Description | 246 manuscript and typescript autobiographies (some are copies of originals held elsewhere) working class individuals in England, Wales and Scotland, c1790-1945, collated and copied by John Burnett, David Mayall and David Vincent for their publication "The Autobiography of the Working Class" (Harvester Press, Brighton, 1984-1989). The majority of authors recall memories of their childhoods and early working lives in the late 19th century and early 20th century. (BURN/1, BURN/2, BURN/3). Burn/5 consists of Burnett's admin papers and correspondence.
For Burnett's introduction to "The Autobiography of the Working Class", which contains his collecting criteria - including what he considered "working class", please see the attached pdf.
Another 103 autobiographies containing similar material and continuing on into the later 20th century were subsequently added to the collection by Brunel University Library staff, pre 2021. (BURN/4). Recataloguing in 2022 revealed that several of these additions did not meet the original collection criteria of Burnett et al. They have been retained, but flagged in the catalogue.
Accruals: The collection by Burnett, Mayall and Vincent (BURN/1, BURN/2, BURN/3) was closed upon transfer to the Library. BURN/4 was closed in 2021.
Brunel University does not hold copies of all the autobiographies referred to in Burnett's publications. To avoid confusion however, the catalogue numbering [Tree Ref No] has been kept the same as Burnett's original system. This is why, unusually, the catalogue (tree) references numbers are not sequential, ie there are gaps in the numbering. The gaps are the items Brunel University does not hold copies of. |
AdminHistory | The archive of working class autobiographies at Brunel University Library was gathered together by John Burnett, David Mayall and David Vincent during their compilation of their three volume annotated bibliography "The Autobiography of the Working Class" (Harvester Press, Brighton, 1984-1989). The authors "sought to identify not only the large numbers of printed works scattered in various Local History Libraries and Record Offices, but also extant private memoirs, many of which remain hidden in family attics, known only to the author and a handful of relatives" (introduction to volume 1, p29). The criteria for inclusion in the autobiography were that the writers were "working class" for at least part of their lives, that they wrote in English and that they lived for some time in England, Scotland or Wales between 1790 and 1945.
The archive at Brunel comprises 246 unpublished items, many of which are photocopies of the originals, which were returned to the authors. The published autobiography indicates the location of the originals. 103 items have since been added to the collection.
Originally listed in 2002 as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project. Updated 2014. Updated and improved 2022. Original Collection (BURN/1, BURN/2, BURN/3) are arranged following the reference numbers given by Burnett et al. Accruals (BURN/4) are arranged in alphabetical order by author.
Catalogue improved and added to CALM, from Oct 2021 |
CustodialHistory | John Burnett (1925 – 2006) was a social historian and a professor at Brunel University 1972 - 1990. His research examined the day-to-day lives of ordinary British people in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Original Collection (BURN/1, BURN/2 and BURN/3) was deposited by the authors, 1984-1989. BURN/4 accrued later by Brunel Library. |