Box Gen. 519, 1808; 2 March 1879-11 June 1924

Condition - Generally fair. Scrapbook ‘Songs of Scotland – Programmes 1882-6’ is in reasonably fair condition, but cover is missing, binding coming apart, and index page badly decayed. Furthermore, the glue used to affix recital programmes and press cuttings has become stiff and slightly stained the paper, and its impact on the overall status of the scrapbook ought to be assessed. In folder ‘Letters from various Kennedy siblings, Italy, 1879-80’, all letters were already freed from pins and paper fasteners. Most of the letters, all in ink, are in fair condition, but the paper used is thin and has become fragile, with frequent rust marks and holes from the previously removed metal fasteners; some letters are damaged: torn, stained, or affected by moisture and/or rodents. The 127 letters are somewhat arbitrarily split into four bundles: in bundles ‘James Kennedy’ and ‘Robert Kennedy’, they are arranged in chronological order, whereas in bundles ‘Marjory, James, Robert Kennedy’ and ‘Miscellaneous’, they are in no particular order. Letters in bundle ‘Miscellaneous’ are still folded, whereas all other letters were already unfolded. The 96 letters in folder ‘‘Sir Granville Bantock’, D.19228, E61/19’, are in fair condition; 94 letters were previously numbered in pencil, where numbers refer to letters and not to pages, two letters remain unnumbered. One further letter from Granville Bantock to Marjory Kennedy-Fraser, dated 25 Jul 1924, is in Gen. 278.

Work Done - All items dusted with brush and put into new archive envelopes. Any remaining pins removed and replaced with plastic clips. Fragile or loose items protected and supported with acid free sheets and plastic clips. In scrapbook ‘Songs of Scotland – Programmes 1882-6’, the badly decayed index page protected in transparent archive folder, and old dust jacket lined with acid free tissue paper. Photograph of [Bantock] children in folder ‘‘Sir Granville Bantock’, D.19228, E61/19’ protected in separate transparent archive folder. Boxed in new archive box. General inventory created. Recital programmes and press cuttings in Scrapbook ‘Songs of Scotland – Programmes 1882- 6’ not listed individually. Letters in folder ‘Letters from various Kennedy siblings, Italy, 1879-80’, not listed individually. Letters in folder ‘‘Sir Granville Bantock’, D.19228, E61/19’, not listed individually.