Royal Manchester Institution
1821-1973
Archives
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GENERAL RECORDS
MINUTES : Council Minutes, 1823 - 1925, 1942 - 1960; General Meetings of Governors, 1835 - 1907; Rough Minutes, 1843 - 1889; Land and Building Committee, 1825 - 1850; Exhibition Committee, 1832 - 1849; R.M.I. Association for the Patronage of Fine Arts (from 1847 the Manchester Art Union),1840 - 1850; Lecture Committee, 1832 - 1843; Sub Committees, 1855 - 1885; Curators' Minutes, 1840 - 1846; Library, Laboratory and Transfer Committee, 1841 - 1847; Transfer [of Shares] Committee, 1848-1849; Sectional Extension Committee, 1853-1854; Special Sub Committee, 1865; Reconstruction Committee, 1943 - 1945
Annual Reports, 1945 - 1949, 1953 - 1958; Rules, 1839 - 1902; Trust Deeds, 1841 - 1851
MEMBERSHIP : Lists of Governors, 1825 - 1947; Share Registers, 1823 - 1909; Subscribers Introduced, 1835 - 1855; Subscriptions of Hereditary Governors, 1829 - 1877; Subscriptions Owing, 1831, 1949; Payment of Annual Guinea; Assent, 1826-1855; Hereditary Governors Paying, 1848-1880; Dissent, 1827; Question of Payment of Annual Subsciption by Governors after the Manchester Corporation Act, 1882, 1883-1885.; Lists of Shareholders, 1855-1879; Transfers of Hereditary Governorships; Register of Claims and Transfers, 1855-1900; Index of Governors and Transfers, 1881-1886; Receipts for payments on Transfer, 1879-1899; Governors Entitled to Tickets, 1833, 1873; Governors Applying for Tickets, 1886-1903; Governors' Addresses, n.d.
M6/1/37. Council Attendance Book, 1879 - 1900; Visitors' Books, 1849-1859, 1874-1880; Strangers' Visitors Books, 1829-1845, 1865-1881.
FINANCE : Account Books, 1823-1913; Ledgers, 1823-1832, 1866-1884; Payments, 1823-1833; Bank Pass Books, 1823 - 1837; Volumes of Invoices, 1823-1875, 1882-1884; Cheque Counterfoils, 1834-1862, 1879-1912.
CORRESPONDENCE : Circulars, 1900 - 1924; Out-Letter Books, 1824-1883; Letters Received; General Correspondence, 1821-1836; General Correspondence, 1832-1839; Correspondence from Lecturers and about the Building, 1831-1837; Correspondence about Annual Exhibitions of works of Modern Artists; Exhibition Correspondence, 1832-1833; Exhibition Correspondence, 1833-1834; Exhibition Correspondence, 1834 - 1835; Exhibition Correspondence, 1835 - 1839; Correspondence, about Exhibitions of Foreign Artists, 1860 - 1861;
EXHIBITIONS : Exhibition Accounts, 1879-1883; Daily Income from Admissions and Sale of Catalogues, 1838-1883; Bills for Cost of Transport, 1882; Artists Asked to Contribute to Exhibitions, 1837-1853, 1868-1877; Miscellaneous Letters from Exhibitors, 1882 n.d.; Registers of Packages, 1861, 1865; Registers of Pictures Sold, 1827-1847, 1881-1882; Register of Fixtures Sold, 1870-1883; Exhibition Catalogues, 1844-1872; Registers of Tickets, 1879, 1882; Newspaper Cuttings of Reviews, 1851-1853
LECTURES SYLLABUSES AND GENERAL CIRCULARS : Lectures Syllabuses and General Circulars, 1823-1851; Lectures Syllabuses and General Circulars, 1850-1859; Lectures Syllabuses and General Circulars 1882; Miscellaneous Papers about the R. M. I.; The Building, 1829, 1846; Employees, 1842; Donations, 1828; Inventories, 1832, 1842; The Heywood Medal, 1824; Correspondence; Printed Pamphlets and Histories of R.M.I. 1823-1948
OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS : Leaflet, 1856; Photographs of Works of Art, 1904; Engravings of London Theatres, 1810-1816; Additional Papers Deposited 1974 following the winding up of the R.M.I., 1973.;
ART TREASURES EXHIBITION, MANCHESTER 1857; . Finance; Accounts, 1856-1858; Correspondence;Address Book, n.d.;Draft Circulars, 1856-1857; Out-Letter Books; General (Chairman and Secretaries), 1856-1862; General Commissioner, 1856-1857; Art Secretary, 1856-1857;Superintendant of General Museum of Art, 1856-1857; Register of Letters Despatched, 1856-1857; ;
Letters from Officials to Officials :
J. C. Deane, General Commissioner, 1856-1857; J. B. Waring, Superintendant of General Museum of Art, 1856-1857; Letters Received : General Letter Books, 1856-1857; Letters from Owners, 1856-1857; Letters from Persons Named M..., 1857-1858
Register of Letters Received 1856-1857; Sale of Soulages Collection, 1858-1865; Relationship with Owners of Works of Art; Registry of Art Secretary's Lists, 1856; Registry of Owners and Applications for Loans, 1856; Lists Sent to Owners, 1856-1857; Appointments with Owners, 1856-1857
Results of Approaches to Owners, 1856-1857; Registers of Owners, 1857; 'Sundry Catalogues of Paintings, Etc.', 1857; Draft Report on the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, n.d.; Works of Art Owners are Willing to Lend, 1856-1857; Lists of Water Colours and Engravings 1857; Notebooks of Exhibits, n.d.; Artists and Sculptors Exhibited, n.d.; Alphabetical List of Owners, n.d.; Certificates Thanking Owners for Lending Exhibits, n.d.
Packing; Issue of Packing Circulars, 1857; Registers of Packages Arriving, 1857; Register of Return of Works of Art to Owners, 1857; Day Book of Return, 1857; Receipts for Return of Exhibits, 1857; Insurance: Insurance Copying Book, 1857; Works of Art Insured with Lloyds, 1857; Works of Art Insured with Other Companies, 1857; Reports on Condition of Exhibits, 1857; Exhibition Arrangements; The Exhibition Building, 1857
Layout of the Exhibits, n.d.; Photographing the Exhibits, n.d.; Railway Access, 1856; Police Arrangements, 1857; Visitors'Book, 1857; Registers of Season Tickets, n.d.; Graph of Visitors, 1857; Miscellaneous, 1856-1857
M6/3/1-24 EXHIBITION OF THE WORKS OF INDUSTRY OF ALL NATIONS, LONDON, 1851
Committee : Committee Members, 1850-1851; Committee Papers, 1850-1851; Finance : Subscription Books, 1850; Subscription Lists, 1850-1851
Cash Books, 1850-1851; Bills, 1849-1851; Correspondence : Out-Letter Book, 1850-1852; Letters Received : General Correspondence, 1849-1852;
Correspondence about Subscriptions, 1849-1851; Correspondence about Arrangements for the Working Classes to Visit the Exhibition, 1850-1851
Correspondence with Exhibitors, 1850-1851; Correspondence about Medals, 1850-1852; Register of Letters Received, 1849-1852; Exhibition Arrangements : Applications for space, 1850; Register of Applications for Space, 1850; Allottment of Space for Manchester, 1850-1851; Plans, 1851
Report on Police Arrangements, c 1853; Ticket Applications, 1851; Miscellaneous, 1850, 1876
Related Material:Photocopies of copies of the deeds of settlement of the real and personal property of the R.M.I., 26 Dec. 1832. (Ref GB127.MISC/335/1,2)
Papers of Dr. Edmund Lyon of Manchester, 1824-1857 (Ref GB127.M134/4/1-3)
Regulations, 1847 (Ref GB127.M116/4/5/1)
Copy Order of Quarter Sessions in Regina v Inhabitants of Manchester about whether the R.M.I. was exempt from poor rates, 1849. Ref GB127.M116/2/9/7,8)
References to Exhibition in diary of Clara Alcock of Ashton upon Mersey, Sept. 1874. (Ref GB127.C21/2/1)
Papers of Thomas Worthington of Manchester, F.R.I.B.A., 1879-1887. (Ref GB127.M183/)
Title:
Royal Manchester Institution
Date of work:
1821-1973
Reference number:
GB127.M6
Level of description:
Fonds
Includes:
Custodial history:
The Manchester Institution for the 'Promotion of Literature, Science and Arts' resulted from a visit to the Exhibition of Paintings and Works of Art of the Northern Establishment of Artists at Leeds by three Manchester artists - William Brigham, Frank Stone and David Parry in Summer 1823. They thought it would be a good idea to have a similar annual Exhibition in Manchester. In September local artists, gentlemen and businessmen decided to found an 'Institution for the Promotion of the Fine Arts in Manchester'. In March 1824 the King agreed to give it his royal patronage and it became the Royal Manchester Institution.
Various sites for a building were considered, but Mosley Street was decided upon. Plans were invited from architects and Charles Barry's were chosen. James Trubshaw of Haywood, Staffs, and Thomas Johnson of Lichfield were the contractors and George Shorland of Manchester, Clerk of the Works. Building began in 1827 and continued until 1835.
The foundation of the Institution and its construction are well illustrated by the records. Architects applying to plan the Institution included John Clark of Edinburgh, John B. Papworth of London, Francis Goodwin of London, John Foster, jun. of Liverpool, Lewis Wyatt of London and the successful candidate Charles Barry. There are few illustrations of the institution - two sketches of parts of the building by Barry 1830 and 1835 and an undated unsigned ink sketch of the R.M.I. Letters from Thomas Johnson include references to other buildings designed and built by him - Norcliffe Hall, Styal, for Robert Hyde Greg and The Park, Whitefield, for Robert Philips
Correspondence and estimates about the building include letters from W. Pilkington of St. Helen's Crown Glass Works about the best type of glass to use, 1832 (M6/1/49/1 pages 189, 198, M6/1/50 page 173).
The first annual Exhibition was held in 1827 and there are records for most of the Exhibitions until 1883, Particularly interesting are the letters from British artists, 1832 - 1839, and from foreign artists,1860 - 1861, while a full set of records survives for the 1857 Art Treasures Exhibition.
Lectures on artistic, scientific, literary and general subjects were held from 1827. Besides letters to and from potential lecturers, 1825 - 1883, there are detailed syllabuses, 1836 - 1859.
There are references to various societies which used the rooms of the Institution such as the Choral Society, Geological Society, Madrigal Society and Pathological Society, and the early years of the School of Design are also illustrated.
In 1880 because of dwindling funds it was proposed to transfer the building and contents to Manchester Corporation. In May 1882 agreement was reached and the proposals were embodied in the Manchester Corporation Act, 1882. The Corporation took possession in January 1883. The new Art Gallery Committee was to consist of fourteen councillors and seven members of the Institution.
In 1971 a new Manchester Corporation Act amalgamated the Art Gallery Committee with the Libraries Committee to form the new Cultural Services Committee. The right to nominate seven members of the Committee was transferred from the R.M.I. to the University and the rights of the R.M.I. in the Art Gallery ceased.
The Royal Manchester Institution itself was dissolved in December 1973.
The Heywood Prize Fund which had been founded by a gift from Benjamin Arthur Heywood in 1824 as an annual prize'for the most meritous production of Science or Art' and had remained the province of the Institution after 1883, was transferred to the University on the dissolution of the R.M.I.
Source:
The records were transferred to the Library in 1944 (see 'The Records of the Royal Manchester Institution' by E. A. Entwisle, Hon. Sec. in The Manchester Review, summer 1946.) They fall into three main sections :- M6/1 the general records of the R.M.I. M6/2 the records of the 1857 Art Treasures Exhibition, and M6/3 the records of the Manchester Section of the 1851 Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. These records are strictly not part of the archives of the R.M.I., but possibly became stored with them because Thomas Worthington, architect (1826 - 1909), the Acting Secretary, was a leading Member of the Institution.
Access restrictions:
Unrestricted
Use restrictions:
Unrestricted
General notes:
Arrangement:Arranged in three main series. The first series deals woth the institution. The other two with exhibitions. Each series is arranged by function
Record types:
Manchester Archives and Local Studies
Language:
English
Record number:
7186869
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