Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1949-1997 / (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
3.553 cubic metres (129 boxes); 9 boxes (May 2011)
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Emlyn Hooson (Hugh Emlyn Hooson), later Lord Hooson, was born in 1925, the son of Hugh and Elsie Hooson, in Colomendy, Denbighshire. He was educated at Denbigh Grammar School, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and Grays Inn, London. He was called to the Bar in 1949. He married Shirley Margaret Wynne, daughter of Sir George Hamer, CBE, in 1950. They had two daughters. He was the Liberal MP for Montgomeryshire, 1962-1979. In the early 1960s, Emlyn Hooson and other Welsh Liberals, including Lord Ogmore, Martin Thomas QC, G. W. Madoc Jones and Geraint Howells, began pursuing Welsh devolution within the Liberal Party. An independent Welsh Liberal Party with federated links to the Party organisation based in London was established in September 1966. Welsh Liberals championed devolution at Westminster. He unsuccessfully introduced the Government of Wales Bill on St David's Day 1967, which proposed a Welsh Parliament. Between 1974 and 1979 he campaigned with other Liberals for a Welsh Assembly. In the 1979 general election he lost his Montgomeryshire seat. Soon afterwards he was elevated to the House of Lords as life peer Baron Hooson of Montgomery. In 1960, he was made QC, and was a Recorder of the Crown Court, 1972-1993. Lord Hooson is a prominent businessman and has been Director, 1985-1996, and Chairman, 1996-1996, of Laura Ashley plc, and Severn River Crossing plc, 1991-2000. He succeeded the late Lord Edmund-Davies as President of the Cambrian Law Review and has been the Hon. Professional Fellow of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, since 1971. He was also the Vice-Chairman of the Political Committee of the North Atlantic Assembly, 1975-1979. He also founded Chambers in 1950, and in the 1970s it moved to Sedan House; it is a general common law set of Barristers' Chambers.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Donated by Lord Hooson between 1979 and 1997. A further collection was received from Lady Hooson, May 2011.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Correspondence and papers relating mainly to Lord Hooson's political career, including papers regarding parliamentary questions, 1967-1978; the Welsh Liberal Party, 1963-1979; Montgomery County Liberal Association 1965-1979; Welsh Affairs, 1961-1978; University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1961-1968; Dyfed-Powys Constabulary, 1970-1976; foot and mouth disease in Wales, 1967-1968; transport problems in Mid-Wales, 1962-1974; National Theatre for Wales, 1968-1969; Rural Development Board for Wales, 1967-1970; Mid-Wales Hospital Service, 1972-1973; Farmers Union of Wales, 1966-1973; Aberfan Disaster, 1966-1967; television and radio reception in Wales, 1969-1976; Wales Tourist Board, 1968-1976; Plaid Cymru, Welsh nationalism, Welsh language, Devolution, Federalism, Welsh economy, unemployment, Rhondda West by-election, etc., 1960s-1970s; the Liberal Party correspondence, 1960s-1970s, Liberal Party organisation and policies, 1967-1971; Liberals and the Industrial Relations Bill, 1971-1973; Lib-Lab pact, 1977-1978; Liberal Foreign Affairs Panel, 1966-1967; NATO and the North Atlantic Assembly, 1966-1978; correspondence files of the Welsh Liberal Party, 1966-79; engagement diaries, 1966-1978; typescript speeches and notes for speeches, 1960s-1970s; parliamentary accounts, 1970-1972; miscellaneous speeches, press statements, newspaper cuttings, etc., 1960s-1970s; political papers [c. 1950]-1973, produced by various parties; Local Government Reform in Wales, 1993-1994; the Liberal Party's Pantyfedwen Conferences, 1956-1963; the London Welsh School, 1983-1993, the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, 1986-1997; the provision of speech therapy and physiotherapy in Clwyd, 1984-1990; constituency correspondence and papers, [1960]-1979; personal correspondence, 1965-1979; and correspondence, press releases and newspaper cuttings relating to Jeremy Thorpe, former leader of the Liberal Party, 1967-1979; together with papers relating to his business interests including, Laura Ashley Holdings Plc., 1984-1997; Severn River Crossing Plc, 1990-1997; and his legal career, 1949-1962. A further collection of Lord Hooson's papers were received in May 2011 - this group remains uncatalogued.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Action: All records donated to the National Library of Wales have been retained..
Accruals
Accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Arranged into the following: constituency correspondence; general correspondence; and correspondence and papers on specific subjects.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Boxes 1-25, which include large numbers of letters from constituents, are closed for 50 years from the closing date of each individual file: exemption s40, Freedom of Information Act 2000. Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.
Conditions governing reproduction
Usual copyright regulations apply
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
English, Welsh.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
A hard copy of the catalogue is available at the National Library of Wales. The catalogue can be accessed online.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Virtua system control number
Project identifier
Access points
Subject access points
- Speech therapy -- Wales -- Clwyd.
- Broadcasting -- Wales.
- Disasters -- Wales -- Aberfan
- Economics -- Wales.
- Art festivals -- Wales
- Foot-and-mouth disease -- Wales.
- Hospitals -- Mid-Wales.
- Local government -- Wales.
- Nationalism -- Wales.
- Politicians -- Wales -- Archives.
- Political conferences -- Wales.
- Rural development -- Wales.
- Physical therapy -- Wales -- Clwyd.
- Transportation -- Wales.
- Unemployment -- Wales.
- Police, Rural -- Wales.
- Elections -- Wales -- Rhondda.
- Agriculture -- Wales
Place access points
Name access points
- Welsh Liberal Party. (Subject)
- Dyfed-Powys Police Authority (Subject)
- Farmers' Union of Wales. (Subject)
- Laura Ashley (Firm) (Subject)
- Liberal Party (Great Britain). Pantyfedwen Conference. (Subject)
- London Welsh School. (Subject)
- Montgomery County Liberal Association. (Subject)
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (Subject)
- University College of Wales (Aberystwyth, Wales) (Subject)
- Wales Tourist Board. (Subject)
- Severn River Crossing Plc. (Subject)
- Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. (Subject)
- Hooson, Emlyn, 1925-2012 -- Archives (Subject)
- Thorpe, Jeremy, 1929- (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Description follows ANW guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd ed.;AACR2; and LCSH
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
February 2003
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Compiled by Seri Crawley for the ANW Project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: NLW, Schedule of Papurau/Papers of Lord Hooson; Who's Who 2002 (London, 2002); Duncan Brack (ed.), Dictionary of Liberal Biography (London, 1998).