Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann National Library of Ireland Collection List No. A22 W.A. Henderson Papers (Mss 33,448 – 33,460) (Accession 4712) The papers of William Alexander Henderson. The collection consists of correspondence, theatre ephemera, pictures, printed material, news cuttings, illustrations and some photographs. Material relates to Henderson’s involvement with the National Theatre, National Literary Society, traveling and his interest in Irish History. Table of Contents Introduction........................................................................................................................................3 I Collection of letters, cards and papers relating to Theatre and John Millington Synge ..........4 II Collection of letters, cards and papers relating to the Theatre and William Butler Yeats.....4 III Miscellaneous letters, cards and papers.....................................................................................5 IV Scrapbooks, illustrations and printed material collected and compiled by Henderson ......11 2 Introduction Mr William Alexander Henderson of ‘Belcare’, 23 Leinster Road West, Dublin filled the post of secretary and manager of the Abbey Theatre Dublin (1906-1911) during the most critical period in its history. He served for 22 years as the Honorary Secretary of the National Literary Society. He delivered important lectures to the society on the topic of literature in Ireland which were published in the New Ireland Review, Charles Robert Maturin, The Life and Times of Charles Lever and St Patrick’s Purgatory. In the 20 years before 1915 he had written over 300 articles, reviews and travel sketches for various newspapers and periodicals. Between 1892-1902 he contributed close to 150 notes and articles to Queries and the Athenexeum. As a journalist and author he traveled to many countries and cities of the world, London Paris, Petrograd, the Hauge, Venice , Perugia, Rome, Naples and Athens. In a scrapbook (MS 33,460) he has left a pictorial record of two cruises which he made on board Dr Lunns pleasure steam yacht ‘The Argonaut’. One in July 1902 to the Norwegian Fiords and the other to the Northern Capitals of Europe in 1903. The Argonaut left Hull on 22 August 1903 visiting St Petersburg of which he wrote in an article published in the Saturday Herald (December 1904). They went to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. The Argonauts cruises were well known in Dublin and were organised by Sir Henry Lunns (Lunns Tours). On the history of Dublin W.A. Henderson was an expert. He contributed articles which were printed in the Evening herald such as Dublin of Old and Walk Around Dublin. He spent many years in the study of the Tristan and Isolde romances on which he intended to publish a book which due to his death on 12 December 1927 never came to pass. W.A. Henderson is buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery in the grave of his brother in laws parents (Mr and Mrs Stobie). The Papers A number of papers were presented to the National Library by Henderson prior to his death in 1927. A further collection of letters and scrapbooks were presented to the library by his niece Anne Harrington (nee Stobie). The papers of William Alexander Henderson mainly consist of correspondence. The letters relate to the theatre and literary matters. There is also some correspondence from personal friends and acquaintances. The correspondence has been listed together. Other items in the collection include printed material, news cuttings, pamphlets, pictures, postcards, photographs, research notes and other memoranda. There is a scrapbook (MS 33,460) kept by Henderson that records his travels to Norway and the Northern Citadels of Europe on the Argonaut in July 1902 and August 1903. The scrapbook contains photographs, newspaper articles, postcards and leaflets and written captions. It is an extremely interesting insight into what it was like traveling by sea in the early part of the twentieth century. 3 I Collection of letters, cards and papers relating to Theatre and John Millington Synge MS 33,448/ 1 11 February 1908 Postcard from Synge to Henderson MS 33,448/ 2 Letter from Synge (Silchester House, Kingstown, Dublin) to Henderson. MS 33,448/ 3 Letter from Synge (Glendalough House, Co Wicklow) to Henderson MS 33,448/ 4 28 August Letter from Synge (Glendalough House, Co Wicklow) to Henderson. No year given. MS 33,448/ 5 2 February Letter from Synge (Glendalough House, Co Wicklow) to Henderson No year given. MS 33,448/ 6 1909 Photograph of John Millington Synge with note ‘Author of the Playboy died 27 March 1909’ on reverse. 1 item II Collection of letters, cards and papers relating to the Theatre and William Butler Yeats MS 33,449/ 1 3 September 1907 Letter from Yeats (18 Woburn Buildings, London) to Henderson regarding Henderson’s book MS 33,449/ 2 10 July Letter from Yeats (Coole Park, Sligo) to Henderson MS 33,449/ 3 16 July Letter from Yeats (Burren, Co Clare) to Henderson MS 33,449/ 4 29 July Letter from Yeats (Coole Park, Sligo) to Henderson MS 33,449/ 5 8 August Letter from Yeats (Coole Park, Sligo) to Henderson MS 33,449/ 6 17 August Letter from Yeats (Coole Park, Sligo) to Henderson MS 33,449/ 7 18 August Letter from Yeats (Coole Park, Sligo) to Henderson MS 33,449/ 8 Letter from Yeats (Coole Park, Sligo) to Henderson. Day noted as Friday. MS 33,449/ 9 Letter from Yeats (Coole Park, Sligo) to Henderson. Letter marked private and refers to photograph of Sara Allgood. Day noted as 4 Tuesday. MS 33,449/ 10 9 November Letter from Yeats (Stone Cottage, Sussex, England) to Henderson. MS 33,449/ 11 1906 Picture of W.B Yeats in Edinburgh, 1906. MS 33,449/ 12 Part of envelope with note that it came from W.B Yeats MS 33,450 1 November 1910 Copy of an agreement to establish a National Theatre Society. Agreement sent to Miss Maire Nic Shiublaigh. Signed by William Butler Yeats and Lennox Robinson and witnessed by W.A Henderson. 1 item MS 33,451/ 1 Document written by W.A Henderson containing an account of all the meetings he has had with William Butler Yeats and George Bernard Shaw. 3 pp MS 33,451/ 2 1906 Account book kept by W.A Henderson for The Abbey Theatre while he was manager. 1 item MS 33,451/ 3 14 February 1914 Postcard from Douglas Hyde to Henderson MS 33,451/ 4 Letter from actor Jim Kerrigan (The Crawford, Crawfordsville Industries) to Henderson. 2 pp MS 33,451/ 5 Signed photograph of actor Jim Kerrigan. 1 item III Miscellaneous letters, cards and papers MS 33,452/ 1 27 December 1911 Postcard sent by Arthur Sinclair (New York) to Henderson. Postcard with image of the Maxine Elliot Theatre, New York. 1 item MS 33,452/ 2 21 December 1912 Letter written R.M.S Majestic ships stationery (White Star Line) from Sinclair to Henderson 1 item MS 33,452/ 3 13 April 1914 Postcard sent from Sinclair (Fine Arts Theatre, Chicago) to Henderson 5 1 item MS 33,452/ 4 30 October 1915 Letter sent from Sinclair (35 Dargle Road, Drumcondra, Dublin) to Henderson. The letter refers to personal matters. 1 item MS 33,453/ 1 4 October 1915 Letter from Goddard H Orpen (Monksgrange, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford) to Henderson. 1 item MS 33,453/ 2 Postcard from Orpen to Henderson. 1 item MS 33,453/ 3 21 November 1915 Letter from Orpen (St Leonard’s House, Killiney, Co Dublin) to Henderson. 1 item MS 33,453/ 4 31 May 1913 Postcard from Orpen (Monksgrange, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford) to Henderson. 1 item MS 33,454/ 1 26 August Letter from Lennox Robinson (Ballymoney, Ballineen) to Henderson. 1 item MS 33,454/ 2 24 February 1909 Letter from Lennox Robinson to Henderson 1 item MS 33,455/ 1 December 1915 Postcard with pen and ink drawing by Joseph Holloway 1 item MS 33,455/ 2 December 1917 Postcard with pen and ink drawing by Joseph Holloway 1 item MS 33,455/ 3 December 1918 Postcard with pen and ink drawing by Joseph Holloway (21 Northumberland Road, Dublin) 1 item MS 33,456/ 1 Postcard showing scene from Easter 1916 Rising. Sent by George Noble Count Plunkett. 1 item MS 33,456/ 2 28 February 1914 Letter sent by George Noble Count Plunkett (26 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin) 1 item 6 MS 33,456/ 3 26 September 1917 Letter sent by George Noble Count Plunkett (26 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin) 1 item MS 33,457/ 1 4 February 1915 Letter sent by The Plunkett House 1 item MS 33,458/ 1 20 October 1922 Letter from J.F Larchot, musician, teacher and conductor (8 St Mary’s Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin) to Henderson 1 item MS 33,458/ 2 2 July 1918 Letter from T. W. Lyster (National Library of Ireland) to Henderson 1 item MS 33,458/ 3 19 May 1911 Letter from P.F. Callender (Avondene, Statford-on-Avon, England) to Henderson 1 item MS 33,458/ 4 26 January 1916 Letter from G. Coselett-Heller (4 Sidney Terrace, Upper Lesson Street, Dublin) to Henderson 1 item MS 33,458/ 5 10 July 1920 Letter from John Booth (63 Mid Abbey Street, Dublin), not on back of letter 1 item MS 33,458/ 6 Small envelope with manuscript poem in Irish written on back by Dora Sigerson-Shorters ‘Cnoc Mo Rujn’. 1 item MS 33,458/ 7 16 June 1915 Letter from Professor Lewis C. Purser (35 Trinity College, Dublin). 1 item MS 33,458/ 8 3 October 1917 Letter from S.H. Purser (Mespil House, Dublin) 1 item MS 33,458/ 9 26 February 1910 Postcard from T.P. Shakespeare (Orelia Terrace) 1 item MS 33,458/ 10 Photograph of Edgar Bruce with caption ‘Why certainly the Colonel’ 1 item 7 MS 33,458/ 11 21 March 1919 Letter from Inchicore House, Inchicore relating to the history of the house in the area 1 item MS 33,458/ 12 Letter from Federic R Higgins (Lower Northbrook Avenue, North Strand) 1 item MS 33,458/ 13 [1914] Verses of poetry written by Sealy Jeffares (67 Ashfield Road, Ranelagh, Dublin) on piece of card.