‘Reflections on Savile at Duncroft’
Edinburgh ESRC Project
Securing a data set on allegations of sexual abuse made against
the former disc jockey, Jimmy Savile
This project aims to secure data that might otherwise be lost, relating to allegations made against the former DJ, Jimmy Savile. The initiative for the project came from a lawyer and writer who is a former resident of Duncroft School (from whence the initial allegations against Savile emanate), and whose blogging activity under the name of ‘Anna Raccoon’ has generated a substantial body of related correspondence and contacts which provide and could lead to information not yet in the public domain.
If you are one of the people who has been in contact with Anna about this or who has contributed to ‘The Raccoon Arms’ blog, or another blog on related issues, we ask for your permission to:
(1) Add your blog contributions to our data base
(2) Allow Anna to pass your relevant communications and contributions to the research team OR/AND
(3) Allow Anna to pass your email address/contact details to the research team
If you are willing, we would also welcome the opportunity to interview former members of staff and residents from Duncroft to gather their accounts of what life was like there, and specifically what they might remember of Jimmy Savile’s association with the School.
Our aim is to digitally archive this data set and to establish a timeline of events, allegations and circumstances through cross-referencing Anna’s data with that set out in the media and in official reports.
We will code and anonymise all identifying data before recording or sharing findings relating to any of the above. In the case of (1), above, we may use the ‘handles’ or monikers that you have already provided. Your contact details will not be passed on without your permission
On hearing from you, or at your request, we will provide further information about the project. We will provide a consent form which clarifies your agreement and our obligations to you.
This project is being carried out by Mark Smith (Principal Investigator), Steve Kirkwood and Clare Llewellyn, University of Edinburgh with Ros Burnett, University of Oxford. It is funded by a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council(ESRC).
Contact details:
Dr Mark Smith mark.smith@ed.ac.uk
Dr Ros Burnett ros.burnett@crim.ox.ac.uk
Dr Steve Kirkwood s.kirkwood@ed.ac.uk
Clare Llewellyn c.a.Llewellyn@sms.ed.ac.uk
School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh