| Repository | University of Roehampton: Archives and Special Collections |
| Level | File |
| Reference Number | RC/1/3/2/20 |
| Alternate Reference Number | RC/1/2/2/1/26; RC 12/3 |
| Creator Name | Richmal Crompton; Richmal Ashbee (niece of Richmal Crompton); and Richmal Ashbee's heirs |
| Title | [Richmal Crompton] Correspondence and documents [belonging to Richmal Ashbee, niece of Richmal Crompton] relating to the updating of Richmal Crompton's William stories by Macmillan Children's Books, publishers, particularly the removal of sections that we |
| Date | 1985-1998 |
| Extent | 1 file |
| Description | The file contains the following:
- A letter from a fan [recipient's name not stated], complaining about William stories that contain episodes of cruelty to animals; letter dated 1986.
- Correspondence sent to Richmal Ashbee [niece of Richmal Crompton] from Macmillan Children's Books, London, publishers, relating to the censoring of William stories that had become offensive; correspondence dated 1985. Included are photocopies of "William and the Nasties" and sections from "William Helps the Cause" and "William and the League of Perfect Love".
- A letter [sent to Richmal Ashbee? niece of Richmal Crompton] from Macmillan Children's Books, London, [publishers], relating to the publication of the William story "The Pageant" (also called "Battle of the Flowers); letter written in c1986. Included: are a photocopy of "The Pageant"; and a photocopy of an article about the effects of the [Second World War] on children, from the book "William the Hero".
- Press cuttings containing articles and published letters complaining about the updating of children's stories; cuttings dated 1988-1989; some of the cuttings are photocopies with the photocopies made in c1988. These are accompanied by: notes [written by Richmal Ashbee, niece of Richmal Crompton] for [an article?] in response to these complaints (notes written in c1989); a photocopy of a cutting from "The Times" containing published letters from Macmillan Children's Books, London, publishers, and from the character William (from the William stories) in response to the complaints (letters published in c1988); a photocopy of a letter (dated 1988) to Macmillan Children's Books from someone who used to live next to Richmal Crompton, in response to the published letter from Macmillan Children's Books (photocopy made in c1988); and related correspondence to Richmal Ashbee from Macmillan Children's Books (correspondence dated 1988).
- Photocopies of letters sent to Macmillan, [publishers], from children at Chartham CP School [Chartham County Primary School], Kent, (many of the children have written the letters in the character of William or one of the other characters from the William stories) asking Macmillan not to update or alter the William stories; letters written in 1988 and photocopies made in c1988.
- A letter to Richmal Ashbee [niece of Richmal Crompton] from Macmillan, London, publishers, about the updating of the text of "William's Civil War"; letter dated 1990. Included are photocopies of pages from the story that are annotated with the suggested changes
- A photocopy of a letter published in "The Guardian" in c1992 complaining about the removal of the story "William and the Nasties" from a new publication of William stories; photocopy made in c1992.. Included is a photocopy of a fax to "The Guardian" from Pan Macmillan Children's Books, London, [publishers], defending the decision to remove the story; fax dated 1992 and photocopy made in c1992.
- A letter to Richmal Ashbee [niece of Richmal Crompton] from Macmillan Children's Books, London, publishers, about the updating of the text of "William and the Pets Club; letter dated 1998. Included is a photocopy of the story. |
| Access Status | Closed |
| Closed Until | 01/01/2089 |
| Access Conditions | Contains personal data relating to living individuals.
Access to closed material may be reviewed on request by the archivist. |
| Copyright | Copyright to be determined. |
| Related Material | Further documents relating to fans of Richmal Crompton's works can be found in RC/1/7 and RC/5.
Further correspondence from publishers can be found in RC 7, RC 40, RC 81, RC 112, RC 119, RC test 1, RC test 2, RC test 3, RC test 4, RC 120, RC 124, RC 128, RC 133, RC 137, RC 138, RC 139, RC 140, RC 142, RC 146, RC 147, RC 155, RC 156, RC 159, RC 163, RC 166, RC 167, RC 208, RC 212, RC 213, RC 214, RC 216, RC 217, RC 239, RC 346, RC 350, RC 351, RC 356 and RC 360.
Further published William stories can be found in PUBLISHED BOOKS, RC 30, RC 100, RC 148, RC 212, RC 226, RC 239 and RC 364. |