Coll 30/88 'Question of residence of European women on the Trucial Coast.'

Content

The file concerns the presence of European women in certain parts of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and fears over the effects of their interaction with local communities.

Folios 19-32 relate to the concern of British officials that Imperial Airways passengers at Shargah [Sharjah] had been going into the town, including one woman who done so wearing beach pyjamas. The papers record that the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle) intervened with both Imperial Airways and Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar [Sultan bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. ], Ruler of Sharjah to ensure that passengers, especially women, were prevented from entering Sharjah without permission. British officials felt that European women in particular were at risk of being insulted or molested by members of the local population, with attendant political consequences for relations with the ruler.

Folios 13-18 concern the proposed temporary residence of a British woman, Mrs Winifred J Howard-Clitty in Bahrain and Kuwait. The papers record that the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. asked British Government officials to ensure that in future he should be consulted first before visas were issued to women travellers to the Gulf, particularly if they intended to reside in any of the Arab shaikhdoms. The Foreign Office and the Passport Office agreed to the proposal.

Folios 2-12 concern a request from Imperial Airways that the Station Superintendent at Sharjah be allowed to have his wife live with him in Sharjah during the winter. The Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. vetoed the request because of similar concerns to those previously expressed in folios 19-32, and to avoid setting a precedent for such action in other parts of the Gulf that were as yet considered unsuitable for European women to live in.

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format

1 file (34 folios)

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 34; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-34; these numbers are printed, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Archival file

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/L/PS/12/3807

Former external reference(s)

Coll 30/88

History of this record

Date(s)

28 Mar 1933-6 Sep 1934 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Cultural interactionWomenTravellers

Places

Shargah

People & organisations

Political Resident, Persian GulfImperial AirwaysEmir of Sharjah, Āl Qāsimī dynasty

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Cite this record in your research

Coll 30/88 'Question of residence of European women on the Trucial Coast.', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3807, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x000177> [accessed 19 April 2024]

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