This archive required rearrangement almost on a page by page basis due to the poor condition and disorder in which the papers were discovered. Many of the items in the archive have suffered water and mold damage, causing ink to bleed and paper to deteriorate. Documents judged to have too much mold contamination were photocopied and then discarded. The final arrangement, as described below, is based mainly on type of material, and related to certain topics or activities in Aldwinckle’s life where appropriate. Any dates or other content added to the pages in pencil, within brackets, were written by the processor.

Series 1: Articles – Containing mainly newspaper articles and clippings, with some marginal notes and underlining by Stella, arranged chronologically. Some items are by C.S. Lewis and Stella Aldwinckle. See also: the scrapbook in the Personal Papers series (ca. 1923-1936, folder 263), and the Printed Materials series for journal articles).

Series 2: Artwork – Drawings and sketches of maps, animals, etc., mostly by unknown artists. The artwork is arranged chronologically.

Series 3: Books – Three books, including Stella’s Bible. Annotations by Stella are included. Stored in box 10, and arranged by author’s name, or title.

Series 4: Correspondence – Letters to and from various correspondents. The series begins with undated letters, arranged by the author’s name (folders 24-40), followed by undated Christmas cards arranged the same way (folders 41-44). Letters between Stella and her mother are in the next folder (folder 45), arranged by date, followed by undated and dated letters by Stella (folders 46-47). Other letters by Stella or her mother may be in the series, but they were either missed or not identifiable due to use of nicknames. The next folder in the Correspondence series (folder 48) contains letters between The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College and Stella, including letters from Clyde S. Kilby and Lyle Dorsett. Photocopied letters are from the Wade Center correspondence files and the Clyde S. Kilby Correspondence Files. The remainder of the series is arranged in chronological order (folders 49-114). Correspondence files are also located in the following series: SCARS, OUHC, Personal Papers, Photographs (folder 289), and the Socratic Club.

Series 5: Notebooks – Notebooks containing handwritten notes, primarily by Stella, on various topics. Other notebooks were placed in the Socratic Club series and Personal Papers series depending on their content. The notebooks are arranged chronologically. Stella Aldwinckle Papers, 3

Series 6: Notes – This series includes notes, primarily by Stella, on various events and subjects, including: math, science, philosophy, metaphysics, ontology, theology / religion, personal notes, name lists, charts and diagrams. The processor attempted to remove any notes dealing with other series topics to the appropriate series (ex: Socratic Club or SCARS notes). The notes are arranged chronologically, with the exception of a few subject-specific folders near the beginning of the series arranged alphabetically, and a variety of undated materials which were sorted by subject when possible (also arranged alphabetically). In the event that a page contained multiple dates, the earliest date was used for filing. Any dates added to the pages in pencil, within brackets, were written by the processor. Materials dated “Hilary Term (HT)” were placed before January, “Trinity Term (TT)” before April, and “Michaelmas Term (MT)” before September.

Series 7: OUHC – This series contains materials related to the Oxford University Horsemanship Club, including correspondence, pamphlets, articles, membership lists, etc. Receipts related to horse expenses are in the Personal Papers series since they are indistinguishable between Stella’s personal farm expenses and OUHC expenses. Folders are arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Series 8: Personal Papers – Various materials related to Stella’s personal living expenses, travels, family, research, funeral programs, and other miscellanea. The series is arranged chronologically.

Series 9: Photographs – Photos featuring horses, various people, and locations. Several are unidentified. Arranged chronologically when possible, and correspondence is included with some of the photos.

Series 10: Printed Materials – Printed materials relating to various movements, Oxford activities and institutions, Christian activities and institutions, and events. Folders are arranged alphabetically by title. See the Articles series for newspaper articles.

Series 11: SCARS – Materials relating to the cross-denominational SCARS prayer group founded by Stella. Includes conference materials, meeting notes, publications, correspondence, etc. Folders are arranged alphabetically by title.

Series 12: Socratic Club – This series contains materials relating to the Socratic Club, a forum which began in 1942 by Stella for Christians, agnostics, and atheists to attend and discuss/debate various topics with each other. The Club featured many speakers, and frequently had its president of many years, C.S. Lewis, as a participant. Materials include correspondence (including letters by C.S. Lewis and Dorothy L. Sayers), conference materials, membership and attendance lists, meeting minutes and notes, lecture notes, posters, pamphlets, and selections from the journal published by the Club, The Socratic Digest (later: The Socratic). Folders are arranged alphabetically by title. See also: folder 443 in the Unpublished Materials series. Stella Aldwinckle Papers, 4

Series 13: Unpublished Materials – Various articles, lectures, books, etc. in unpublished formats. Includes pieces written by Stella Aldwinckle. Contents are arranged chronologically, and the undated folders are arranged by author’s name.