Douglas and Marie Immaculée Acton Woodruff family papers
Scope and Contents
Collection consists of correspondence, diaries, notebooks, publications, financial records, and photographs of Douglas Woodruff, including records from Woodruff's editorial role at The Tablet newspaper, and his diary kept while in Rome during Vatican II. The papers also document Marie Immaculée Acton Woodruff's charitable work, as well as the Woodruff and Acton family histories through genealogical documents and original papers of the preceding generations of family members.
Of particular interest is correspondence between Woodruff and Alfred Noyes, as well as material that may have been collected by Woodruff or his family, including: a diary belonging to Elodie Hogan (later Belloc) and correspondence by Aubrey Beardsley, Ernest Dowson, and Pierre Louÿs.
Dates
- Creation: 1824-1967
Creator
- Woodruff, Douglas, 1897-1978 (Person)
- Acton, Marie Immaculée, 1905-1994 (Person)
Language of Materials
Primarily English, with some diaries and letters in French, Italian, and German.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.
Biographical note: Douglas Woodruff
(John) Douglas Woodruff was born on May 8, 1897, to Emily Louisa (Hewett) and Cumberland Woodruff in Wimbledon, England. At age 13 he converted to Catholicism, following the earlier conversion of his mother. Woodruff was educated at St. Augustine's, Ramsgate; Downside School; and New College, Oxford. While at Oxford, he was Chairman of the Independent Liberal Club and of the New College Essay Society, and a member of the Oxford Union debate team with future Catholic author and journalist, Christopher Hollis. In 1933, Woodruff married Catholic charitable activist Marie Immaculée Acton in Kensington, London, England.
Woodruff edited the Catholic weekly journal The Tablet from 1936-1967. He was also the chairman of the Catholic publishers Burns & Oates (1948-1962), director of Hollis & Carter (1948-1962); chairman of the Allied Circle (1947-1962); and chairman of Associated Catholic Newspapers (1953-1970). He was a close friend of the writers Evelyn Waugh and Alfred Noyes. Woodruff also wrote many books and articles, including Plato's American Republic (1926), Charlemagne (1935), and The Twentieth Century Encyclopedia of Catholicism (1961).
Douglas Woodruff died on March 9, 1978, in Oxfordshire, England.
Sources:
Georgetown University Library Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Washington D.C. https://findingaids.library.georgetown.edu/repositories/15/resources/10527 Accessed September 22, 2025.
Waugh, Auberon. "Woodruff, (John) Douglas, 1897-1978." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. September 23, 2004.
Biographical note: Marie Immaculée Acton Woodruff
Marie Immaculée Antoinette (Mia) Acton Woodruff was born on April 1, 1905, in Berne, Switzerland, to Richard Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, second Baron Acton, and Dorothy Lyon, Lady Acton. In 1933, Marie Acton (Woodruff) married Douglas Woodruff in Kensington, London, England; the two met while she was doing charitable work in Lourdes, France. Douglas Woodruff edited the Catholic weekly journal The Tablet from 1936-1967, and although not credited as an editor, Marie Woodruff assisted him in this work considerably.
From 1943-1949, Woodruff served as the National President of the Catholic Women's League as well as the Vice Chairman of the Catholic Committee for Relief Abroad. During this time, she met and befriended Msgr. Montini, the future Pope Paul VI. She received many papal honors and was a Senior Dame of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta.
Woodruff died on April 5, 1994, at her house, Marcham Priory, once part of the abbey of Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
Sources:
Hill, Roland. "Obituary: Mia Woodruff," The Independent, April 7, 1994.
Holland, James C. "Mia Immaculee Antoinette Acton Woodruff," Religion & Liberty: Volume 4, Number 3. July 20, 2010.
Full Extent
6.5 Linear Feet (12 containers)
Abstract
Collection of correspondence, diaries, ephemera, financial records, genealogical information, notebooks, and photographs of twentieth-century Catholic journalist Douglas Woodruff, Catholic charitable activist Marie Immaculée Acton Woodruff, and their families.
Arrangement
Organized into five series: I. Douglas Woodruff papers; II. Marie Immaculée Acton Woodruff papers; III. Woodruff family papers; IV. Acton family papers; and V. Collected materials.
Series I. is further divided into four subseries: A. Biographical records and ephemera; B. Correspondence; C. Financial records; and D. Photographs.
Each series is arranged alphabetically.
Provenance
Because the current accessioning system was not used until January 1986, it is not possible to know exactly the dates of acquisition of materials received before that time.
Processing Information
Collection may share a provenance with the Thomas Henry Lyon papers, MS.1986.118. Thomas Henry Lyon was the father of Dorothy Acton and the grandfather of Marie Immaculée Acton Woodruff.
- Title
- Douglas and Marie Immaculée Acton Woodruff Family Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Subtitle
- 1824-1967
- Author
- Donald Green; Rachael Young, 2019; Molly Aleshire
- Date
- 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
617-552-4861
burns@bc.libanswers.com