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Arthur Godley, Baron Kilbracken, Letters
H.Mss.1066  
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Collection Details
 
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  • Descriptive Summary
  • Administrative Information
  • Scope and Contents of the Collection
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: Arthur Godley, Baron Kilbracken, Letters
    Dates: 1875-1899 and undated
    Bulk Dates: 1898-1899
    Collection number: H.Mss.1066
    Creator: Kilbracken, Arthur Godley, Baron, 1847-1932
    Extent: 1 document box
    Repository: Claremont Colleges. Library. Special Collections, Honnold/Mudd Library. Claremont, CA 91711.
    Abstract: This collection contains the letters of Arthur Godley, Baron Kilbracken to his adult daughter Helen from the years of 1898-1899, along with two photographs of Helen from 1875. An additional autograph letter signed by Catherine Gladstone (wife of Prime Minister William Gladstone) to Walter Charles James is also included. The letters were written during Godley's time as Under-Secretary of State in India and provide an intimate picture of the private, upper-class world of the time, while also encompassing the larger political and social scene in late 1890s Britain. Topics include family and government matters, travels, societal events, and notable figures.
    Physical location: Please consult repository.
    Language of materials: Languages represented in the collection: English

    Administrative Information

    Access

    This collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to Special Collections.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Arthur Godley Baron Kilbracken Letters (H.MSS.1066). Special Collections, Honnold/Mudd Library, Claremont University Consortium.

    Immediate Source of Acquisition note

    Purchase, 2015.

    Accruals

    No additions to the collection are anticipated.

    Processing Information

    This collection was processed by Hannah Blythe, Claremont Graduate University in Fall 2015. The collection has been arranaged to the item level, chronologically by date on letter. Two folders appear at the front of the collection containing collection information and photographs. Remaining folders contain a single letter. Undated letters appear at end of collection followed by the Catherine Gladstone letter.

    Biographical Information

    Arthur Godley, Baron Kilbracken (1847-1932) had an illustrious career as a civil servant and was acquainted with many well-known figures of his time. A decorated Oxford scholar, he served as assistant private secretary to Prime Minister William Gladstone from 1872 to 1874, and as principal secretary to Gladstone from 1880 to 1882. In 1883 he was appointed Under-Secretary of State of India, a post he retained until his retirement in 1909, though he himself never visited the country. Working well within British politics, Godley did not, however, advance the interests of the Indian National Congress during his time in the India Office. In his later years, he was made Baron Kilbracken of Killegar, served as chairman of the board for Rugby School, and was a trustee at the British Museum. Godley married his wife Sarah in 1871, and together they had two sons and three daughters.

    Scope and Contents of the Collection

    The letters in this collection span 1898-1899 and are written to his just married daughter Helen, detailing his life as under-secretary. The collection contains nearly 400 pages of Godley’s light-hearted thoughts about family and government matters, about his travels (he was especially fond of visiting churches and reveals keen knowledge of architecture), his reading, the cause of women's rights (Helen was a supporter of women's rights), dinners and other occasions with imporant people. He also writes of other matters, including religious bills before Parliament, bicycling, the perils of foreign travel, and the memorial windows to Jane Austen newly installed at Westminster Cathedral. Among the people mentioned in the letters are the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Curzon, Rudyard Kipling and the dukes of York and Cambridge. The majority of the collection consists of complete letters, with a few undated partial letters, two photographs of Helen at the age of three and an autograph letter signed by William Gladstone's wife, Catherine, to Walter Charles James referring to the installation of James's son-in-law, Godley, as Gladstone's private secretary.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library’s online public access catalog.

    Subject Terms

    British politics and society
    Father-daughter relationship
    India
    Secretary of State (England and Wales)
    Women's rights

    Genre and Form of Materials

    Correspondence
    Photographs