Joseph Rowntree Foundation collection

The collection comprises of social research reports sponsored by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

About the collection

Joseph Rowntree was a Quaker businessman who was interested in people’s lives within society, especially in terms of poverty and housing. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) was set up by him to look at and investigate different aspects of society, including poverty and housing.

The reports represent the output of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's social research funding which has been a key part of its work since the 1960s.

Themes include:

  • Children and education
  • Poverty and low incomes
  • Children, adults and the elderly
  • Health
  • Disabilities
  • Housing
  • Local communities

How to access the collection

The collection is in the Rare Books Collection and may be consulted at the Borthwick Institute for Archives. There is also a small amount of borrowable reports which can be found in the Morrell Library.

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Digital collection

Some reports have been digitised and can be viewed from their digital collection page. The collection can be searched in YorSearch.

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Acquisition

The collection, along with related archival material, was given to the University of York on long term loan in August 2019. Before that date, the JRF social research reports were held at the JRF headquarters at The Homestead, York. The Homestead used to be the home of Seebohm Rowntree, the Chairman of Rowntree & Co. who carried out pioneering social research in the field of poverty. He was also a founding trustee of the JRF.

Related collections

  • The Borthwick Institute for Archives holds archival material relating to the Rowntree company, family, Trusts, and theatre, as well as records relating to the family’s social research.
  • Further information on other collections on Quakerism can be found on our Collections webpage.

Further information