Archibald Batty papers

1936-1959

Archibald Batty (1887-1961) was a British actor and writer. He began acting in 1924, and was a member of the Aldwych Farces from 1928 to 1932. The Archibald Batty papers (1936-1959) contain his writings and correspondence. The bulk of the correspondence is letters to and from playwright and businessman H.M. Harwood. This correspondence dates from 1936 to 1937 and includes discussions of general business investments; buying and selling rights to plays; and Harwood's plays, including Transit in Venus and These Mortals. Batty's writings consist of play scripts, book manuscripts, and poems. Many of the writings have handwritten changes, and some are accompanied by related correspondence. The book manuscripts date to the 1950s and consist of unpublished typescripts about playwriting and amateur acting, as well as Batty's autobiography. The autobiography contains accounts of his childhood; his experiences living and working in Calcutta in the 1910s; his experiences as aide-de-camp to Harcourt Butler, Lieutenant Governor and later Governor of the United Provinces in British India; and his acting career, including his work with the Aldwych Farces and acting on the London stage. There are four play scripts: The Last of the Lamasery, Roger VI, The Tontine, and The Twelve-Pound Look. Poems date from 1941 to 1954. The collection also contains miscellaneous short letters and telegrams addressed to Batty, and a preliminary program and notes for a 1939 benefit for King George's Pension Fund for Actors and Actresses, which Batty helped organize.