Pulteney (William) Papers, 1638-1880, bulk 1750-1818

Summary

Title:

William Pulteney papers

Dates:

1638-1880, bulk 1750-1818

Creators:

Pulteney, William

Abstract:

A collection of correspondence, manuscripts and documents related to Sir William Pulteney, 5th Bart.; material deals primarily with his family, business dealings and political work.

Extent:

43.2 Linear Feet (36 boxes)

Language:

The material is in English and French.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], William Pulteney papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The bulk of the collection consists of letters addressed to Sir William Pulteney, and an additional several hundred letters addressed to Sir James Murray-Pulteney (written 1790-1811). The collection includes the Johnstone and Pulteney families, including accounts of the death of Sir William Pulteney, Earl of Bath, and the publication of his Memoirs; also, numerous letters from Sir William Pulteney's brothers, sister, and father relating to family affairs. A large number of letters and documents deal with the administration of Sir William Pulteney's property in Scotland and his wife's properties in Bath, as well as letters from several agents discussing farming, limestone quarries, coal mines and mining. The collection also includes letters and documents dealing with the political affairs in Great Britain, 1765-1785, including Shropshire elections and politics, electioneering in general, and the American Revolution. In addition there is material that covers The East India Company, the Pulteney Bridge at Bath, the Birmingham Canal, road conditions in Scotland, liquor smuggling, Tobago under Governor George Ferguson and the organization of local militias (1800-1810).

Biographical / historical:

William Johnstone, afterward Sir William Pulteney (1729-1805), 5th Bart., M.P. for Cromartyshire (1768-1774) and for Shrewsbury (1885-1805), and the author of several political pamphlets. He was the son of Sir James Johnstone, Bart. of Westerhall Co. Dumfries; in 1760 he married Frances Pulteney, the heiress of the estates of Sir William Pulteney, Earl of Bath (d. 1764) and General Harry Pulteney (d. 1767). After her death in 1782, Sir William Pulteney married Margaret, widow of Andrew Stewart of Castlemilk. Pulteney's "principal interests were in financial and economic matters, which encompassed American and East Indian affairs, agriculture, fisheries, and transport throughout Great Britain" (DNB); at the time of his death, William Pulteney was reputedly the wealthiest man in Great Britain. After Pulteney's death in 1805, his fortune passed to Henrietta Laura Pulteney, Countess of Bath, his only daughter and heir; in 1794 she married her cousin, Sir James Murray of Hillhead Co. Midlothian, Bart. (ca. 1751-1811) who assumed the additional name of Pulteney.

Acquisition information:

Purchased from Maggs Bros. Ltd, London, June 18, 1952.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized in the following series: Correspondence, Manuscripts and Documents (Boxes 1-36); Ephemera (Box 36); arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Other descriptive data:

Cataloger's Notes: 1. Thomas W. Newton sorted and arranged a portion of the William Pulteney Papers, as noted in his letter to Frederick Ouvry, July 29, 1880 (PU 2087). In the process of arranging the material, Newton numbered each item in red ink; these numbers were not used by the Huntington cataloger, nor were they noted on the folders or in the finding aid.

2. The Huntington Library cataloger was not always consistent when writing some names on folders. In creating the finding aid, it was decided to use one form of a name consistently throughout the finding aid for purposes of searching and research.

Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssPU 1-2087.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Administration of estates -- Scotland -- 18th century
Administration of estates -- Scotland -- 19th century
Agriculture -- Scotland -- History -- 18th century
Agriculture -- Scotland -- History -- 19th century
Coal -- Scotland -- History -- 18th century
Limestone industry -- Scotland -- History -- 18th century
Mines and mineral resources -- Scotland -- History -- 18th century
Politicians -- Great Britain -- Correspondence
Documents -– Great Britain -- 18th century
Documents -– Great Britain -- 19th century
Family papers -– Great Britain -- 18th century
Family papers -– Great Britain -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) –- Great Britain -- 18th century
Letters (correspondence) -– Great Britain -- 19th century
Manuscripts -– Great Britain -- 18th century
Manuscripts -– Great Britain -- 19th century

Names:

East India Company -- History -- 18th century
East India Company -- History -- 19th century
Tobago (Colony). Governor (1781 : Ferguson)
Bath, William Pulteney, Earl of, 1684-1764
Ferguson, George, active 1781
Pulteney, James, Sir, approximately 1751-1811

Places:

Bath (England) -- History -- 18th century
Bath (England) -- History -- 19th century
Birmingham Canal (England)
Great Britain -- Colonies -- America
Great Britain -- History -- 18th century
Great Britain -- History -- 19th century
Scotland -- History -- 18th century
Scotland -- History -- 19th century
United States -- History -- French and Indian War, 1754-1763
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Finding aid prepared by Gayle M. Richardson.

Date Encoded:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-06-16 14:05:01 -0700 .

Restrictions:

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

Terms of access:

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], William Pulteney papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:

Huntington Library, Manuscript Collections

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, CA 91108, US

Contact:

(626) 405-2191

reference@huntington.org

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