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Chandos (Lydia Catherine Brydges, Duchess of) Papers
mssLB  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Provenance
  • Cataloging Decisions
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content
  • Arrangement
  • General

  • Contributing Institution: The Huntington Library
    Title: Lydia Catherine Brydges, Duchess of Chandos, papers
    Identifier/Call Number: mssLB
    Physical Description: 34.34 Linear Feet (41 boxes)
    Date (inclusive): 1538-2002
    Date (bulk): 1548-1780
    Abstract: This collection contains the papers of Lydia Catherine Van Hattem Davall Brydges, Duchess of Chandos (1693-1750), and pertains chiefly to her business and financial activities in the six years between the death of her husband James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos (1674-1744), and her own, as well as the activities of her extended family. There are also a large number of papers and deeds concerning various properties held by the family, including Cannons, Shaw and Speen.
    Language of Material: English and Latin

    Access

    Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

    Publication Rights

    The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item]. Lydia Catherine Brydges, Duchess of Chandos, papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Provenance

    Purchased from Major Paul Payne, through Bernard Quartich, September 2002.

    Cataloging Decisions

    1. The collection was acquired from Major Paul I.C. Payne in 2002. Major Payne made autograph notes on many pieces of correspondence; including notes to identify Lydia Catherine Brydges' handwriting on various items. These autograph notes were not indexed on the folders or in the Finding Aid.
    2. As noted above, Lydia Catherine Brydges' autograph notes appear on correspondence and financial records throughout the collection. Unless substantive, it was decided not to index each instance separately.
    3. The spelling of Lydia Catherine Brydges' family name of Van Hattem was spelled variously: Vanhattem, Vanhattum, van Hatten. For purposes of consistency, Lydia Catherine's name was spelled Van Hattem, regardless of how it is spelled by the author of a letter or deed. The same is true for her married name of Davall, variously spelled in the collection as Davall, Devall, Davale, Devoll; on the folders and in the Finding Aid the name has been spelled Davall.

    Biographical Note

    Lydia Catherine Van Hattem Davall Brydges, Duchess of Chandos (1693-1750), was the daughter of John Vanhattem, (d. 1713), an Anglo-Dutch merchant. Her first marriage was to Thomas Davall (1682-1714), a London merchant and M.P. for Harwich, who was also her cousin. He was knighted in June 1713 and died less than a year later in April 1714, leaving Catherine, a wealthy widow with a son, Thomas who died in 1718, thus ending the Davall line.
    Lydia Catherine became the third Duchess of Chandos on her marriage to James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos (1674-1744), in April 1736. James Brydges was a noted politician, public official, and, as, Paymaster-General of the forces abroad during Marlborough's wars, a war profiteer, businessman, and -- most famously -- collector, builder, and patron of the arts, the latter of which required the vast fortune he amassed as a public official. As a showcase for his artistic patronage, the duke built the famous mansion of Canons [Cannons] in Middlesex from 1713 to 1725. The duke's third marriage to Lydia was a union that was almost undoubtedly one of convenience to the duke, who had, by that period, expended at least two fortunes; his debts and building plans necessitated a third fortune. The duke died in 1744, leaving Lydia, for the next six years, to settle his accounts and auction art, furniture, and other household items in order to pay off his debts before her own death in November 1750.

    Scope and Content

    The collection, which spans from 1538-2002 (bulk 1548-1780), contains 927 items pertaining chiefly to the business and financial activities of Lydia Catherine Van Hattem Davall Brydges, Duchess of Chandos (1693-1750), in the intervening six years between the death of her husband James Brydges, Duke of Chandos, and her own, as well as the activities of her extended family. In addition, there is correspondence with her family, lawyers, and estate officials, information about the Cannons auctions and the sale of other Brydges properties, and some sixteenth- and seventeenth-century records pertaining to her own family and the Mayne and Goodall families, who once lived at the Van Hattem seat at Dinton Hall in Buckinghamshire. There are also a large number of papers and deeds concerning various properties held by the family, including Cannons, Shaw and Speen. Some pieces are in Latin.
    This collection has several strong points for the purpose of research. It fills in a critical gap in the Brydges family papers (a sub-collection of the Huntington's Stowe Archive). During the six years between the death of the Duke of Chandos and her own, Duchess Lydia, family lawyers and estate officials, had to oversee the Cannons auctions and sale of other Brydges' properties, in order to pay off the huge debts left by the Duke at his death. Thus the collection is a valuable archive concerning the later life and circumstances of an early 18th century British aristocratic widow. One weakness of the collection is there is very little material actually from or written by Duchess Lydia. Another strength of the collection is, among the correspondence and financial documents, the presence of women as both landowners and business people in the 16th and 17th centuries.
    The papers consist of the following series:
    1. Correspondence (Boxes 1-12)
    Arranged alphabetically by author. The majority of the correspondence is addressed to Duchess Lydia. Included are three sets of longer runs of letters from John Pudsey, formerly the personal secretary to James Brydges, Duke of Chandos; Luke Richardson, a clerk and receiver to the Six-penny Writ Office, Cursitor and Personal Secretary to Lydia, Duchess of Chandos; and Joseph Biscoe, a lawyer and member of the Fire and Fees Office in London. The correspondence also includes letters addressed to John Vanhattem (both Duchess Lydia's father and brother), as well as letters written by various family members and employees.
    2. Accounts and Financial (Boxes 13-15)
    Arranged chronologically (1583/84-1788). This series includes bonds, receipts, and accounts from, mainly, Dinton, Buckinghamshire, and Shaw, Berkshire, having to do with Dinton Hall and the estate at Shaw. There are also household accounts for Duchess Lydia dating from the time before she married James Brydges, Duke of Chandos; also included, are documents from the Van Hattem family.
    3. Deeds (Boxes 16-31)
    Arranged by alphabetically by county, then chronologically (1538[/39]-1791). This series includes deeds, indentures, leases, feoffments, quitclaims for the lands associated with the estate at Dinton Hall, near Aylesbury. The documents in this series are mainly connected to the three families who owned this property at various times, beginning in 1617: the Mayne, the Van Hattem, and the Goodall families; the series also includes documents in connection with the family of Duchess Lydia's first husband, Sir Thomas Davall M.P.
    4. Manorial and Estate (Boxes 32-34)
    Arranged by alphabetically by county. This series includes documents relating to the various lands and estates connected to James Brydges, Duke of Chandos, and the Van Hattem family, including Shaw, Speen, Dinton Hall, Grays Thurrock, and Cannons. The documents include lists of tenants, rents and peat; particulars, articles of agreement, and valuations, as well as land surveys. Also in this series, is the Dinton Hall Guest Book (1885-1909), which includes three B&W photographs of Dinton Hall and grounds.
    5. Personal Papers (Boxes 35-38)
    Arranged chronologically (1663-1780). Included in this series are wills, marriage settlements, licenses, appointments, etc. The documents relate to Dinton Hall and to the Davall, Van Hattem, Mayne, and Goodall families.
    6. Misc., including Legal (Box 39)
    Arranged chronologically (1682-1750). This series includes documents relating to the manufacture of gun powder and the East India Company, the Court of Chancery and miscellaneous legal pieces. Also included are miscellaneous household lists of coarse linen and Table "Linnen."
    7. Ephemera (Boxes 40-41)
    Arranged alphabetically by subject. This series includes the research material collected by Major Paul Payne; it includes correspondence, notes, photocopies, printed material about the Duke of Chandos, the Davall and Van Hattem families, Shaw Hall, Dinton Hall, Cannons and Cavendish Square. This series also includes the packing crate inventory and collection inventory list created by Bernard Quaritch in 2002. Box 41 contains two items which are damaged and very fragile and need conservation; these cannot be paged without curator's approval.

    Arrangement

    Organized in 7 series: Series 1. Correspondence; Series 2. Accounts and financial; Series 3. Deeds; Series 4. Manorial and estate; Series 5. Personal papers; Series 6. Miscellaneous including legal; Series 7. Ephemera.

    General

    Call numbers included in this collection: mssLB 1-926.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Administration of estates -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Archives
    Aristocracy (Social class) -- England -- History -- 18th century -- Archives
    Auctions -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Archives
    Bankruptcy -- Great Britain -- History -- Case studies -- Sources
    Executors and administrators -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century --Archives
    Finance -- England -- History -- 18th century -- Archives
    Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746.
    Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Sources
    Accounts -- Great Britain.
    Bonds (legal records) -- Great Britain.
    Business letters -- Great Britain.
    Deeds -- Great Britain.
    Ephemera -- Great Britain.
    Indentures -- Great Britain.
    Letters (correspondence) -- Great Britain.