Wellington-Elrington Papers, 1817-1963, bulk 1827-1848

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Summary

Title:
Wellington-Elrington Papers
Dates:
1817-1963, bulk 1827-1848
Creators:
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852.
Abstract:
This collection contains papers of British soldier and statesman Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), chiefly related to Wellingon's work as Constable of the Tower of London, including letters and documents pertaining to the day to day running of the Tower and Wellington's efforts to reform the long-standing traditions of the staff and personnel who lived and worked in the Tower.
Extent:
6.25 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Wellington-Elrington papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The papers consist of the following series:

1. Correspondence, Manuscripts & Documents (Boxes 1-5) are arranged alphabetically by author and title. Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, was appointed Constable of the Tower of London by George IV in 1827. A sinecure of high honor, the post of Constable was also very lucrative. The constable was not required to reside in the Tower, and the actual administration of it was traditionally carried out by a staff officer, the Tower Major. Wellington, however, took his responsibilities seriously and closely supervised Tower Major John Henry Elrington. The papers include letters and documents pertaining to the day to day running of the Tower and the efforts of Wellington to reform the long-standing traditions of the staff and personnel who lived and worked in the Tower.

The majority of the letters are written by Wellington to Elrington, with a small number written to Colonel Sir Francis Hastings Doyle. The remainder of the letters include five letters written by Elrington to Wellington, 34 letters from Wellington's secretary Algernon Frederick Greville to various addressees, and a small number of letters from, among others, Sir George Cathcart, Fox Maule-Ramsay (Earl of Dalhouise), George Sackville-West (Earl De La Warr), John Gurwood, William Loftus, Sir John Pirie, Arthur Marcus Cecil Sandys (Baron Sandys), and one letter from Gerald Wellesley (Duke of Wellington). There are two 20th century manuscripts, based upon the material in the collection, written by Frank Benjamin Maggs and Ralph Partridge. There is also one folder of Ephemera.

Biographical / historical:

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), British soldier and statesman. Wellington was born in Ireland on May 1, 1769, and after an unpromising childhood and scholastic career entered the army. After service in the Netherlands and India, in May of 1808, he left England and served in the Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars, finally defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He was twice prime minister (1828-1830 and 1834, Nov.-Dec.) and remained Commander-in-Chief of the British Army until his death on September 14, 1852.

Acquisition information:
Acquired from Maggs Bros., London, Sale 954, Lot 146, August 27, 1973.
Arrangement:

Organized in the following manner: 1. Correspondence, Manuscripts, Documents & Ephemera (Boxes 1-5). Arranged alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Bibliography:

Hibbert, Christopher. <em>Wellington: A Personal History </em>(Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1997).

Longford, Elizabeth. <em>Wellington: The Years of the Sword </em>(New York: Harper &amp; Row Publishers, 1969).

Longford, Elizabeth. <em>Wellington: Pillar of State </em>(New York: Harper &amp; Row Publishers, 1972).

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 58, eds. H.C.G. Matthew and B. Harrison (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), pp. 1-27.

Rowse, A.L. <em>The Tower of London in the History of England </em>(New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1972).

Thompson, Neville. <em>Wellington After Waterloo </em>(London: Routledge &amp; Keegan Paul, 1986). Wilson, Derek. <em>The Tower of London </em>(Dorset: Constable and Co Limited, 1989).

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Gayle M. Richardson, March 30, 2012.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-26 13:42:05 -0800 .

Access and use

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]. Wellington-Elrington papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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