Kitty MacSween, 1979-2009
Scope and Contents
This is a file of correspondence between 1977 and 2009, with Katharine Anne (Kitty) MacSween, fiancée of Iain Gordon Brown (1979-80) but with whom Irene J. Young and Iain Gordon Brown remained in close friendship. In the letters, mostly sent to Irene J. Young, Reginald Brown and Iain Gordon Brown ("Mr. and Mrs. Brown and Iain"), Katharine expresses her thanks for various visits, meals and invitations to stay with the family as well as sending some photographs and gifts; she gives updates on her work; discusses her engagement to Iain Gordon Brown in and her delight at seeing the engagement announcement in The Scotsman newspaper; a letter expressing her sadness over the decision to part with Iain Gordon Brown and apologising for any "uncertainty and strain"; after the separation she continues to write to Irene with updates on her family and life more generally.
There are also two letters sent from Mary MacSween, mother of Katharine Anne MacSween:
- Sent to Irene J. Young, on 18 April (year not given, c1979) thanking Irene J. Young and Reginald Brown for hosting them for lunch.
- Sent to Irene J. Young, on 29 June 1980, expressing sadness that "Iain and Kitty have found it impossible to continue their engagement" and thanking Irene for her kindness to Kitty.
There are two letters sent from Irene J. Young to Katharine ("Kitty") Anne MacSween:
- Sent on 30 August 1979 expressing delight about her engagement to Iain Gordon Brown. Along with this is a photocopy of a newspaper clipping of the "Forthcoming marriages" section in The Scotsman, announcing the marriage of "Mr. I.G. Brown and Miss K.A. MacSween".
- A drafted note (undated c1980) expressing "grief" at the parting of Iain Gordon Brown and Katharine Anne MacSween.
Also, a copy of the Esdaile Old Girls' Chronicle is included among the letters, with an envelope addressed to "Mouse" (Irene J. Young). Inside the chronicle is a comment from Kitty MacSween on page 9 stating, "I have become engaged to Iain Gordon Brown, the son of another Esdailite (Irene Young). I am now working as a secretary to an editor at the Edinburgh publishing firm of Holmes and McDougall."
Dates
- Creation: 1979-2009
Creator
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Some material is restricted due to Data Protection legislation. Please contact the repository in advance.
Full Extent
1 folder
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Originally from accession: SC-Acc-2017-0244
Subject
- Young, Irene Jessie, 1919-2017 (Later Cairns, later Brown. Author and codebreaker) (Recipient, Person)
- Esdaile College (Ministers' Daughters College) (Edinburgh) (Publisher, Organization)
Genre / Form
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk