Letters to Thomas Edmund Harvey from Dr Norman Leys relating to East Africa and the Maasai people
Comprises:
- File 1: Letters numbered 1-52, primarily from Norman Leys to Thomas Edmund Harvey, 17 Oct 1910-29 Nov 1914, concerning the forcible move of the Maasai from their lands in East Africa and challenging colonial policy. Includes (nos. 41-44 and 50) letters from Alexander Morrison, the barrister representing the Maasai, and (nos. 46 and 49) letters from Lewis Harcourt, Secretary of State for the Colonies.
- File 2: Four anonymous letters concerning the Maasai, some sent to the Anti-Slavery Society with two letters to Harvey from Travers Buxton, Secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society, 1911-1912.
- File 3: Typed copies of questions raised by Harvey in the House of Commons on the Maasai and East Africa, with some answers and related press cuttings, 1904-13; with 'Judgement of the High Court in the Case brought by the Masai Tribe against the Attorney-General of the East Africa Protectorate and Others; dated 26th May 1913' (Cd. 6939).
- File 4: Typed transcripts by Lotte Hughes of the letters in files 1 and 2, c.2025.
Dates
- Creation: 1910-1914 and c.2025
Extent
1 box
Language of Materials
- English
Preferred Citation
Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MS. 24280, file 1].
Shelfmark:
MS. 24280
Collection ID (for staff)
CMD ID 24280
Abstract
Letters to Thomas Edmund Harvey from Dr Norman Leys relating to East Africa and the Maasai people, 1910-1914, with typed transcripts by Lotte Hughes, c.2025.
Biographical / Historical
Norman Leys was born in Liverpool in 1875 and studied medicine at the University of Glasgow. In 1901 he went to Chinde in Portuguese East Africa to work as a doctor for the African Lakes Corporation. In 1905 he moved to British East Africa and served as a government medical officer for seven years, based in Mombasa, Nakuru and Fort Hall. He championed the cause of the Maasai people when they went to court in 1913 over being forcibly moved from their territories and following this Leys was sent to Nyasaland.
On returning to Britain Leys became a General Practitioner in Derbyshire but continued to be an active critic of colonial policy on Africa, his book Kenya (1924) going through four editions.
Thomas Edmund (Ted) Harvey (1875-1955) was a politician and social reformer. For further details see the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Bodleian by Lotte Hughes in 2025.
Bibliography
- Title
- Catalogue of Letters to Thomas Edmund Harvey from Dr Norman Leys relating to East Africa and the Maasai People
- Status
- Published
- Author
- Lucy McCann
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Edition statement
- First edition.
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk