The North London Collegiate School Archives consists of records relating to the history of the school from 1850 onwards, including many items regarding Frances Mary Buss and the development of the school, women's education and teacher training. Miss Buss was central to the establishment of the Association of Head Mistresses, and she and her successors were also important influences in the foundation of numerous schools, and in the wider world of education.
The Archives contain many books, letters, journals, photographs, admission records, prize lists, personal papers and reminiscences. There is information on headmistresses and on eminent Old North Londoners, and there are also many administrative records including governors' minutes.
There are also many items of local history including material on Canons from the 17th century onwards and on James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. An important item in the collection is the letter book of Cassandra (nee Willoughby), second wife of the Duke.
Winifred Myers, ONL, was respected throughout the scholarly and bibliographical world for her expertise in the autograph field. Her personal collection of documents relating to Canons and its owners, including the Duke of Chandos, was bequeathed to the school and has been preserved in the Archives in her name.
Other Archive Activities
The richness of the collections is due also to the generosity of Old North Londoners (ONLs), who have donated documents, artefacts and other items to the school. This wealth of material is exploited by many researchers, including those conducting genealogical and other family research and academics investigating educational and a whole range of others areas.
Within the school community pupils appreciate unrivalled access to primary material from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. By means of presentations to pupils of all ages, staff can bring to life such areas of the past as World War I, World War II and the suffragettes. A particular highlight was the visit of the Prince of Wales in November 2005, during which pupils from NLCS and from the Robert Clack School in Dagenham worked together using 18th century documents to study the nature of biography in general and the life of James Brydges in particular.
Archive Bibliography
Books relating to the history of Canons
Baker, C.H. Collins and Muriel I Baker, The Life and Circumstances of James Brydges First Duke of Chandos and Patron of the Liberal Arts, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1949
Elvin, Harold, The Story at Canons, London, Peter Garnett, 1950
Johnson, Joan, Excellent Cassandra: Life and Times of the Duchess of Chandos, Gloucester, Alan Sutton, 1981 [ISBN 0904387763 ]
Keightley, Moy comp., Canons: Drawings and Photographs of the North London Collegiate School, London, Chandos Press, 1985
(Limited number available for purchase from Library)
Books relating to the history of North London Collegiate School
Burchell, Doris, Miss Buss' Second School, Suffolk, Printed by W. Cowell, 1971 (History of Camden School for Girls) [ISBN – 0950237809]
Burstall, Sara A., Frances Mary Buss: Educational Pioneer,
London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1953
Hobbs, Patricia ed., Memories of N.L.C.S. in Wartime 1939 - 45, London, Old North Londoners’ Association, 1995
(Limited number available for purchase from Library)
Hughes, Mary Vivian, London Family 1870 - 1900, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1946
(Includes her experiences as a pupil at North London Collegiate School during the time of Miss Buss)
Kamm, Josephine, How Different From Us: a Biography of Miss Buss and Miss Beale, London, Bodley Head, 1958
Ridley, Annie E., Frances Mary Buss and her Work for Education, 2nd ed., London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1896
Scrimgeour, M.A. ed., North London Collegiate School 1850 - 1950, Oxford University Press, 1950
Watson, Nigel, And Their Works Do Follow Them: the Story of North London Collegiate School, London, James & James, 2000 [ISBN 0907383300]
(Limited number available for purchase from Bursary. £29.00 plus postage)
Wilson, Barbara Ker ed., Everyone Mattered: the Life and Times of Dame Kitty Anderson London, Chandos Press, 2003 [ISBN 0954531108]
(Biography of Dame Kitty Anderson)
(Limited number available for purchase from Bursary. £12.00 plus postage)
