Correspondence relating to Stonehenge
Reference code
GOW/02/01/01
Title
Correspondence relating to Stonehenge
Date
1901-1918
Level of description
File
Extent and format
1 folder
Scope and content
1. Gowland's expenses for work at Stonehenge and on preparing his paper in Archaeologia 58 (7 items).
Pinned together:
- 1901, 10 December. Receipt from Margaret Reeks to Gowland, for payment of £7 5s 6d, 'for making seven diagrams of the excavations at Stonehenge'.
- 1901, 16 December. Receipt from Claude Higgs to Gowland for payment of £5 19s 0d, 'for making 11 negatives of stone hammers, and preparing prints for reproduction', and 'for making 31 lantern slides from prints'.
The article in Archaeologia 58 (1902), included nine photographs of stone and flint implements (figs 14-22; figs 26 and 28 may also have been part of the set). The total number of illustrations to the article was 32 (28 figures and 4 plates). Lantern slides are mentioned in connection with Detmar Blow's paper given to the Royal Institute of British Architects on 20 January 1902 (Journal of the RIBA, 25 Jan 1902, p 126).
- 1902, 25 January. Letter from CH Read, British Museum, to Gowland: he is sorry to hear of Mrs Gowland's serious accident; Council [of the Society of Antiquaries] yesterday authorised Read to ask Gowland to give the Treasurer a statement of his expenses in connection with his work on behalf of the Society at Stonehenge.
- Undated. List by Gowland of his expenses, totally just over £25; these include £5 17s for lantern slides and prints and £13 5s 6d for diagrams and drawings by Miss Reeks (for Archaeologia).
- 1902, 14 February. Letter from Philip Norman, [Treasurer], Society of Antiquaries, to Gowland: has received his not of 11 [February], with note of expenses; the Council thinks the amount 'extremely modest'; will send a cheque.
- 1902, 20 February. Letter from Philip Norman to Gowland, enclosing the cheque.
- 1902, 26 August. Receipt from Margaret Reeks to Gowland, for payment of £6 0s 0d, 'for making 13 drawings for Mr Gowland's paper on Stonehenge'.
The article in Archaeologia 58 (1902), included ten drawings of excavations and finds (figs 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 24, and 29).
Not pinned:
- [1902], 7 August. Letter from Margaret Reeks to Gowland: has received the drawings and directions, and will set to work on them at once; asks if Gowland could send photographs of stone 55a, 'the one with the boss', to help her to get the shading right. 1 sheet.
This refers to the illustrations for Gowland's report, printed in Archaeologia 58 (1902).
2. Correspondence concerning Stonehenge, concerning unspecified work proposed for the Summer of 1912.
- 1912, 29 July. Letter from [Sir Edmund] Antrobus, Amesbury Abbey, to Gowland: Stallybrass is at Hardwick Hall and could not come to Stonehenge until mid-September; as Gowland cannot come then, perhaps best 'to postpone operations till next Summer'; Antrobus is sending on to [Charles Hercules] Read Gowland's letters from Carruthers and Stallybrass; adds that 'I do not quite like to entrust the work to a builder's foreman as he suggests'; asks Gowland to speak to Read, and to say if he [Gowland] could come in mid-September. 1 sheet.
- 1912, 31 July. Draft reply from Gowland to Antrobus: has seen Read, who agrees that as Stallybrass cannot come until mid-September, 'it would not be wise to deal with the stones this year'; 'the work is much more difficult than that of setting up the leaning stone and should not be attempted except in finer weather than we might have in October'; Gowland will come to see Antrobus any time next year then 'we can mandate the work. It is much too important for any part of it to be entrusted to a builder's foreman'. 1 sheet.
Carruthers had suggested the use of a 'competent builder's foreman' a decade earlier to equally little effect (SAL/08/14/001, letter of 20 Oct 1902).
3. 1915, 14 October. Letter from Julius Chambers, New York, to Gowland: asking to buy a copy of Gowland's lecture, as described in the Daily News [a cutting '£6,600 for Stonehenge' glued to edge of letter, refers to sale to Chubb and to paper read by Gowland to Royal Archaeological Institute]. At foot, draft reply by WG, 30 December 1915, apologising that serious illness has prevented him from replying sooner; his account was read to the Society of Antiquaries and published in 1902; separate copies are now out of print, but can send a short lecture which he gave to Wiltshire Archaeological Society. 1 sheet.
4. 1903-1918. Further correspondence concerning Stonehenge.
- undated note by WC [William Cunnington] asking concerning access and the matter of the fence. 1 sheet.
- undated list by Gowland, probably of people and equipment required for work ?at Stonehenge. 1 sheet.
- [19]03, 19 August. Letter from Cunnington to Gowland: concerning closures of historic properties by their owners, because of vandalism. 1 sheet.
- Cutting from The Times, 25 September 1918, reporting Cecil Chubb's gift of Stonehenge to the nation.
- 1918, 21 November. Draft note by Gowland, supporting the proposal of the Council of the Society of Antiquaries, to undertake exploration of Stonehenge 'so that the origin and purpose of the monument may be authoritatively determined'; he notes that the late Sir Edmund Antrobus, while anxious to make the stones safe, was strongly opposed to excavations for any other purpose; now the Society is granted the privilege of exploring thoroughly, work which will take many years and can be conducted only in the Summer months; since working on the leaning stone, it had been Gowland's ambition to conduct further excavations, and would be delighted to devote his whole time to the work if the Society 'should do me the honour of entrusting the proposed excavations' to him; additional note that he has already prepared a scheme for excavating the whole monument and recording all finds exactly. 1 sheet.
5. 1919, 2 April. Letter from Williamm H Merrett, Ordnance College, Woolwich, to Gowland, suggesting 'the best type of camera for your work at Stonehenge', with further technical advice on paper and developer. 1 sheet.
6. 1919, 28 April. Draft letter from Gowland to Peers: explains that his doctor 'is absolutely opposed to my undertaking the excavations at Stonehenge this year'; is recovering from a second bout of influenza which has brought on the old heart trouble; 'I need hardly say what a deep disappointment it is to me to have to give up the work'. 1 sheet.
7. 1919, 30 April. Letter from Peers to Gowland: is very sorry to hear this; it is 'bad luck for all of us'. 1 sheet.
8. 1919, 20 May. Draft letter from Gowland to Peers: gives further medical details, and again expresses deep disappointment at having to give up the work that had been looking forward to for years.; offers to help in any way he can. 1 sheet.
9. 1919, 21 July. Letter from William Hawley to Gowland: thanks him 'for the honour you have done me in taking me as your Assistant in the work which is contemplated at Stonehenge'; has heard of Gowland's illness, and that he will be unable to take an active part in the proceedings; hopes Gowland will recover and 'be present this season to direct operations'; asks for advice and instructions, including on the datum line. 1 sheet.
10. 1919, 27 July. Draft letter from Gowland to Hawley: has benefitted from stay in Yorkshire, but 'there is no hope of my being able to go to Stonehenge'; advises keeping the old datum line, and that the dimensions of each excavation should be 8 ft by 3 ft; is sorry to hear of Hawley's accident and hopes he is now well again. 1 sheet.
11. 1920, January. Printed circular 'Stonehenge Exploration', from Society of Antiquaries, addressed to Gowland: Read as President appeals for donations toward the works, which have been in progress for some weeks with Colonel Hawley 'named by the Society as its representative on the spot'. 1 sheet.
12. 1921, 15 June. Letter from Hawley to Gowland: had delayed replying to Gowland's letter of 'a little time ago', but was waiting until had more news of the excavations; gives details of his work and observations so far; Gowland will be interested to know 'that 2 of the stones of the outer circle were strengthened last year nos 1 & 29 appear to have been placed vertically'; notes that the Office of Works are not doing anything for the next two years, and Hawley is there alone, at present with no labour, but is happy with the conditions; expresses hope that Gowland is in better health and may be induced to visit Stonehenge at some future date. 1 sheet.
13. 1921, 11 October. Draft letter from Gowland to Hawley: thanking for long letter; has delayed reply while waiting for publication of Hawley's second report, but it has not appeared in the latest Antiquaries Journal, so writes now; despite being 'more or less and invalid', has been particularly interested in Hawley's' work on the holes into which the bluestones were probably first set up, and the 'mysterious' presence of human bones; explains that his wife now has to do his writing for him. 1 sheet.
Correspondence relating to Stonehenge, 1901-1905: GOW/01/01.
Correspondence relating to Stonehenge, 1905; 1915; 1918: GOW/01/08.
Pinned together:
- 1901, 10 December. Receipt from Margaret Reeks to Gowland, for payment of £7 5s 6d, 'for making seven diagrams of the excavations at Stonehenge'.
- 1901, 16 December. Receipt from Claude Higgs to Gowland for payment of £5 19s 0d, 'for making 11 negatives of stone hammers, and preparing prints for reproduction', and 'for making 31 lantern slides from prints'.
The article in Archaeologia 58 (1902), included nine photographs of stone and flint implements (figs 14-22; figs 26 and 28 may also have been part of the set). The total number of illustrations to the article was 32 (28 figures and 4 plates). Lantern slides are mentioned in connection with Detmar Blow's paper given to the Royal Institute of British Architects on 20 January 1902 (Journal of the RIBA, 25 Jan 1902, p 126).
- 1902, 25 January. Letter from CH Read, British Museum, to Gowland: he is sorry to hear of Mrs Gowland's serious accident; Council [of the Society of Antiquaries] yesterday authorised Read to ask Gowland to give the Treasurer a statement of his expenses in connection with his work on behalf of the Society at Stonehenge.
- Undated. List by Gowland of his expenses, totally just over £25; these include £5 17s for lantern slides and prints and £13 5s 6d for diagrams and drawings by Miss Reeks (for Archaeologia).
- 1902, 14 February. Letter from Philip Norman, [Treasurer], Society of Antiquaries, to Gowland: has received his not of 11 [February], with note of expenses; the Council thinks the amount 'extremely modest'; will send a cheque.
- 1902, 20 February. Letter from Philip Norman to Gowland, enclosing the cheque.
- 1902, 26 August. Receipt from Margaret Reeks to Gowland, for payment of £6 0s 0d, 'for making 13 drawings for Mr Gowland's paper on Stonehenge'.
The article in Archaeologia 58 (1902), included ten drawings of excavations and finds (figs 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 24, and 29).
Not pinned:
- [1902], 7 August. Letter from Margaret Reeks to Gowland: has received the drawings and directions, and will set to work on them at once; asks if Gowland could send photographs of stone 55a, 'the one with the boss', to help her to get the shading right. 1 sheet.
This refers to the illustrations for Gowland's report, printed in Archaeologia 58 (1902).
2. Correspondence concerning Stonehenge, concerning unspecified work proposed for the Summer of 1912.
- 1912, 29 July. Letter from [Sir Edmund] Antrobus, Amesbury Abbey, to Gowland: Stallybrass is at Hardwick Hall and could not come to Stonehenge until mid-September; as Gowland cannot come then, perhaps best 'to postpone operations till next Summer'; Antrobus is sending on to [Charles Hercules] Read Gowland's letters from Carruthers and Stallybrass; adds that 'I do not quite like to entrust the work to a builder's foreman as he suggests'; asks Gowland to speak to Read, and to say if he [Gowland] could come in mid-September. 1 sheet.
- 1912, 31 July. Draft reply from Gowland to Antrobus: has seen Read, who agrees that as Stallybrass cannot come until mid-September, 'it would not be wise to deal with the stones this year'; 'the work is much more difficult than that of setting up the leaning stone and should not be attempted except in finer weather than we might have in October'; Gowland will come to see Antrobus any time next year then 'we can mandate the work. It is much too important for any part of it to be entrusted to a builder's foreman'. 1 sheet.
Carruthers had suggested the use of a 'competent builder's foreman' a decade earlier to equally little effect (SAL/08/14/001, letter of 20 Oct 1902).
3. 1915, 14 October. Letter from Julius Chambers, New York, to Gowland: asking to buy a copy of Gowland's lecture, as described in the Daily News [a cutting '£6,600 for Stonehenge' glued to edge of letter, refers to sale to Chubb and to paper read by Gowland to Royal Archaeological Institute]. At foot, draft reply by WG, 30 December 1915, apologising that serious illness has prevented him from replying sooner; his account was read to the Society of Antiquaries and published in 1902; separate copies are now out of print, but can send a short lecture which he gave to Wiltshire Archaeological Society. 1 sheet.
4. 1903-1918. Further correspondence concerning Stonehenge.
- undated note by WC [William Cunnington] asking concerning access and the matter of the fence. 1 sheet.
- undated list by Gowland, probably of people and equipment required for work ?at Stonehenge. 1 sheet.
- [19]03, 19 August. Letter from Cunnington to Gowland: concerning closures of historic properties by their owners, because of vandalism. 1 sheet.
- Cutting from The Times, 25 September 1918, reporting Cecil Chubb's gift of Stonehenge to the nation.
- 1918, 21 November. Draft note by Gowland, supporting the proposal of the Council of the Society of Antiquaries, to undertake exploration of Stonehenge 'so that the origin and purpose of the monument may be authoritatively determined'; he notes that the late Sir Edmund Antrobus, while anxious to make the stones safe, was strongly opposed to excavations for any other purpose; now the Society is granted the privilege of exploring thoroughly, work which will take many years and can be conducted only in the Summer months; since working on the leaning stone, it had been Gowland's ambition to conduct further excavations, and would be delighted to devote his whole time to the work if the Society 'should do me the honour of entrusting the proposed excavations' to him; additional note that he has already prepared a scheme for excavating the whole monument and recording all finds exactly. 1 sheet.
5. 1919, 2 April. Letter from Williamm H Merrett, Ordnance College, Woolwich, to Gowland, suggesting 'the best type of camera for your work at Stonehenge', with further technical advice on paper and developer. 1 sheet.
6. 1919, 28 April. Draft letter from Gowland to Peers: explains that his doctor 'is absolutely opposed to my undertaking the excavations at Stonehenge this year'; is recovering from a second bout of influenza which has brought on the old heart trouble; 'I need hardly say what a deep disappointment it is to me to have to give up the work'. 1 sheet.
7. 1919, 30 April. Letter from Peers to Gowland: is very sorry to hear this; it is 'bad luck for all of us'. 1 sheet.
8. 1919, 20 May. Draft letter from Gowland to Peers: gives further medical details, and again expresses deep disappointment at having to give up the work that had been looking forward to for years.; offers to help in any way he can. 1 sheet.
9. 1919, 21 July. Letter from William Hawley to Gowland: thanks him 'for the honour you have done me in taking me as your Assistant in the work which is contemplated at Stonehenge'; has heard of Gowland's illness, and that he will be unable to take an active part in the proceedings; hopes Gowland will recover and 'be present this season to direct operations'; asks for advice and instructions, including on the datum line. 1 sheet.
10. 1919, 27 July. Draft letter from Gowland to Hawley: has benefitted from stay in Yorkshire, but 'there is no hope of my being able to go to Stonehenge'; advises keeping the old datum line, and that the dimensions of each excavation should be 8 ft by 3 ft; is sorry to hear of Hawley's accident and hopes he is now well again. 1 sheet.
11. 1920, January. Printed circular 'Stonehenge Exploration', from Society of Antiquaries, addressed to Gowland: Read as President appeals for donations toward the works, which have been in progress for some weeks with Colonel Hawley 'named by the Society as its representative on the spot'. 1 sheet.
12. 1921, 15 June. Letter from Hawley to Gowland: had delayed replying to Gowland's letter of 'a little time ago', but was waiting until had more news of the excavations; gives details of his work and observations so far; Gowland will be interested to know 'that 2 of the stones of the outer circle were strengthened last year nos 1 & 29 appear to have been placed vertically'; notes that the Office of Works are not doing anything for the next two years, and Hawley is there alone, at present with no labour, but is happy with the conditions; expresses hope that Gowland is in better health and may be induced to visit Stonehenge at some future date. 1 sheet.
13. 1921, 11 October. Draft letter from Gowland to Hawley: thanking for long letter; has delayed reply while waiting for publication of Hawley's second report, but it has not appeared in the latest Antiquaries Journal, so writes now; despite being 'more or less and invalid', has been particularly interested in Hawley's' work on the holes into which the bluestones were probably first set up, and the 'mysterious' presence of human bones; explains that his wife now has to do his writing for him. 1 sheet.
Correspondence relating to Stonehenge, 1901-1905: GOW/01/01.
Correspondence relating to Stonehenge, 1905; 1915; 1918: GOW/01/08.