LLOYD, Albert Lancaster (1908-1982)

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 2603 Lloyd
Held at	: Goldsmiths College, University of London   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://www.gold.ac.uk/library/ ›
Full title	: LLOYD, Albert Lancaster (1908-1982)
Date(s)	: 1953-[1982]
Level of description	: Collection (fonds)
Extent	: 22 boxes and 7 shelves
Name of creator(s)	: Lloyd | Albert Lancaster | 1908-1982 | folklorist

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

Born in London in 1908, Albert Lancaster (Bert) Lloyd was orphaned at an early age and spent his early years working on sheep stations in Australia and subsequently on Antartic whaling ships. Both these occupations were probably the catalyst for his interest in folk-song. Though Lloyd had no formal training as an ethnomusicologist, he built up a formidable personal knowledge of the world of folk-song in the British Isles and in eastern Europe. He combined a working career in journalism and broadcast with life as a folk performer, and also taught at Goldsmiths' College from 1971. Lloyd published The singing Englishman (Workers' Music Association) in 1944, and this work became the best introduction to folk-song before the later Folk song in England, written in 1967. The latter established him as the leading authority on his subject. Another strand of his work, that of work songs, is reflected in the collection of miners songs Come all ye bold miners published in 1952 and enlarged in 1978. Lloyd was also a founder member of Topic Records, and besides writing many sleeve notes also performed on many of the recordings. Bert Lloyd died in 1982.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers of Albert Lancaster Lloyd, 1953-[1982], comprising materials relating to traditional folk music from around the world, especially Eastern Europe, notably newspaper cuttings, photographs, typescript notes, drafts of articles, diaries, notebooks, broadcast scripts and texts of lectures on subjects including:
English folk music, including erotic songs, ballads, carols, London songs, Morris dancers, North-East songs and poetry.
Romanian folk music, [1955-1973], including notes on subjects including costume, customs, instruments, proverbs, social life and topography, as well as a large number of photographs depicting native song and dance.
Hungarian folk music, [1946-1970s], including notes on subjects such as art, custom, dance, history and instruments.
Bulgarian folk music, [1954-1960s], including papers, correspondence and photographs on costume, dance, recorded music, and topography.
American folk music, [1949-1967], including materials on cowboys, blues and jazz, spirituals, work songs and vagrants.
Industrial song, [1950s-1970s], including miners, textile workers, political songs, and American work songs.
The collection also includes material on Chinese and Australian traditional music.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English, Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian

System of arrangement:

Bert Lloyd's system of filing material on a geographical basis has been followed. Roughly half the collection has been reboxed and renumbered.

Conditions governing access:

By appointment. Contact the Deputy Librarian for details.

Conditions governing reproduction:

At the discretion of the Deputy Librarian.

Finding aids:

A detailed finding aid exists for the part of the collection which has been reboxed. The remainder has a provisional list.

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Acquired from the family in 1982.

Allied Materials

Related material:

Goldsmiths' College Library holds the printed materials from the Lloyd Collection.

The sound recordings taken from the Lloyd Collection are now housed in the National Sound Archive, London.

National Register of Archives: Click here to view NRA record

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project.

Rules or conventions:
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
Feb 2002