Headlam family of Holywell
Reference: D/He Catalogue Title: Headlam family of Holywell Area: Catalogue Category: Estate and Family Records Description:
Covering Dates: 1771-1963
Catalogue Index
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- Headlam family of Holywell
- Political diaries (Ref: D/He 1-46)
- Social diaries (Ref: D/He 47-98)
- Diaries of Beatrice Headlam (Ref: D/He 99-100)
- Newspaper cuttings, articles, speeches etc. (Ref: D/He 101-119)
- Scrap books of newspaper cuttings etc. (Ref: D/He 101-110)
- Political articles by Cuthbert Headlam alias "B.B." (Ref: D/He 111)
- Election addresses etc. (Ref: D/He 112-119)
- Correspondence received (Ref: D/He 120-136)
- Correspondence from peers (Ref: D/He 120)
- Correspondence from prelates (Ref: D/He 121)
- Correspondence from architects, artists etc. (Ref: D/He 122)
- Correspondence from Rt. Hon. Herbert Samuel, M.P. (Ref: D/He 123)
- Correspondence from literary figures (Ref: D/He 124)
- Letters of congratulation on election to parliament, 1924 (Ref: D/He 125)
- Letters of congratulation on appointment to the Admiralty, 1926 (Ref: D/He 126)
- Letters of commiseration following general election defeat, 1929 (Ref: D/He 127)
- Correspondence relating to Gateshead bye-election (Ref: D/He 128)
- Letters of congratulation on election to parliament, 1931 (Ref: D/He 129)
- Letters of congratulation on appointment at the Ministry of Pensions, 1931 (Ref: D/He 130)
- Correspondence relating to Headlam's re-election at Newcastle North, 1950 (Ref: D/He 131-132)
- Correspondence relating to Newcastle upon Tyne North Conservative Association (Ref: D/He 133)
- General correspondence received by Headlam or his wife, 1896 - 1923 (Ref: D/He 134)
- General correspondence received by Headlam or his wife, 1924-1950 (Ref: D/He 135)
- General correspondence received by, or forwarded to, Headlam, 1952-1962 (Ref: D/He 136)
- Letters from Headlam to his wife, Beatrice 1914-1919 (Ref: D/He 137-182)
- Family correspondence (Ref: D/He 183-187)
- Letters received from Beatrice at Holywell, London and elswhere (Ref: D/He 183)
- Letters received from John Headlam (Ref: D/He 184)
- Correspondence received from Cuthbert's parents (Ref: D/He 185)
- Letters from Geoffrey Headlam (Ref: D/He 186)
- Christmas cards (Ref: D/He 187)
- Letters to Beatrice (Ref: D/He 300/)
- Programmes, plays, lectures etc. (Ref: D/He 188-191)
- Theatre programmes (Ref: D/He 188)
- Texts of plays, short stories, etc. by Cuthbert Headlam (Ref: D/He 189)
- Lectures, etc., delivered by Cuthbert Headlam (Ref: D/He 190)
- Miscellaneous publications, etc., of Cuthbert Headlam (Ref: D/He 191)
- Travel, photographs, sketches, etc. (Ref: D/He 192-223)
- Diary and photographs (Ref: D/He 192-214)
- Postcards and sketches (Ref: D/He 215-223)
- Clubs and Society lists (Ref: D/He 224)
- Invitations, tickets, etc. (Ref: D/He 225)
- Miscellaneous (Ref: D/He 226-282)
- Cuthbert Headlam (Ref: D/He 226-242)
- Beatrice Headlam (Ref: D/He 243-247)
- Headlam family (Ref: D/He 248-262)
- Crawley family (Ref: D/He 263-267)
- Antiquarian compilations by Cuthbert Headlam (Ref: D/He 268-282)
- Third Deposit (Acc: 1885(D)) (Ref: D/He 283-298)
- Letters from Cuthbert Headlam to his wife (Ref: D/He 283-292)
- Letters received by Cuthbert and Beatrice Headlam (Ref: D/He 293)
- Miscellaneous (Ref: D/He 294-298)
- Appendix: extracts from letters from the Western Front (D/He 139-182) (Ref: D/He Appendix)
Catalogue Description
Papers of the late Lt. Col. Right Hon. Sir Cuthbert Headlam, Bart., P.C., D.S.O., O.B.E., T.D., D.L., J.P.and of his wife (Georgina) Beatrice, Lady Headlam, C.B.E.deposited on long-term loan, 5 June 1967,7 May 1987 and 4 September 1989(Acc: 229(D))(Acc: 1737(D))(Acc: 1885(D))
County Record Office,
County Hall,
DURHAM.
DHl 5UL
Cuthbert Morley Headlam (1876-1964) was born at Eccles, Lancashire, third of the five sons of Francis John Headlam, Stipendiary Magistrate of Manchester. He was educated at King's School, Canterbury (which he did not much enjoy) and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he took a degree in history. In 1904 he married (Georgina) Beatrice (d.1968), daughter of the late George Baden Crawley.
Throughout his adult life, Headlam was connected with the political world. From 1897 until 1924, with a wartime break inimical to his career prospects, he served as a clerk in the House of Lords. He was, inter-alia, involved in a committee to reform the membership of the House of Lords. He had considered a future career in politics during the First World War but, lacking large private means, he had some difficulty in finding a seat and was in two minds about making such a leap in middle age.
He sat for Barnard Castle from 1924 to 1929 and from 1931 to 1935. In a straight fight with Labour he won the seat; in a three cornered fight with a Liberal he lost it. From 1926 to 1929 he was Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty, one of the more important junior ministerial appointments. From 1931 to 1932 he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions (he read of his appointment in a newspaper bought on Newcastle railway station) and from 1932 to 1934 he held a similar post at the Ministry of Transport. There, due to the failings of the Minister, Pybus, he played an important part in the handling of legislation to establish the London Passenger Transport Board. He resigned in 1934. From 1931 to 1939 he served on Durham County Council and was prominent in the organisation of the Conservative Party in the north of England. In 1941 he was chairman of the National Union of Conservative Associations.
His return to parliament in 1940 for the safe seat of Newcastle North (which he retained until retirement in 1951) resulted from a war-time by-election arranged by Grattan Doyle, the retiring member, with the intention of securing the succession of his own son. Headlam enjoyed stormy relations with his constituency party throughout the next eleven years.
Headlam was created a baronet in 1935 and made a member of the Privy Council in 1945. His other decorations (D.S.O. and O.B.E.) resulted from wartime service in France. Initially, he acted as A.D.C. to his brother-in-law, the Earl of Cavan, when Cavan was in command of the Guards Division. Headlam moved on to general staff work, being promoted from Captain to Lieutenant Colonel and from G.S.O.3 to G.S.O.l, during the ensuing three years. After the war he was founder-editor, with an old friend, Guy Dawnay, of the Army Quarterly. Headlam retained (latterly sole) editorship until 1942. His other works included articles on political and constitutional affairs, plays and Buchanesque "pot-boilers".
To understand these papers it is necessary to have in mind the web of connexions flourishing within a coherent ruling class. Headlam may have been the younger son of a younger son of a family whose money, in the 18th century, had come from building ships, he may have been, by his own standards, perennially short of money, but he was a member of an elite.
His contacts were established at school and university, through amateur dramatics with landed neighbours of his parents in Cheshire, through the House of Lords, the Travellers Club, the Bedfordshire Yeomanry and the First World War, and, to a lesser extent, through his membership of Parliament.
He detested Liberalism and socialism, the League of Nations (and its begetter), the Germans (and most of our allies), many officers of the regular army and many politicians of his own party, the drift of the Church of England, and various of his own and his wife's relations, with varying fervour at various times. Here is a conservative who had distrusted both Chamberlain and Churchill, who was disinclined to trim and antagonised groups of his own supporters.
Catalogue Contents
Notes on arrangement
The correspondence and photographs etc. forming part of the first deposit (there numbered D/He 47-63) have been amalgamated with similar items in the second deposit, and renumbered. Headlam's political diaries retain their original numeration.
Correspondents who are mentioned as Members of Parliament are to be understood to be Conservative and Unionist unless stated otherwise. Letters are from addresses in London and Middlesex unless otherwise stated.
Pocket diaries and engagement books
Ref: D/He 47This may be divided into correspondence relating to Headlam's work in the House of Lords; to his election successes and failures; general correspondence from the 1890s to the 1960s; correspondence with his wife and other members of his family. As far as possible, the arrangement of the papers reflects Headlam's own.
Correspondence from peers (Ref: D/He 120)Correspondence received by Headlam in his official capacity as a Clerk in the House of Lords and by his colleagues and superiors relating to legislative matters. From peers:
Ref: D/He 120/1Correspondence received by Headlam in his official capacity as a Clerk in the House of Lords and by his colleagues and superiors relating to legislative matters. From prelates:
Ref: D/He 121/1Correspondence received by Headlam in his official capacity as a Clerk in the House of Lords and by his colleagues and superiors relating to legislative matters. From architects, artists etc., relative to the Select Committee upon the [Sir Francis] Chantrey Bequest and other committee business:
Ref: D/He 122/1Correspondence received by Headlam in his official capacity as a Clerk in the House of Lords and by his colleagues and superiors relating to legislative matters. From literary figures and concerning the Committee of Enquiry on Dramatic Censorship:
Ref: D/He 124/1-2Letters of congratulation received by Headlam on his election to parliament in 1924
Ref: D/He 125/1Letters of congratulation received by Headlam on his appointment to the Admiralty in 1926
Ref: D/He 126/1Letters of commiseration received by Headlam following his defeat at the general election of 1929
Ref: D/He 127/1Correspondence and papers received by Headlam relative to the Gateshead bye-election and the possibility of his fighting other seats (1931). From:
Ref: D/He 128/1-2Letters of congratulation received by Headlam on his election to parliament in 1931
Ref: D/He 129/1Letters of congratulation on Headlam's appointment as Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Pensions, 1931
Ref: D/He 130/1Correspondence relating to the management of the Newcastle upon Tyne North Conservative Association and factional disputes between various of its members relative to the candidacies for the 1950 and 1951 general elections, as follows:
Ref: D/He 133/1-4Letters from Headlam during his service in the army on personal and domestic matters, description of his life and activities, conduct of the war, occasional pencil sketches, forwarding letters to or from third parties etc.
[See Appendix for extracts from selected letters from the Western Front, ref. D/He 139-182]
Theatrical Pursuits and Public Events (see also correspondence and newspaper cuttings)
Theatre programmes (Ref: D/He 188)Ref: D/He 188/1Letters received by Cuthbert Headlam and Beatrice Headlam at Holywell, Brancepeth and forwarded by one to the other and other miscellaneous correspondence
Ref: D/He 293/1Cuthbert Headlam wrote at least one letter a day to his wife during his period of service on the Western Front. There are general opinions on the conduct of the war, the calibre of generals and fellow-officers. Basil Walcot who died from stomach cancer was one of Headlam's few immediate superiors in intelligence and staff work to impress him.
Other themes include the disputes surrounding the conduct of the Magdalen College mission in East London. Religious affairs including the excellent service given by Stafford Crawley, Beatrice's brother, as an army chaplain and the character and deficiencies of Cosmo Gordon Lang, a family acquaintance are also treated.
Domestic difficulties are of the financial variety - Beatrice seems to have been somewhat disorganised and her renting a house at Combรจ, Wiltshire, from The Molar [Alfred Cole] does not seem to have been beneficial nor was the financial advice of her brother Ernest. Headlam's relationship with his eldest brother Maurice, a high civil servant in Dublin, falls into disrepair, in part due to the problems of looking after Headlam's mother and paying for her to be looked after.
References to friends and colleagues killed or wounded, to the military exploits of Conrad Russell and to the activities of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry run through the correspondence, some of which has no doubt been composed for effect. Nevertheless, Headlam provides something of an intelligent amateur's view of the army and a well-connected civilian's view of the political developments of the time.
Although angered by the use of influence and connexions by others to promote themselves and their interests, Headlam tried to help the un-military Conrad Russell [15 April 1919] and found himself moved to the job in which he became G.S.O. 1 and lieutenant-colonel through the influence of Guy Daunay, an old friend.