| Description | This series comprises material relating to Canon John Rory Fletcher's research into the history of Syon Abbey. It includes:
- Manuscript and typescript draft copies of 'The Story of the English Bridgettines' by Canon Fletcher;
- Two bundles of papers from envelopes marked: 'Loose papers removed from Fletcher's MSS'. These papers were presumably removed from Canon Fletchers' manuscripts [see EUL MS 95] by the community before their deposit at the University. It appears that these papers were inserted into the manuscripts by both Canon Fletcher and members of the community. They include: notes by Canon Fletcher on Syon's history and manuscripts; notes and articles on Syon's history, an autobiographical account of Canon Fletcher's early life; a plan of Rouen, clippings, correspondence, lists of members of the community, biographical details of members of the community, postcards, and photographs;
- Notes and correspondence relating to Canon Fletcher's research. Subjects within the notes and correspondence include: the Syon Martiloge; Syon manuscripts; pedigrees [genealogy charts]; biographical details of members of the community; transcripts and translations of documents relating to Syon; heraldry [coats of arms]; charters, including the 'Deed of Restoration'; papal petitions and letters; relics and reliquaries; Syon Abbey's early history (pre-Reformation) in Twickenham and Isleworth; the community's exile in the Low Countries; the community in Rouen, France; and Syon possessions and alien priories.
- Personal papers, including: correspondence; papers relating to Canon Fletcher's family history; Canon Fletcher's orders of ceremonies for his personal use; a drawing by Harold Nelson of Canon Fletcher's bookplate; a copy of the last will and testament of Canon Fletcher; and the death certificate of Canon Fletcher.
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| Admin History | Canon John Rory Fletcher (1861-1944) originated from Worcestershire, before moving to London as a child. He was educated at a preparatory school in Oxford and attended Dulwich College and Epsom College. He studied medicine at Charing Cross Hospital, before taking up a position there as House Surgeon in 1886. He then became appointed as Resident Medical Officer to the London Lock Hospital in March 1887.
He travelled abroad to study Catholic theology before converting in 1887 at the age of 26, being ordained as a priest in 1902 and fulfilling pastoral duties in England until 1930. He maintained contact with the medical community as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and was from 1927-1930 the Vice-President of the Section for the History of Medicine of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Canon Fletcher became a close friend of the community from 1922, and in 1923, he was admitted into the fraternity of Syon Abbey as a brother of the chapter. He was also the cousin to Sister Mary Veronica Kempson, a nun at Syon Abbey. Fletcher died in 1944 and was buried by special licence in the cemetery at Syon Abbey.
Fletcher made it his life work to collect and describe all possible material concerning Syon Abbey and its community of Bridgettine nuns in medieval and Reformation times. His work on the history of Syon Abbey was not formally committed to paper until the 1930s and 1940s, when he sent each volume to the Abbey on completion for safekeeping. He published a popular history of the Abbey under the title 'The Story of the English Bridgettines of Syon Abbey' in 1933. As well as studying papers held in the archive of the Abbey in South Devon, he also consulted materials held in other archives and libraries across the UK and Europe.
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