to have been sent to Salisbury Museum'; Blackmore has sent some small chips previously 'returned by Maskelyne' with some other samples; before completing his notes, Judd would like to look at the material with Gowland in person. 1 sheet.
26. 1901, 19 November. Letter from Sir Edmund Antrobus to Gowland: he is angered by a letter in yesterday's Times; asks if Gowland or Read might speak with Mr J A Burrell, of 66 Lincoln's Inn Fields, a partner in Farrers, who had advised Antrobus that he had the right to enclose Stonehenge. 1 sheet.
27. 1901, 21 November. Letter from JA Burrell, 66 Lincoln's Inn Fields to Antrobus, having received Antrobus's letter and draft letter to The Times and a letter from Mr Wyndham, 'which I return' [see no 28, below]; notes that Antrobus proposes now to 'sit still', although the draft 'would have done very well' with some strengthening of the wording. Annotations by Gowland. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 26 above.
28. 1901, 18 November. Letter from Percy Wyndham, Clouds, Salisbury, to Sir Edmund Antrobus, concerning the controversy over the fence erected by Antrobus; wonders if Shaw LeFevre [chairman of the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society] or 'the Secretary' has visited since the fence was erected; happy for Antrobus to forward this to anyone at the Antiquaries. 2 sheets, originally enclosed with no 26 above.
29. 1901, November. Draft letter from Antrobus to the Editor of The Times, to correct 'a few errors 'in the letter from Mr Chubb, Secretary of the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society, dated 16 November. With some pencil alterations by Gowland. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 26, above.
30. 1901, 12 December. Letter from Judd to Gowland, sending papers by Sir A Ramsay and Teall on the source of the bluestones. 1 sheet.
31. 1902, 7 January. Letter from Detmar Blow to Gowland, asking for loan of 'the specimens and photographs for magic lantern slides to show at our Architectural Institute on 20th January. I do not intend to do more than act as showman, and should like to have as many photographs and specimens as possible'.
Blow's paper to the Royal Institute of British Architects was published in the RIBA Journal, IX (1902), pp 121-136.
32. 1902, 23 January. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: Blow visited last week; sorry to hear of Mrs Gowland's accident; asks Gowland's opinion of the enclosed and wondering 'what Dr Berks Hutchinson has to go on?'. 1 sheet.
33. 1902, 6 January. Letter from Col William Carey to Sir Edmund Antrobus, noting that Dr Berks Hutchinson described to him 'some years ago' something very similar to that now described by Gowland, and suggesting that 'one of your Society' might contact Berks-Hutchinson for 'some interesting particulars'. 1 sheet, originally enclosed with no 32, above.
Hutchinson appears to have been a Spiritualist, of South African origin, but residing in London.
34. 1902, 28 January. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: has been asked by the Wiltshire Archaeological Society for some specimens for their Museum at Devizes, and by Blackmore for some for the Salisbury Museum; asks if the Antiquaries have their own museum, and also what the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings has; proposes to give some to Devizes, and some to the two societies and possibly to Salisbury Museum, the latter only on loan; the rest are at present deposited at the British Museum, on loan; he also refers to the possibility of Wiltshire County Council buying Stonehenge, and notes that they have formed a committee 'to enquire into the legality of my fence as they are obliged to do under the Act'. 2 sheets.
35. 1902, 30 January. Draft letter from Gowland to Antrobus, apologising for offering the Stonehenge finds to the British Museum for £100; was under the impression that this was what Antrobus wished, but as the offer was conditional upon Antrobus's approval, Gowland went to the museum the previous day and withdrew it; hopes that it will not be necessary to divide the collection, as its archaeological value depends on the stones and chippings not being separated; suggests retaining the whole collection himself for the present, because it may be necessary to make comparisons with future finds, and also questions may arise after the publication of the report. 1 sheet, loose.
36. 1902, 3 February. Letter from W[illiam] Cunnington, 58 Acre Lane, to [Gowland]: 'I have, here, a considerable number of fragments of the different rocks of Stonehenge'; would be happy to show them to Gowland. 1 sheet.
William Cunnington (1813-1906), archaeologist and local historian.
37. 1902, 5 February. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: he is sorry to hear 'the it will be impossible to break up the collection of Stonehenge implements'; in the circumstances, he thinks it best to offer them to the Wiltshire Archaeological Society for their museum at Devizes, on loan for six months. 1 sheet.
38. 1902, 10 February. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: is writing to Mr Medlicott to say that he is offering to place the whole collection at Devizes for six months. 1 sheet.
39. 1902, 12 March. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland, explaining that he and family will be absent for a few weeks, and suggesting that Gowland postpone his forthcoming visit to Stonehenge; if that is not possible, Antrobus has produced a written permit addressed to 'P.C.' for Gowland 'to probe for the stone outside the enclosure'. Pencil annotations by Gowland. 1 sheet.
40. 1902, 4 April. Card from CH Read to Gowland, referring to a good figure of a menhir in James Miln, Fouilles faites a Carnac 1877; bibliographical annotations by Gowland. 1 card. loose.
41. 1902, 29 April. Letter from William Cunnington to Gowland: thanks him for the report on the discussion following Gowland's paper on Stonehenge [read to Society of Antiquaries, 19 December 1901], and enclosing further articles [not now present]; hopes someone will refute the article in The Times, 15 April, about the history of gatherings at Stonehenge on the longest day; asks Gowland to accept a copy of his 'Stourhead Catalogue'. 1 sheet, loose.
42. 1902, 25 May. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: is back home, but does not propose to do any further work at Stonehenge this year; if further work is required 'let the County if they wish acquire it by purchase'. Pencil annotations by Gowland. 1 sheet.
43. [1902], 10 June. Letter from Lady Antrobus to Gowland: at Sir Edmund's request, is writing to ask Gowland 'to come here and dig the half of the mystic Circle near the Railway'; is pleased with the 1,000 copies of her guide book, just delivered. 1 sheet.
44. [1902], 14 June. Letter from Lady Antrobus to Gowland, with further points on the guidebook. 1 sheet.
This is incomplete, and may have been added as a postscript to no 40, above.
45. 1902, 16 June. Pencil draft of letter from Gowland to Lady Antrobus: his other commitments will prevent him from undertaking 'the important work of excavating the ancient burials on the semicircle'; this would require at least a month, and he would be glad if it could be postponed until next year; if not, he may be able to find someone to help her; he hopes to come to Amesbury in July for a few days, and will be happy to discuss the matter then. 1 sheet.
47. Undated. Pencil note/draft by Gowland, possibly about outlets for the sale of copies of Lady Antrobus's guide book. 1 sheet.
48. 1902, 16 June. Pencil draft of letter from Gowland to Antrobus: will be sending the whole Stonehenge collection to the Devizes Museum on Sunday; he apologises for the delay, caused by having to label every object 'in such a manner that there should be no danger of any confusion arising afterwards as to the exact position in which each was found'; hopes to visit Amesbury around 10 July, but certainly when he brings the Cocked Hats on 12 or 13 July. 1 sheet.
Gowland seems to have had custody of most or all of the 1901 finds, a large number of which he exhibited when reading his paper on the excavations at a meeting of the Antiquaries on 19 December 1901, and again at a meeting there on 9 January 1902 (Proceedings XIX (1901-1902), pp 33-34).
He appears to have retained some 'chips' of stone, which eventually came to the Society of Antiquaries along with other material presented by his widow and daughter in 1925: see GOW/02/06.
49. 1902, 19 June. Letter from B Howard Cunnington, The Old Town Hall, Devizes, to Gowland: acknowledges safe arrival of the collection of objects found at Stonehenge; notes that the case marked "C" will not be unpacked, as requested. 1 sheet.
50. 1902, 12 August. Letter from W H St John Hope to Gowland: has been looking at the Stonehenge illustrations and asks if it would be better to treat most of the pictures of the stones and implements by half-tone blocks instead of collotypes, as he knows that Gowland agrees that blocks are 'nicer' than plates. Pencil draft reply by Gowland leaving the matter in Hope's hands. 1 sheet. Loose.
This refers to the illustrations for Gowland's report, printed in Archaeologia 58 (1902).
51. 1905, 19 April. Printed letter from W Paley Baildon, 5 Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, announcing next meeting of the Cocked Hats Club, with long MS note from Baildon to Gowland, reporting 'the Stonehenge judgement'; 'It is splendid, action dismissed with costs, ought never to have been brought, … Farwell found against the bounders on every possible question of law and fact'; has 'begged a copy of the pleading and proofs for the Library'. On back, draft reply by WG: 'I rejoice with you that Antrobus has won his case. Now we shall have the stones all made safe'. 1 sheet.
52. 1905, 21 April. Letter from Antrobus to Gowland: apologising for the trouble that he has given Gowland over the case, and that in the end Gowland was not called [as a witness]; 'I have written Read at great length'; makes clear that his main reason for refusing to place Stonehenge under the Ancient Monuments Act was his determination to oppose the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society, and to ensure they could not claim any 'surrender' on his part; he is not afraid of the outcome if they choose to appeal. 1 sheet.
See also SAL/08/14/001 and Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries XXXI (198-1919), pp 1-2, for detailed correspondence and an account which give a more detailed picture of the Society's involvement in the discussions and disputes of the early years of the twentieth century over access to and future ownership of Stonehenge.