Sub-sub-fonds
British Museum (Natural History): Unofficial Archives: Trustees of the Godman Exploration...
Catalogue reference: DF 5010
What’s it about?
This record is about the British Museum (Natural History): Unofficial Archives: Trustees of the Godman Exploration... dating from 1919-1965.
Is it available online?
Maybe, but not on The National Archives website. This record is held at The Natural History Museum Archives, London. How to view it.
Can I see it in person?
Not at The National Archives, but you may be able to view it in person at The Natural History Museum Archives, London. How to view it.
Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- DF 5010
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Title (The name of the record)
- British Museum (Natural History): Unofficial Archives: Trustees of the Godman Exploration Fund Papers
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Date (When the record was created)
- 1919-1965
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Description (What the record is about)
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This series contains the administrative and financial records of the five trustees who administered the Godman Exploration Fund. It includes their annual reports in which they accounted for money disbursed, details of their investments, and correspondence over the lease of a house that they owned.
Series held at The Natural History Museum are catalogued more fully in its online catalogue (reference DF ADM/1022/3/5). Online descriptions of some individual records can also be viewed on Discovery, see DF 5010.
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The Natural History Museum Archives, London
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
- English
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
- 12 files and volumes
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
- Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated
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Immediate source of acquisition (When and where the record was acquired from)
- The series was transferred to Archives from the Directorate in 1992.
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Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
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- Topics
- Museums and galleries
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Administrative / biographical background (Historical or biographical information about the creator of the record and the context of its creation)
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The Godman Exploration Fund was set up in 1920 following the gift of £5000 by Dame Alice Godman, widow of Frederick Ducane Godman (1834-1919), the zoologist. In a letter dated 24 May 1919 she directed that the money should become the nucleus of a fund 'for the acquirement of specimens, chiefly by exploration', and that it should be vested in the hands of five trustees, one of whom should be the Director of the Natural History Museum and another the Speaker of the House of Commons. A deed to bring her wishes into effect was drawn up on 26 May 1920, and the first grant was made to F V Sherrin to support his zoological collecting in Queensland. From 1920 to 1932 all the grants went to zoological collecting, but from 1933 botanical, entomological and geological projects were also supported.
The Fund was augmented in 1929 when Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (1858-1929), the Curator of Mammals, died, leaving the residue of his estate to the Godman Trustees. This amounted in the end to just over £6000 together with the lease of a house in Carlyle Square, which was sold in 1959.
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C16135/
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- View this record page in our current catalogue
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You are currently looking at the sub-sub-fonds: DF 5010
British Museum (Natural History): Unofficial Archives: Trustees of the Godman Exploration Fund Papers