This guide provides an overview of some of the collections held by the University of Exeter that may be particularly useful for research and study into the history, lives and work of women. Women can be found throughout our collections, but their narratives are often harder to find. This resource guide seeks to address some of these historical imbalances, to represent an inclusive history of everyone in the resources we now develop. Women's History does, of course, also include LGBTQ+ History, Disability History and Black History, for which we have created additional designated guides.
The boxes below provide information about Special Collections' collections of archives and rare books, as well as the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum collections, and contain links to the catalogues, through which you can explore the collections further.
The resources highlighted in this guide have been identified using our catalogues, but are not exhaustive. If you come across any other sources within our collections that you think should be included in this guide, we would be very pleased to hear about them.
Archives and rare books held by Special Collections are available to everyone. More information about accessing the collections can be found in our Visiting Heritage Collections LibGuide. Please note that there may be some restrictions on accessing and copying (including photography) material in the archives and books held by Special Collections in line with current data protection and copyright legislation. Always make sure to check the access conditions on the archive catalogue and email Special Collections before your visit for more information about specific restrictions.
A Women's History Month guide created by the University of Exeter Library provides links to digital archives, databases and e-books available to University of Exeter staff and students.
Special Collections holds more than 470 archives and archival collections, including many created by or relating to women. At the University of Exeter Special Collections, the archives are largely framed by the voices of men, reflecting the historic interests of past societies. Nevertheless, women's voices and experiences are woven throughout our collections, becoming stronger and more visible in archives dating from the late 19th to early 21st century. The further back we go into our records, the less present women's voices are; however, some older archives relating to women do exist in our collections, in particular the archive of the religious sisters of Syon Abbey, which dates back to the late medieval period.
This box includes information about personal archives, family archives, literary archives, research archives and organisational archives in our holdings that may be useful for studying different aspects of women's history, as well as links to our catalogue where you will find more information.
Click the next tabs in this box to find out more about the archives relating to women and women's history
Searching for archives:
Most of the archives featured in this guide were either created by women, or include a substantial number of items relating to women. However, this guide is not exhaustive and other archives and collections within our holdings may include further relevant items -- such as letters - by women. In addition to browsing this guide, you may find it useful to search the archives catalogue for names and key words (e.g 'Women's Suffrage' or professions such as 'journalist' or 'lawyer') relating to your research.
Archive material can be found by searching the University of Exeter Special Collections archives catalogue
Further guidance and tips on using the archives catalogue can be found on the Searching our Catalogues LibGuide
Searching for sources on women relating to a particular subject or theme?
You may find it useful to look at our other subject guides. These include:
The archives held at the University of Exeter Special Collections include many personal materials created or collected by women during lives. The types of materials commonly found in personal archives include correspondence, diaries, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, financial records, photographs and ephemera. They are typically created by individuals who were recording their thoughts and activities for themselves, or for their family and friends.
Personal archives include:
Ethel Mannin (1900-84); novelist, political activist and travel writer [EUL MS 452]
Diaries within the archives include:
Family archives are records created or collected by a group of individuals closely related by ancestry. They usually relate to their personal and private affairs. The types of records commonly found within family archives include: correspondence between family members; photographs; property records; financial records; and legal records.
[Content Warning: One collection below includes items relating to enslavement]
Papers of or relating to women in family papers, include:
The University of Exeter Special Collections looks after a rich collection of twentieth-century literary papers by writers associated with the South West of England (see also the South West Writers LibGuide). A literary archive may be comprised of some or all of the following: literary manuscripts, including drafts, notes, proofs and printed editions; personal correspondence (family, friends, lovers); literary and cultural correspondence (other writers, artists, musicians, film makers, performers, critics, academics, reviewers), or business-related correspondence (agents, publishers, literary organisations and institutions, gas board, bank); diaries; audio-visual material; digital records; printed sources, such as newspaper clippings; legal and financial records; and objects.
Literary and personal papers of writers and editors include:
Agatha Mallowan (1890-1976); formerly Agatha Christie; née Millier; pseudonyms: Agatha Christie and Mary Westmacott; author [EUL MS 99]
The University of Exeter Special Collections looks after several collections of papers relating to the research - often academic or biographical research - of women. Many of these women were students or staff at the University of Exeter. These collections may contain a range of different materials, including notes, file-cards, correspondence, printed material, photographs, articles, essays and theses. Sometimes they may even include original items or memorabilia of the focus of their studies.
Research papers of women include:
Papers of Janet M Land (fl 1960s-; student of English) relating to libraries and books in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria [EUL MS 154] 
Organisational records are materials that have been created during the course of the life or work of an organisation. The organisation could be a company, an institution, or an association comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The collections at the University of Exeter include records of agricultural estates, businesses, companies, charities, community and social associations, educational institutions, hospitals, religious bodies, theatres and performing arts companies. These can include a wide range of materials, predominantly administrative, but can also include personal items relating to the people who worked for or were members of the organisations.
[Content Warning: One collection below includes items relating to enslavement]
Archives of organisations containing papers of or relating to women include:
Businesses:
Charities:
Common Ground archive. Common Ground is an arts and environmental charity that was founded in 1982 with a mission to link nature with culture and use celebration of the everyday as a starting point for local action. The charity has raised awareness of a variety of environmental issues through its innovative projects, which were co-ordinated by Sue Clifford and Angela King from 1982 to 2013. [EUL MS 416 or find out more about the archive in the Common Ground Archive LibGuide]Community / social / political associations:
Educational institutions:
The University of Exeter archive contains records relating to the University of Exeter and its predecessor institutions, including the Royal Albert Memorial College and the University College of the South West. The lives of staff and students at the University can be researched through a wide variety of material, including photographs, student magazines and newspapers, and admissions registers. The University Archive is extensive and largely uncatalogued, but box lists for some of the material are available on request. [EUL UA or find out more about the archive in the University Archive LibGuide]Hospitals:
Religious bodies:
Syon Abbey archive. Syon Abbey (1415-2011) was a monastic house governed by an abbess and comprising both sisters and brothers. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Syon community eventually settling in Lisbon, Portugal in 1594. In 1861, the sisters (the last brother having died in 1695) returned to England and the community spent its final century living in Devon, first in Chudleigh and then in South Brent. The Syon Abbey archive consists of a wide variety of material relating to the workings, business and people of Syon Abbey. [EUL MS 389. Special Collections also looks after the manuscripts (EUL MS 262) and library of the community. Find out more about this collection in the Syon Abbey Collection LibGuide]Sugar plantations and agricultural estates
Theatres and performing arts companies:
Northcott Theatre archive. The Northcott Theatre archive comprises operational and production records spanning the period from its opening in 1967 to its threatened closure in 2010. These include administrative, legal and operational records, information on the technical management of theatre productions, promotional literature and press coverage. There is also a collection of photographic records of productions and actors, along with records of film productions from the earlier Theatre Royal in Exeter. [EUL MS 348]The Bill Douglas Cinema museum has one of the largest collections of material relating to the moving image in Britain. It is both a public museum and an academic research centre, housing one of Britain's largest public collections of books, prints, artefacts and ephemera relating to the long history of screen practice. There are over 80,000 items in the collection.
The museum chronicles the development of optical entertainment from shadow-puppets and 17th century manuscripts to the most recent Hollywood blockbusters, including artefacts such as Magic Lanterns, rare books, prints, and an extensive variety of publicity materials. The diversity of this collection provides an insight into the changing dynamics of the moving image and the history of our relationship with it.
1,000 items from the collections are on display in the Galleries in the Old Library, while other items can be consulted on request in the Ronald Duncan Reading Room. You can find out more about the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum collections and search the catalogue via the website.
Pamela Davies’ collection of over 200 photographs were donated to the Museum in 2017 by her sister. Pamela worked as one of the top Continuity and Script Supervisors in British cinema from the 1940s-1980s. The official stills were taken on set and given to Pamela for use in her work to check continuity. Other images show her at work on set or on location, making and typing up notes on costume, props, movement and dialogue for each take. Continuity Supervisors were known as ‘Continuity girls’ as the job was one of the only roles in film production commonly occupied by women. It is an essential job in film-making but as a feminised role often lacked status in a traditionally masculine industry. For some women it opened a door to production or writing but for many it was as high as they could expect to go.
The collection includes images of film stars Sophia Loren and Judy Garland among others. Pamela worked on films including ‘Oliver!’, 'I Could Go on Singing' and ‘Judith’.
Search 'Pamela Davies' on the Museum website to view her collection.
Special Collections holds more than 50,000 books across several rare book collections. Books by or about women and women's history can be found across all book collections. You can identify books in our collections by searching the University of Exeter Library catalogue using key words, names or subjects.
The Hypatia Collection and the Nursing Ethics Heritage Collection have a special focus on women's history. The Hypatia Collection consists of approximately 10,000 books and journals by or about women, which were originally collected 'to make available published documentation about women in every aspect of their lives'. As women have historically made up a large majority of the profession and academic discipline of nursing, the Nursing Ethics Heritage Collection provides valuable insight into this aspect of women's history.
Click the next tabs in this box to find out more about the Hypatia Collection and the Nursing Ethics Heritage Collection
Searching for books:
Rare books can be found by searching the University of Exeter Library catalogue
Further guidance and tips on using the library catalogue can be found on the Searching our Catalogues LibGuide
Searching for sources on women relating to a particular subject or theme?
You may find it useful to look at our other subject guides. These include:
The Hypatia Collection consists of approximately 10,000 books and journals by or about women. The books and journals date chiefly from the late 19th to late 20th century.
Part of its richness stems from the inclusive collecting habits of its creator, Dr Melissa Hardie, who acquired many ephemeral titles and books on subjects and by writers traditionally excluded from the academic canon in her aim 'to make available published documentation about women in every aspect of their lives'. The collection is strongest on biography, social life, occupations and history, as well as on literature (especially fiction) and the arts. In addition there is also the Cheris Kramerae gift of books on second-wave feminism and related topics.
To search the entire Hypatia Collection, use the Advanced Keyword Search page of the University of Exeter Library Catalogue. Type 'Hypatia' into one field and a keyword or name into the second field. Select 'Special Collections' from the 'Search in the' field.
You can also search the collection by subject. The books in the Hypatia Collection are shelved alphabetically within the following subject sequences and classmarks:
The heart of the Nursing Ethics Heritage Collection is the personal research library of Professor Marsha Fowler. In 1977, Professor Fowler began collecting books to support her research into the development of nursing ethics and the American Nurses Association code of Ethics for Nurses. Many of these key texts were not available to consult in academic libraries. At the University of Surrey, the Special Collections collaborated with Professor Fowler and Professor Ann Gallagher to develop the collection by acquiring further publications and materials concerning nursing, the history of nursing, bioethics, women, religion and health, with titles leading up to the present day. The collection was transferred to the University of Exeter Special Collections in 2021.
The collection comprises almost 500 books, periodicals and articles, including works dating from 1888 to editions of ‘Nursing Ethics: An International Journal for Health Care Professionals’ published as recently as 2017. Many of the books contain the names of former owners inscribed within, as well as annotations and underlined words in the text, highlighting their importance in shaping the study and work of nurses. Though predominantly consisting of English-language works, the collection also includes texts in Italian, Dutch, Hungarian, Russian and Japanese.
The online catalogue for the collection can be found here under collection reference EUL MS 472/NEHC. The six main sections of the collection comprise:
EUL MS 472/NEHC/1 – Texts from the nursing ethics heritage period, 1860s-1965
EUL MS 472/NEHC/2 – Texts relating to Bioethics
EUL MS 472/NEHC/3 – Texts and audio visual material relating to nursing bioethics
EUL MS 472/NEHC/4 – Biographical records relating to nurse ethicists
EUL MS 472/NEHC/5 – Histories of nursing ethics
EUL MS 472/NEHC/6 – Contextual publications for medical practice, nursing and ethics
EUL MS 472/NEHC/7 – Codes of ethics for nurses
Use the tabs to discover a small selection of some of the online databases available that relate to women's history.
To access the full range of databases, use the Database A-Z List or for digital archives in particular, look at the Women's History section of the Primary Sources guide.
Online archives
