William Neale collection

Scope and Content

The collection comprises of material relating to the British Exploring Expedition, 1881-1882 (leader Benjamin Leigh Smith) to the Russian Arctic (Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa) and correspondence by Neale with the polar explorers William Speirs Bruce, Benjamin Leigh Smith and Allan Young

Administrative / Biographical History

In 1880, William Henry Neale served as surgeon in Eira on the British Exploring Expedition (leader Benjamin Leigh Smith), a private venture to Svalbard and Russian Arctic waters, exploring 176 km of new coast in Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa. He returned as surgeon in Eira on the British Exploring Expedition, 1881-1882 (leader Benjamin Leigh Smith), a private expedition to extend the exploration of Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa. After Eira was nipped in the ice and sank off Mys Flora in August 1881, the crew lived in a makeshift hut for ten months, setting out in the ship's four boats in June 1882 and reaching Novaya Zemlya, where they met Hope commanded by Allen Young. The expedition sailed back to Aberdeen in August 1882. The following year, Neale was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He practised medicine in St. John's Wood and South Hampstead, London, for nearly fifty years. He died in 1939.

Arrangement

The collection is split into two sub-fonds comprising of expedition material and correspondence respectively

Access Information

By appointment.

Some materials deposited at the Institute are NOT owned by the Institute. In such cases the archivist will advise about any requirements imposed by the owner. These may include seeking permission to read, extended closure, or other specific conditions.

Note

Anyone wishing to consult material should ensure they note the entire MS reference and the name of the originator.

The term holograph is used when the item is wholly in the handwriting of the author. The term autograph is used when the author has signed the item.

Descriptions compiled by N. Boneham, Assistant Archivist with assistance from R. Stancombe and reference to Arctic, exploration and development c500 BC to 1915, an encyclopaedia by Clive Holland, Garland Publishing, London (1994) and Exploring Polar Frontiers, a historical encyclopaedia by William Mills, San Diego and Oxford, 2003 and 'William Henry Neale' by Brian Roberts in The Geographical Journal volume 94 number 3 July to December 1939 p260-261

Other Finding Aids

Clive Holland Manuscripts in the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England - a catalogue, Garland Publishing New York and London (1982) ISBN 0824093941.

Additional finding aids are available at the Institute.

Conditions Governing Use

Copying material by photography, electrostat, or scanning device by readers is prohibited. The Institute may be able to provide copies of some documents on request for lodgement in publicly available repositories. This is subject to conservation requirements, copyright law, and payment of fees.

Copyright restrictions apply to most material. The copyright may lie outside the Institute and, if so, it is necessary for the reader to seek appropriate permission to consult, copy, or publish any such material. (The Institute does not seek this permission on behalf of readers). Written permission to publish material subject to the Institute's copyright must be obtained from the Director. Details of conditions and fees may be had from the Archivist.

Accruals

Further accessions possible