Item 1982/2 - Six letters from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, one with an attachment, plus a separate note, and one letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt

9 items, paper

Six letters from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, one with an attachment, plus two notes, and one letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt:
(a) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, typescript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 4 March 1982, enclosing a copy of a letter from Michael Dolley in answer to CEB's suggestion that he and IS use the New History of Ireland (NHI) dating for Regnald, 918-921, and raising a further point. CEB described MD's reply as "typically torturous on the first point" and completely ignoring the second, and he quotes an excerpt from MD's letter as an example. He proposes simply to use the NHI dates for Regnald and to add a brief qualifying footnote. After a few further lines on the subject of MD, CEB mentions a forthcoming visit from Michael Metcalf during which they will discuss the recasting of the Regnald paper and explain the problems that lie in consolidating all of Regnald's coins into one list. There follows discussion of Stewart Lyon's "helpful comments", noting the practical difficulties entailed in meeting one of them. There appears to be one attachment (see item (b) below), though it is not specifically referenced in the letter,
(b) attachment to item (a) above, typescript (copy), single page, unattributed and undated but with the heading "Suggested letter to MM" and the manuscript annotation "Ian" immediately above, asking him to return with comments. In the suggested letter, CEB explains that presentation of the Regnald material is problematic and asks for "comments from a new eye". He says that they wish to take into account the comments of Dolley and Smyth and wonder whether MM would be willing to ask them if copies of their comments to him may be passed to them. Alternatively, he asks whether MM would prefer CEB and IS to ask them directly. He states that their interest is merely to make their paper "as factually correct as possible".
(c) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 11 March 1982, reporting that he expects no further trouble with Michael Metcalf after lunching with him at Ramsbury on the previous day, but adding that he did press for a revision of the listing along the lines that he proposed in his original letter. He says that he is revising the paper and will send it to IS for comment when he has finished. There is further discussion of Michael Dolley. CEB hopes that IS will be able to attend the Sylloge committee meeting on the 17th and foreshadows some of the topics for discussion. He also says that he learned from DMM [i.e. Michael Metcalf] about Peter Sawyer taking early retirement and planning to live in Sweden.
(d) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 13 March 1982, informing IS that "from obscure remarks made by Michael Dolley it appears that he is out to make mischief at the SCBI meeting on Wednesday over his not having been 'consulted' before we submitted our paper to NC". He mentions several points on which MD disagrees with or doubts or questions or refuses to accept assertions that IS and CEB are making in their paper and the references they are using to support them. CEB proposes to "ignore all this and leave it to him to print if he wants to (and if DMM accepts)".
(e) notes entitled "Regnald paper, note for Ian (14 March 1982), manuscript, single page of lined paper, unattributed but clearly in CEB's hand, raising a few further points on their joint paper and noting that it is otherwise ready to go to DMM [i.e. Michael Metcalf].
(f) letter from Ian Stewart to Christopher Blunt, manuscript, single page, on House of Commons letterhead, dated 2 April 1982, thanking CEB for his letter. He says that he has the nearly finished Regnald/Bossall revision and that he is sending a copy of MD's card (confidentially). He mentions a worry about Hunter [?], says he "will not divulge this, but it is very disturbing". He says that "Stewart [Lyon] also has strong reservations about the [Elizabeth] Pirie text", which "clearly cannot go into the Sylloge". He says that he will write briefly to Powell about it and perhaps share his thoughts with Henry [Loyn?] separately.
(g) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, single page (recto only), dated from Ramsbury on 7 April 1982, wondering whether "it would not be wise to omit altogether the reference to the Carlus [?] sword" since it is not really relevant and would obviate potential criticism.
(h) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on Good Friday [i.e. 9 April] 1982, thanking IS for all he has done to make the Regnald paper "so satisfactorily non-controversial, while sticking to our guns on all essential points", singling out in particular the way he dealt with Dunmore Cave in the footnote. He raises only two points, one "trifling" about an apparent typographical error and "the other of more substance". He says that he read IS's comments on Liz Pirie's Sylloge ideas and wonders what MD will think of them, noting that HEP [i.e. Hugh Pagan] was against and his impression is that CSSL [i.e. Stewart Lyon] was no less unhappy.
(i) letter from Christopher Blunt to Ian Stewart, manuscript, one folio (recto & verso), dated from Ramsbury on 24 April 1982, thanking IS for two letters and enclosing Hall's list of Viking hoards in Ireland. He says that he is very glad to have a photocopy of the Bossall plates and thanks IS "for the further draft chapter" for Philip Grierson's book. He says that he has completed his main index but is waiting for a reply from CSSL [i.e. Stewart Lyon] on one or two Edward points; he has gone to the US on the Concorde, he notes, but he will have copies made in due course. He says that "things are in a terrible state at Teignmouth" [South Devon], with "Michael back in hospital, having, he tells me (and Mary confirms), been tempted to suicide". He expresses sympathy for Mary, Michael Dolley's wife.