Papers of Mary Mann: Falmouth & Camborne Liberal Association

Please note there are some closures within this Collection due to Data Protection legislation.

The collection comprises records relating to the activities of the Falmouth & Camborne Liberal Association and its interactions with organisations within the wider Liberal party. The contents reflect the work of the Association in running election campaigns and gathering local support for the Liberal Party. Files often contain a mix of material covering more than one activity and spanning a number of years.

Parliamentary / General election campaigns are recorded in varying levels of detail, with more comprehensive documentation for the campaigns between 1966 and 1983. Election campaign records include the selection of a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate from a list of approved candidates and arrangements for their visits to the Division, canvassing constituency residents, campaign posters and flyers, itineraries for the run up to polling day, and administrative records co-ordinating support from local members. The national Liberal Party Organisation provided a list of suitable candidates, policy documents, campaign guidance, stationery and other publications. The Divisional Association also supported Liberal candidates for European Parliamentary Elections and for local government elections to Borough and District Councils and to Cornwall County Council.

The ongoing work of the Association in recruiting members and fundraising is recorded in minutes and financial documents, correspondence, posters and flyers for events and campaigns, and other administrative material needed to support these activities. The majority of this material covers the period of Mann’s involvement with the Association, from the mid 1960s through to the 1980s, although there are occasional records from the 1990s and early 2000s. There are a few records scattered throughout correspondence and campaigning files about to specific issues such as nuclear disarmament, the release of political prisoners, workers co-operatives, electoral reform, second homes, and concessionary fares for senior citizens.

The Association received regular bulletins, campaign and fundraising material, policy documents and other publications from the Liberal Party Organisation (national Liberal Party headquarters). The collection has an incomplete set of these, mainly from the 1960s and 1970s. There are a handful of records relating to Liberal Assemblies in the 1960s and in 1982. There are also a few records relating to the National League of Young Liberals, and both Hayle and Redruth branches of the Liberal Association had relatively short-lived Young Liberal Associations in the early 1960s.

The collection also reflects the Divisional Association’s interaction and Mann’s own roles within the Devon and Cornwall Regional Liberal Foundation and its sub-committee, the Cornwall Liberal Party. Records for these organisations cover a period from 1960s through to the 1980s.

The collection offers a unique insight into the workings of a national political party at local level within a marginal constituency where Conservative and Labour parties both had strong support.

Collection highlights include:
- 1966 election campaign for Manuela Sykes, including a detailed record of activity and post-election reflections by the agent, Pat Munn.
- Mann’s own campaigns for election to Cornwall County Council, 1979 – 1985.
- Campaign flyers and election ephemera from Liberal and other political parties.
- Administrative records showing the inner workings of party life on the ground.
- Catalogues for suppliers of costumes, games and entertainment for events.
- Sunday Times Magazine, 3 March 1974 featuring a long article about Jeremy Thorpe, with photographs of models by Roger Law.
- Plans for a Women’s Liberal Foundation workshop in 1981 to encourage women to take a more active role in public life.
- Records of visits to the south west by Liberal party leaders Jo Grimond and Jeremy Thorpe.

Collection keywords: elections, politics, Liberal party, women in politics, fundraising

CLD completed by C Green and S Jane 2020 and updated by Lizzie Pridmore, Oct 2024. Collection catalogued by Lizzie Pridmore, Cataloguing Archivist, 2024-2025. Cataloguing funded by an Archives Revealed grant supported by The National Archive, The Wolfson Foundation and the Pilgrim Trust.

In the absence of information as to the original organisation of the collection, a structural arrangement has been used to catalogue the records. However, a number of files contain material relating to more than one function and covering a number of years. The content of individual files has been retained as found and cross-references to related material within the collection provided where possible.

Related collections held on the Penryn Campus include:

- ICS10 - ICS Elections Project which provides further details of many of the election campaigns and candidates which feature within the papers of Mary Mann

- Collections ICS, ICS8 and ICS13 also highlight the wider political landscape with Cornwall in this period.

Open except for those records except for those containing personal information covered by Data Protection legislation. Copyright remains with various rights holders.

Please note there are some closures within this Collection due to Data Protection legislation.

The collection comprises records relating to the activities of the Falmouth & Camborne Liberal Association and its interactions with organisations within the wider Liberal party. The contents reflect the work of the Association in running election campaigns and gathering local support for the Liberal Party. Files often contain a mix of material covering more than one activity and spanning a number of years.

Parliamentary / General election campaigns are recorded in varying levels of detail, with more comprehensive documentation for the campaigns between 1966 and 1983. Election campaign records include the selection of a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate from a list of approved candidates and arrangements for their visits to the Division, canvassing constituency residents, campaign posters and flyers, itineraries for the run up to polling day, and administrative records co-ordinating support from local members. The national Liberal Party Organisation provided a list of suitable candidates, policy documents, campaign guidance, stationery and other publications. The Divisional Association also supported Liberal candidates for European Parliamentary Elections and for local government elections to Borough and District Councils and to Cornwall County Council. The ongoing work of the Association in recruiting members and fundraising is recorded in minutes and financial documents, correspondence, posters and flyers for events and campaigns, and other administrative material needed to support these activities. The majority of this material covers the period of Mann?s involvement with the Association, from the mid 1960s through to the 1980s, although there are occasional records from the 1990s and early 2000s. There are a few records scattered throughout correspondence and campaigning files about to specific issues such as nuclear disarmament, the release of political prisoners, workers co-operatives, electoral reform, second homes, and concessionary fares for senior citizens.

The Association received regular bulletins, campaign and fundraising material, policy documents and other publications from the Liberal Party Organisation (national Liberal Party headquarters). The collection has an incomplete set of these, mainly from the 1960s and 1970s. There are a handful of records relating to Liberal Assemblies in the 1960s and in 1982. There are also a few records relating to the National League of Young Liberals, and both Hayle and Redruth branches of the Liberal Association had relatively short-lived Young Liberal Associations in the early 1960s.

The collection also reflects the Divisional Association?s interaction and Mann?s own roles within the Devon and Cornwall Regional Liberal Foundation and its sub-committee, the Cornwall Liberal Party. Records for these organisations cover a period from 1960s through to the 1980s.

The collection offers a unique insight into the workings of a national political party at local level within a marginal constituency where Conservative and Labour parties both had strong support.

Collection highlights include:- 1966 election campaign for Manuela Sykes, including a detailed record of activity and post-election reflections by the agent, Pat Munn.- Mann?s own campaigns for election to Cornwall County Council, 1979 ? 1985.- Campaign flyers and election ephemera from Liberal and other political parties.- Administrative records showing the inner workings of party life on the ground.- Catalogues for suppliers of costumes, games and entertainment for events.- Sunday Times Magazine, 3 March 1974 featuring a long article about Jeremy Thorpe, with photographs of models by Roger Law.- Plans for a Women?s Liberal Foundation workshop in 1981 to encourage women to take a more active role in public life.- Records of visits to the south west by Liberal party leaders Jo Grimond and Jeremy Thorpe.

Collection keywords: elections, politics, Liberal party, women in politics, fundraising