Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1958-1969 / (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
0.036 cubic metres (4 boxes) (1974); 1 box (August 2014).
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Welsh Sunday Closing Act 1881 required all public houses in Wales to close on Sunday; in 1921, it was extended to cover Monmouthshire. It was supported by nonconformists but the merits of its operation were widely debated. The Licensing Act 1961 gave Welsh districts the right to vote on whether they desired the Sunday opening of public houses, with subsequent polls to be taken in 'dry' areas every seven years. The North Wales Temperance Union was formed to uphold the closure of licensed premises on Sundays. The success of the campaigns was limited; eight of the fifteen counties and county boroughs remained 'dry' in 1961, with only five remaining 'dry' in 1968. The Rev. Alwyn Thomas, as well as being Secretary of the North Wales Temperance Union, served as the Honorary Secretary for the northern division of the Temperance Council of the Christian Churches of Wales.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Deposited by the North Wales Temperance Union, per the Rev. Alwyn Thomas, General Secretary, Colwyn Bay, 1974, and an additional group donated by Mrs Carys Pritchard (Rev. Alwyn Jones's daughter), Isle of Anglesey, August 2014..
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers relating to the 1961 and 1968 Sunday opening referenda, including correspondence, 1958-1969, between Alwyn Thomas and politicians and various temperance-related organizations; copies of Alliance News, pamphlets and other printed matter, 1960-1968; posters, 1961-[1968]; press cuttings, 1961-[1968]; financial records, 1969; and other miscellaneous papers, 1961. A further donation was received August 2014. These papers remail uncatalogued.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Action: All records deposited at the National Library of Wales have been retained..
Accruals
Accruals are not expected.
System of arrangement
Arranged into the following: correspondence; miscellaneous papers; printed material; miscellaneous pamphlets; posters; press cuttings (1961 campaign); correspondence; financial records; and printed material (1968 campaign).
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
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.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Title supplied from contents of fonds
Alternative identifier(s)
Virtua system control number
Project identifier
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
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
March 2003
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Compiled by Rhys Jones for the ANW project. The following source was used to compile this description: National Library of Wales, Catalogue of The North Wales Temperance Union Papers; Morgan, Kenneth O., Rebirth of a Nation: Wales 1880-1980 (Oxford and Cardiff, 1981).