Papers of Sir Roy Shaw

Description

This collection contains Sir Roy Shaw's lecture and course notes, as well as copies of some of his publications and printed versions of his lectures. Many of the papers are on the theme of adult education. The collection also contains material relating to education and the arts, a theme Shaw was particularly interested during his time as Director-General of The Arts Council.


Shaw arranged his notes thematically and this arrangement has been preserved in the collection.

Biography or history

Sir Roy Adolphus Warmington Shaw was born in Sheffield on the 8 July 1918. His childhood was one of modest means after losing his father at the age of four. He was brought up by his mother and partly by his grandparents who lived in a mining village near Mansfield. He was awarded a scholarship to Firth Park Grammer School in Sheffield and later attended the University of Manchester to study German and Philosophy. His entrance to University was delayed until he was 24 due to him developing severe Crohn’s disease; a condition he suffered with for the rest of his life.


After graduating Shaw became a Tutor-Organiser for the Workers’ Educational Association in the East Riding. In 1947 he became a Lecturer (later Senior Lecturer) in the Department of Extra Mural Studies at the University of Leeds. He later became Warden and Director of Adult Education at the University of Leeds Adult Education Centre in Bradford. He stayed in this position until 1962 before moving on to work as Professor and Director of Adult Education at the University of Keele. He had a keen interest and passion for adult education throughout his career. He was particularly interested in the ways in which adult education teaching could be embedded outside of the typical full-time, classroom education setting.


He became Director-General of the Arts Council in 1975. His background in adult education meant that throughout his tenure he stressed the importance of using education to open up the arts to a wider audience. He was knighted in 1979 a month into Margaret Thatcher’s premiership. He spent the next few years making the case for state funding for the arts as opposed to business sponsorship. He retired in 1983 and was later the drama critic of the Catholic Weekly (1990-2000). He also wrote ‘The and Arts and The People’ (1987) about the Arts Council. He died the 15 May 2012.

Provenance

Donated by Martin Shaw.

Access and usage

Reproduction

Access

This material is not listed in detail and has not yet been assessed for access. Access will be subject to review by Special Collections staff. Access to parts of it may be protected under Data Protection and/or other relevant legislation.

Material in this collection is in copyright. Photocopies or digital images can only be supplied by the Library for research or private study within the terms of copyright legislation. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain the copyright holder's permission to reproduce for any other purpose. Guidance is available on tracing copyright status and ownership.