Correspondence of William Palmer (Rusholme's father)

Scope and Content

This collection of correspondence mainly consists of letters from Robert Blatchford to William Palmer (97 items) with a small number of other letters sent to William Palmer (3 items). It also includes 'Souvenir of a Visit to Chetham College, on Friday, March 29th, 1901' and a small painting signed 'Nunquam Dormio, 1934'. This correspondence ends in 1941.

There is a short exchange of letters from 1950 between Robert Palmer and LV Thompson (2 items) that suggests that Robert Palmer sent this material to Thompson because of its references to Blatchford and Thompson later returned it. Laurence Thompson published a book about Blatchford in 1951.

A collection of correspondence from Blatchford to William Palmer between 1912 and 1936 is held by Manchester Archives and Local Studies. The reference number is GB127.MS f 920.5 B26 and their website is www.manchester.gov.uk/info/448/archives_and_local_history.

Administrative / Biographical History

Robert Blatchford was born on 17 March 1851. In 1891, he founded the socialist newspaper The Clarion along with William Palmer and Alexander Thompson. He used the pseudonym 'Nunquam Dormio'. He died in 1943. William Palmer was born in around 1861. He was the father of Robert Palmer and was an artist who used the pseudonym 'Whiffley Puncto'.

  • Sources:
  • - "Robert Peel Glanville Blatchford (1851-1943), Journalist Author and Socialist: Autograph Letters to William Palmer", catalogue record, Manchester Archives and Local Studies, at www.dswebhosting.info/Manchester/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Site11&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo==%27GB127.MS%20f%20920.5%20B26%27).
  • - Eleanor Wroblewski, "Robert Blatchford", Freedom from Religion Foundation, at http://ffrf.org/news/day/dayitems/item/14805-robert-blatchford.
  • - Bill Jay, 1981, "Whiffley Puncto and Co.: Pseudonyms in 19th century photographic journals", at www.billjayonphotography.com/WhiffleyPunctoAndCo.pdf.
  • - "Leadership of a Co-operator", Co-operative News, 24 August 1977, p. 4.