Given Hull’s heritage as a fishing port, it is perhaps unsurprising that fisheries research played a significant role in the early establishment of the University of Hull. Between January 1928 and March 1942, the university, then known as the University College of Hull, was home to the noted marine biologist, Professor Alistair Clavering Hardy, and his famous Continuous Plankton Recorder research [link: https://www.cprsurvey.org/].
 |
| Professor Alistair Clavering Hardy taken during his time at Hull, c.1930s [U DX175/6] |
We’ve known about this connection for many years but, until recently, we thought there was very little evidence about Hardy’s time at Hull within the University’s own records. However, our current work to catalogue a series of Principals’ and Vice Chancellors’ files has uncovered some fascinating letters. The letters were written between Hardy and Principal A.E. Morgan in the period 1927-1935, then between Hardy and Principal J.H. Nicholson in the period 1936-1938. This correspondence reveals details about Hardy’s plans, movements, professional connections, and achievements across a crucial 10-year period. This was a period in which a Department of Zoology was established at the University College, the department was expanded to include Oceanography as a subject, and the University College supported Hardy to develop his early experimental plankton research into the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey that continues to this day. So far, we’ve found 85 letters covering the period 28 January 1928-7 October 1938. Alongside the letters are 3 additional documents, 2 newspaper articles and a draft paper prepared by Hardy. This new evidence [temporary reference: V.C.8/2] complements letters we already knew of within Hardy’s personnel file [reference: U HU25/1/94]. Perhaps more will be discovered in time but, for now, this correspondence is a treasure trove for researchers looking into the practicalities of Hardy’s work and connection with Hull.
Read on for a deep dive into Hardy’s work at Hull, or skip to the end to see a summary of what these letters reveal.
Diving deeper
So, what does this exciting discovery tell us….
The story, as shown in Hardy’s correspondence with Morgan and Nicholson, begins in January 1928 and provides us with much greater detail than was previously known. We understand from Hardy’s personnel file [U HU25/1/94] that he was appointed Professor of Zoology by the Council of the University College of Hull on the 6 January 1928. His salary was to be £800 per annum for full time services, with enrolment in the Federated Superannuation System. The contents of the file also show that he was unable to start full-time services for some time and that an arrangement would be made for his salary during the period of part-time service. This new correspondence allows us to add further detail, showing that Hardy was given a month’s salary ahead of 1 October 1928, presumably to help him relocate to Hull, and that he took up full-time employment at the University College from the beginning of October 1928.
 |
| Zoology Museum, 1931 [University Photographic Collection] |
Establishing the Department of Zoology
However, the letters reveal more than merely dates of employment and salary figures. They show that Hardy was highly engaged in work to establish a Department of Zoology at the University College, even before starting full-time employment. An extract from a letter written by Hardy to Principal Morgan on 14 March 1928 demonstrates this nicely: ‘I am feeling more and more that if possible I should arrange to come to Hull altogether next October [1928]. I think it should be possible for me to bring some of my Discovery work to Hull and to visit London at intervals. If I am to open my department in October, the first years development will be so important, and interesting, that a scheme of travelling down for a few days a week will be hardly adequate.’ His enthusiasm for the success of the new department, and his personal involvement in setting it up is evident throughout the letters.
Designing the buildings
In letters dated 28 January 1928-17 February 1928 Hardy refers to having met with the University College architect to discuss the Zoology department rooms. In a letter written by Morgan dated 17 February 1928 he asks Hardy if he can ‘discuss with Forsyth [the architect], when next you see him, the feasibility of the suggestion you made in a previous letter of transferring the museum from blue to red? If he cannot promise that, he might be able to make it reddish blue, i.e. that it would come into commission as soon as possible during the first session’. The colour coding appears to have been how the architect designated time scales on different stages of campus building progress. This makes it clear that Hardy was keen to ensure his department’s rooms were ready as early as possible. However, his involvement was not just about keeping the architect to task; Hardy had his own ideas. In these letters, he tells Morgan that he has suggested to Forsyth ‘that an easy access should be made to the flat roof over the Zoology lecture room – and they are going to do this’, he adds that such a space ‘would be invaluable for keeping living specimens – small open air aquaria – insect cages etc within easy reach of the department’. Hardy was also actively involved in seeking out information to help improve the design of the rooms. In a letter dated 14 March 1928, Hardy indicates that he has received further plans from Forsyth, and that he and Professor Good in Biology are ‘going to look at the new biological buildings at Birmingham’, and that he hopes to see those at Sheffield next month. He also appears to have made a trip to Nottingham and a number of other unnamed laboratory buildings. This information gathering resulted in repeated engagement with Forsyth. A letter from Hardy to Morgan dated 1 Oct 1928 demonstrates the level of detail Hardy was concerned with: ‘I have to-day returned my plans with my comments to Forsyth. Perhaps if you are seeing his representatives to-morrow you would like to mention the two alterations I have proposed. They are as follows: That rooms 82 and 83 (Advanced and Elementary Laboratories) should have their floors raised 6’’ by one step at the door of each, and that rooms 99 and 100 should be knocked into one – to make a larger lecture room’.
Stocking the laboratory
It wasn’t just the fabric of the building that concerned Hardy. He was very active in vetting, sourcing and selecting the equipment that would be used to stock the department. In letters dated 28 January 1928-17 February 1928, Hardy and Morgan discuss an opportunity provided by the sale of the Piel Marine Laboratory. It is Hardy that notifies the Morgan of this opportunity, stating: ‘So very rarely does the equipment of a marine laboratory come onto the market’. Hardy is keen to obtain a set of Leitz student microscopes, and notes that the ‘specimen jars, cases, etc. would all be very useful’. He asks for permission to visit Piel on behalf of the University College to investigate further. Whilst the principal urges caution and a focus on Zoological equipment over marine, he encourages Hardy to view the Piel Laboratory. In a letter dated 4 April 1928, Hardy informs Morgan that ‘I will bring the sketches of proposed laboratory fittings to show you when I come. I hope to see Forsyth tomorrow’, demonstrating that he was just as keen to have input to the design of the fittings as to the layout of the structure of the building. In fact, an exchange dated 14-16 April 1928 makes this clear when he comments on one of his visits to see an existing laboratory: ‘They had not yet got the fittings into the biological department, but I was able to see the plans of benches, sinks, etc. – prepared by Messrs Baird & Tatlock – it made me more than ever glad that I am able to design my own!’. In a letter dated 17 July 1928, the principal confirms that Hardy may spend up to £1500 on apparatus and equipment for the department, and that he will shortly receive a departmental order book for this purpose. Hardy’s response on 19th Jul 1928 reveals his enthusiasm: ‘This is excellent news.... I have my equipment worked out in detail; as most items can be obtained at short notice I will delay ordering until I know there is space ready to receive it’. A letter dated 20 Dec 1928, written by Hardy to Morgan, demonstrates that it wasn’t just the shiny new purchases that interested him, and that he was keen to make sure all equipment that entered the department was fit for purpose. The letter reads: ‘The microscope Miss Gee has presented to us, whilst being very old fashioned – 1876, is in excellent condition and for certain low power work e.g. the examination of living aquatic animals, has an advantage over more modern instruments in that a greater depth of focus can be obtained. For this reason I am keeping it in the Zoology department; but Good will always be able to borrow it if he needs a specially deep focus’.
Setting up the library
Similarly, the letters show that Hardy concerned himself with the details of the requirements for a departmental library. In letters dated 28 January 1928-17 February 1928, Hardy notes that he is ‘particularly interested in the [Piel] library which should contain much of the early fisheries literature that I should find difficult to get hold of new.’ Eventually, Hardy decides to forgo purchasing the library. It’s clear he has in mind the limited funds available to the fledgling University College when he gives his reasons for passing on the Piel Library, feeling that he ‘cannot afford to run the risk of doing without necessities’ and wants ‘to have as complete a working library of modern biological literature as possible for the department’. In one of these letters dated 14 Feb 1928, Hardy notes that ‘[t]he modern books and the pure Zoological journals will be very extensive’ and that he is ‘preparing a provisional library list of what I consider essentials’. A few months later, in June 1928, Hardy’s attention returns to the requirements of the departmental library, when he and Morgan discuss whether or not to purchase a full set of the journal ‘Nature’. Again, Hardy has in mind financial considerations to support the University College when he settles that ‘as there is a complete set of “Nature” in the public library I do not think we need have it’.
Establishing a museum
It wasn’t just books that Hardy was keen to supply the department with. There are numerous references to arrangements being made for a departmental museum. As early as February 1928, whilst still working on the Discovery Project at the Natural History Museum in London, there is evidence that Hardy has such a plan in mind and sought to use his professional connections and relationships to help jump-start a zoological collection at Hull. Hardy notes in a letter that he has discussed with the Keeper of Zoology at the Natural History Museum the acquisition of zoological specimens from the museum’s ‘surplus materials series’. This course of action seems to have been wholeheartedly approved of by the principal who responds to say that he thinks Hardy’s ‘idea of getting busy on collecting specimens for a museum is excellent’.
Staffing the department
When it came to staffing the department, the letters reveal that Hardy was heavily involved in seeking out and interviewing potential candidates. For instance, in a letter to Hardy dated 24 July 1928, Morgan advises him that ‘You can get two candidates to appear for interview. When you have gone through the list I would suggest that you consider whether it would be cheaper for them to meet you in London or here’. From this we can determine that not only was he responsible for shortlisting, he was also responsible for interviewing candidates personally. Once he’d established his team, Hardy appears to have been a strong supporter of the department’s staff. In 1932, during an annual review of staffing, Hardy informs Morgan that he has ‘such pleasure in strongly recommending the reappointment of Mr ‘Espinasse, Miss Tazelaar, Mr Henderson and Mr Lucas’. A year later, he again has ‘no hesitation in recommending all of my staff for re-appointment. I am, without exception, highly pleased with their work in the department. I have an excellent team’.
Teaching and course content
As head of a department, we would expect Hardy to have been involved in teaching and course development. These letters provide evidence and examples of this from the very beginning. For instance, in June 1928 we find that arrangements for teaching of first year students are being made. On 21 June 1928, in response to a request for information from the principal, Hardy notes that he expects he will need 75 one-hour lecture periods and 125 hours split into periods of 2.5 hours for practical work across the academic session. This reveals that he was responsible for establishing precedents for teaching loads and contact time with students in his department in the early years of the University College’s existence. Further letters show that marine biology was to be a particular focus of the courses of offered, perhaps unsurprisingly given his background. An interesting episode in 1934 reveals Hardy’s influence on the curriculum extended outside of the University College, whilst incidentally shedding light on Hull’s working relationship with its parent institution, the University of London. An exchange between Hardy and Morgan in February 1934 shows that the University of London had sought to change the syllabus for Zoology General and Special examinations. At this time, students at Hull were awarded their degrees through the University of London under the University College system. The February exchange reveals that the proposed changes did not work for Hull, with Hardy putting forward the case for the importance of Marine Ecology to the curriculum at Hull and arguing against its exclusion from the examination syllabus. A letter dated 30 November 1934 shows that Hardy was successful in persuading the University of London to his point of view, when he updates Morgan that ‘[t]he College then protested against the exclusion of Marine Ecology, and its inclusion has now been granted’.
Student selection
Again, as head of department, we would expect Hardy to be involved in the selection of students to study at Hull. The letters provide evidence that he was particularly keen to attract excellent postgraduate candidates as a way of supporting the research outputs of the department. In a letter dated 16 September 1928, Hardy writes to Morgan: ‘Things are happening faster than I had expected – here is my first postgraduate student in Biological Oceanography coming to Hull from America in Oct! At least he is not definitely coming to Hull yet – he is coming first to ask my opinion as to where he should go. Of course I would like to have him at Hull – Bigelow under whom he has been working in America is the biggest man in oceanography on the other side of the Atlantic. If he will send his students to Hull for postgraduate work – our department will soon have a good place amongst the laboratories of the world’. The letters also suggest that he looked closely at the potential of candidates, and found ways to support their coming to Hull if he could. For instance, in a letter to Morgan written on 3 May 1933, Hardy reports on having seen a Miss Oughtred ‘on the subject of her coming to Hull to study biology’, thinks ‘there is little doubt that she will come here’, and describes a scheme for her to overcome the difficulty of her not having taken chemistry given that she appeared to find mathematics no difficulty.
Expanding the department
But perhaps the most significant development brought about by Hardy came as a result of a rival offer of employment received in November 1930. Had he excepted, the story at Hull would have been quite different. On the 14 November 1930, Hardy wrote to Morgan of an offer he had received to become the first director of a new marine biological research station in Bermuda. Despite obvious enthusiasm for the possibilities promised by the new station, Hardy states: ‘I turned it down because I did not want to leave Hull at its present stage’. He goes on to say that ‘I am building my department here – I am very keen on the College and I don’t want to leave it. I have, last week, come a step nearer – a big step – in the realization of my big north sea research scheme. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea have inaugurated a big herring research campaign; last week they had a meeting at Lowestoft when delegates came from all the countries of the International Council. I knew this was coming off and before hand circulated them with my plan of campaign. They invited me to attend – and to my surprise they are wishing to incorporate the whole of my scheme into their International programme…. I gather the Council will finance the whole thing…. This will mean that Hull will be included in the standing of a separate country! – a unique position’. He continues, ‘I don’t for a moment want to ask for a rise in pay! I am quite happy in my present salary. What I do want is time and space. More time to devote to this work and more space in which to carry it out. I should like to be able to reply to those who advise me to take Bermuda – that I am going to make my department here an oceanographical institute every bit as important as Bermuda. I believe I can do it. I have been thinking it out and would like to put the following proposition to the college. I would like my department (and chair) to be that of the Department of Zoology and Oceanography – this will stress the importance of the oceanographical side. I would like to be relieved of a good deal of my… Zoological teaching so that I can devote myself more to the direction of the oceanographical side – to delegate most of the lecturing and demonstrating to a senior lecturer and assistant lecturer. I would myself take one course of lectures – advanced or elementary – perhaps varying it from year to year…. The only increase in cost to the College would be that of an extra lecturer’.
Whilst there is no further discussion of the matter in this correspondence, we see the impact of Hardy’s letter in the change of the Department’s name on subsequent letter heads. We also see the impact in a letter dated 8 June 1931 in which Hardy responds to Morgan to thank him for ‘setting out the terms on which ‘Espinasse will be appointed Lecturer in my department’. It is clear from the contents of this letter, and Morgan’s letter informing Hardy of the news, that the University College had agreed to grant Hardy his senior lecturer on the condition ‘that the fisheries research scheme continues’. This development showed the faith that the University College had in Hardy’s research and the potential it had to benefit the young institution.
It also leads us nicely to another aspect of Hardy’s connection to Hull which is covered by the newly discovered letters, his research and attempts made to attract funding for that research.
Research development
 |
| Fisheries research lab at Hull, c.1931 [University Photographic Collection] |
Funding
The letters offer a fascinating insight into the ways in which Morgan and Hardy attempted to find funding for Hardy’s research and, through this, the Department of Zoology. Although references are usually brief, a common thread is evident in the letters: that Hardy’s research was of benefit to the fishing industry and this informed how and who the University College approached as potential funders. In a letter dated 24 June 1930, we find that Morgan has approached the Hull Fishmongers’ Company. He states that their representative is ‘friendly but he says the demands on their charity box are heavy. At the same time he recognises that ours is a plea with a special point and he would like more information’. Mongan then asks Hardy to draft a summary that could be given to the Fishmongers’ Company for information. An article in the Hull Daily Mail dated 15 September 1931, shows that this approach was eventually successful. It reads: ‘At the moment the University College is enabled to conduct this research by a grant from the Fishmongers Company and grants from the Development Commissioners’ and continues with an appeal in Hardy’s own words. He notes that the funding is conditional on gaining further outside support, and that ‘[a]lthough times are hard I hope that the preparations of years will not be wasted and that it may be possible for us to continue. We want to do our best to set up a research station on the Humber which may be worthy of this great fishing centre’.
The letters then show that some funding was applied for and received from the Leverhulme Trustees, which funding helped fund staffing within Hardy’s Department, before the focus then turns again to local and regional fishing organisations. On 19 May 1932 Morgan and Hardy discuss whether it is the right time to make an approach to the North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee. They decide to delay this until their research has been ‘given some publicity in the Yorkshire press’. In a letter dated 1 December 1933, Hardy writes to Morgan: ‘I now send you my suggested draft of a letter to the Fish Merchants’ Protection Association. You will see that it is very much the same as that sent to the Hull Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association, but altered where I think necessary’. This again shows that their focus was very much on fishing industry organisations. This continues. In a letter dated 17 November 1934, Hardy prompts Hardy that ‘[i]t was early last December that we received the grant from the hull Fishing Vessel Owners Association. I think the time has come for a letter to be sent asking for a renewal and if possible increase in the grant’.
Ultimately, it was Treasury funding, through the Fisheries Ministry, that allowed Hardy to fully realise a fisheries research scheme at the University College. In a letter dated 8 September 1937, Hardy gives Principal Nicholson the good news: ‘I expect by now you will have heard the good news that the Treasury has approved the whole scheme. Whilst the delay was a little trying – it has been worth waiting for. I came up here at once to look out for accommodation and to make preliminary arrangements with the Scottish shipping companies…. I have arranged for candidates to come for interview… Tryhorn is here and that time suits him…. It is not easy to find just the right type of accommodation for out labs in Leith – but I have now hit on something that is almost ideal if only I can persuade the landlord to do the alterations I want and to thoroughly renovate the place inside. It is in a very bad condition inside – but excellent for position – space and good windows with open north lifts close against the doors where my things come in. I shall of course fix nothing definitely…. It is really wonderful that the Treasury should have passed everything – including its carrying forward of the publication fund. I am very thrilled about it all – and so grateful for what the College has done to make it possible’.
But the story apparently didn’t end here, as we find evidence of continued attempts to engage local fisheries bodies. For example, there is a letter dated 7 October 1938 in which Nicholson requests from Hardy an update on a suggestion from Alderman Holmes that they ‘attempt to obtain a grant from the Yorkshire Fisheries Board’.
Research
 |
| Original and revised models of the Plankton Recorder, 1948 [University Photographic Collection] |
The letters also briefly refer to key moments in Hardy’s research. For instance, in a letter dated 13 January 1936 to Principal Nicholson, Morgan having retired, Hardy informs him that he has ‘just returned from a visit to Denmark starting a new plankton recorder line from London to Esbjerg’. These are all interesting details that enhance what we know about Hardy's research from his published research papers.
Supporting the fledgling University College
Finally, the newly discovered letters help us to see that Hardy had a role to play beyond the development of the Department of Zoology and his own plankton research.
Staffing advice
As one of the first academic members of staff to be appointed, Hardy was employed at a time when the University College was attempting to create an academic body that would integrate well and support the College’s development. We’ve already seen that Hardy had a definitive role to play in selecting staff for his own department, but it appears his opinion was also valued in other areas. For instance, the letters reveal that he worked closely with Professor Good of Biology, that he had a positive opinion of Good from the earliest days of his knowing him, and that Morgan was pleased that Hardy approved of his appointment when it was announced. Additionally, in a letter dated 11 February 1928, Morgan seeks Hardy’s opinion about a potential appointment when he asks: ‘Do you know anything about A.C. Menzies who was in the physics department at Leeds and is now at University College Leicester? He is under consideration for our physics job.’ In a response dated 14 February 1928, Hardy replies: ‘About Mr Menzies, Sylvia [Hardy’s wife] knows him quite well and considers him a very capable organiser with many good qualities but lacking in certain others; although considered a great asset when he first went to Leeds, after a time a good many people found his manner a little irritating.’ Another example can be seen in a letter dated 21 August 1932 when Hardy, upon hearing that Professor Roe is to leave Hull, writes to Morgan to say: ‘we have heard that Miss Enid Starkie – a don at Somerville is in for it’, before giving a glowing recommendation based on personal knowledge of her academic career and personality through her connection to his wife. Therefore, these letters provide evidence that Hardy, and actually his wife, had a role to play in advising on academic appointments, including those outside the Department of Zoology.
Campus development
In the process of visiting other institutions to see their laboratories, Hardy also gained impressions of the campus buildings more generally. In an exchange between Morgan and Hardy in April 1928, Morgan expresses a wish to hear more of Hardy’s opinions of the Nottingham buildings. This suggests that Hardy had input into wider decisions about the development of the campus buildings at Hull, and that this input was actively sought.
Fostering regional links
From the earliest inception of a University College at Hull, civic connections were central to the success of the scheme. Advocacy and funding came from key civic figures and local business owners, and discussions of how a University College might support the development of the region were part of early negotiations with the Local Education Committee. It is not a stretch to think then that early academics might be expected to develop and strengthen regional connections. The letters provide evidence that Hardy did just that. For instance, in a letter dated 16 September 1928, Hardy informs Morgan ‘I have been asked to give a lecture at the One Day School at Hull on Sep 29th, organised by the Workers Educational Association. I have consented to do so. My subject being: “The Study of Life – with special reference to life in the sea”.’ We know from other sources that connections to the WEA were vital in the success of another early department of the University College, that of Adult Education. Here then we find evidence that Hardy helped to support the work of the Department of Adult Education. Indeed, we find a reference in one of the letters to Hardy intending to meet with Professor Searls, who was a lecturer in Adult Education. Further evidence that Hardy contributed to local education outside of the immediate University College student population can be seen in a letter dated 5 November 1929: In response to a pamphlet giving statistics on teaching of Zoology in schools Morgan supposes that ‘low as the figures are for the whole country the teaching of zoology is probably more backward here than elsewhere’, and requests that Hardy and Good ‘discuss this matter and see if you can produce some material which might be circulated in the local schools very tactfully’. There is even evidence that Hardy himself initiated activities designed to engage the local community in the work of the University College: In a letter dated 11 February 1928, Morgan writes to Hardy that he is ‘glad to hear that you contemplate an inaugural lecture. We must make arrangements for a series of professorial inaugurals in the autumn’, to which Hardy responds that his inaugural is to be on ‘such a title as “Biology and the City of Hull” (Humber ports would perhaps be better) and I should be disappointed if I do not make several students who are hesitating decide to take up biology’. Finally, though perhaps tangentially, correspondence dated 14-16 April 1928 makes it clear that Hardy would take part in a Foundation Stone laying ceremony to be held by the University College on the 28th April 1928. We know that this event was a large and ceremonious affair and was a chance for the College to show its face to the region and the wider country. Hardy’s participation in the ceremony would have helped to support this objective.
Reputations
Finally, the letters are full of references to Hardy having been invited to give prestigious talks, as well as to him attending meetings of respected academic societies. For instance, a letter dated 14 March 1928 reveals how sought after Hardy was at this time: ‘I have at rather short notice been asked to give the Expedition Lecture to the Royal Geographical Society at the Aeolian Hall on April 2nd; this also means writing a paper for the journal. So with this, the conference of the Experimental Biological Society at Oxford, work for the Expedition and preparing for Hull I am very full up.’ In another letter, dated 19 June 1928, Hardy informs Morgan: ‘I shall move house at the end of August and then go to Glasgow for the British Association Meeting on September 5th – am reading a paper to the Zoological Section’. This is all at the very start of Hardy’s connection with Hull and demonstrates the professional connections and knowledge of research networks that he would have brought with him.
A few years later in August 1932, we find a programme enclosed with a letter from Hardy to Morgan. The programme relates to a joint meeting of the Challenger Society for the Promotion of Oceanography and representatives from Marine Laboratories (Development Commissioners’ Scheme), which is to be held at the University College of Hull between 7-8 September 1932. The programme shows Hardy and colleagues Henderson and Lucas all speaking about the fisheries research being undertaken at Hull. That such a young institution was able to attract this kind of conference must be down in large part to Hardy’s own reputation, research, and connections.
Having such an esteemed academic, and one so young with such a bright future, must have given the fledgling University College a reputational boost. In fact, the letters provide hints that this was the case. For instance, on 15 September 1931, the Hull Daily Mail published an article titled ‘Charting the life in the sea. Big fisheries research scheme with Hull as centre. First voyage begun last night’. It recounts the use of Hardy’s plankton recorder equipment onboard the S.S. Albatross of the Norddentschen Lloyd line, sailing for Bremen from the William Wright Dock at Hull. This was the first commercial ship used by Hardy in his research and was a world first for this type of research. The article refers to ‘Professor A.C. Hardy, of the Hull University College and the inventor of the instrument’, and in doing so closely associated the event with the University College. Similarly, the Neues Wiener Journal of Vienna, published an article on 13 September titled ‘Remarkable invention by Antarctic explorer Hardy. Professor at Europe’s youngest university revolutionizes fishing industry.’ The article reads: ‘Many countries lay claim to the honour of possessing the oldest university, but England can boast of possessing the youngest academic institution in Europe: the University College of Hull…. The College, under the energetic leadership of its Principal… has become one of the most prominent institutions of higher education and research in the north of England. Valuable research work is carried out’. Reference is then made to two research intensive departments, the department of Economics and the ‘oceanographical institute under the direction of the noted zoologist Professor Hardy’. The rest of the article is dedicated to outlining the institute’s research and describing Hardy’s plankton record, before ending with ‘Early morning in the harbour of Hull witnesses a scene of remarkable activity: fishing vessels return to port with heavy catches – thanks to this invention at the youngest university in Europe’.
There’s even some evidence within the letters that the University College actively used Hardy’s reputation, employing it at times they wished to make a show to potential supporters and the wider region. For instance, in a letter dated Hardy responds to a request by Morgan to support a visit of Lord and Lady Middleton to see the College buildings. He refers to a proposed stop to be made at the Zoology and Oceanography department and notes that he will try to be there but that ‘Henderson and Lucas will show off the aquaria’ if he cannot be present. Another instance is hinted at in a letter dated 12 February 1934, when Morgan writes to Hardy that ‘Council has expressed its warm appreciation of the most interesting exhibits which were arranged by certain Departments on the occasion of the Reception given to the North of England Education Conference last month. They asked me to convey to you their thanks for all that you and your staff did to make the evening the success that it undoubtedly was’.
So, what have we learnt?
The newly discovered letters highlighted in this blog allow us to see just how vital a role Hardy played in physically setting up and intellectually establishing the Department of Zoology. He determined the literature that would be read by students and would inform research; he created a museum of zoological specimens to support student learning and understanding; he helped design the teaching and research spaces that would be used for many years to come; he personally sourced and stocked the laboratory with the equipment needed for a successful research and teaching focused academic department; he established a teaching staff; he determined course content, and he personally had a role in the selection of students. Additionally, his research and academic reputation helped jumpstart the University College’s research credentials, attracting much needed funding in the early years of its existence. Outside of his academic field, Hardy contributed more generally to the early development of the University College, helping support the work of other departments, and helping to develop connections to the local community and the wider region. It's also worth noting that Hardy’s personnel file reveals that he played a vital role in the pastoral life of the college through his wardenship of Needler Hall at a time when the student body was small and tightly knit.
The biggest surprise for me when reading these letters was that Hardy played such an active role in the early establishment of the University College. Anyone aware of Hardy will no doubt know him because of his groundbreaking contributions to plankton research. However, what struck me was that references to this side of things are relatively few in comparison to the information we can learn about his wider contributions to the early life of the University College. Until now, his significance to the history of higher education, both broadly and specifically in relation to Hull, has perhaps not been fully understood.
If you are interested in seeing these letters for yourself, contact archives@hull.ac.uk to arrange a History Centre research visit.
Claire (Archivist, Hull University Archives)
