Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
General
Related Materials
Existence and Location of Copies
Arrangement
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: William Blathwayt papers addenda
Creator:
Blathwayt, William, 1649?-1717
Identifier/Call Number: mssBLA
Physical Description:
3.5 Linear Feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1668-1734
Date (bulk): 1668-1672
Abstract: This collection consists of 195 pieces
of business, diplomatic, and personal correspondence and accounts primarily accumulated by
English civil servant William Blathwayt (1649-1717) during his service as a clerk in The
Hague (1668-1672) and his tour of Europe in 1672, with some items dated 1682 and a few
pieces relating to colonies in East and West Indies. Approximately twenty items are secret
diplomatic correspondence and intelligence reports from agents throughout Europe, dating
from 1720 to 1734 (after Blathwayt's death).
Language of Material: The records are in English, French,
and Dutch.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
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 Blathwayt papers addenda, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Sotheby's through the agency of Maggs Bros. on December 6, 1984.
Biographical / Historical
English politician and administrator William Blathwayt (1649-1717) was one of the most
distinguished civil servants of his time. Blathwayt was born in London, England, in 1649.
Beginning in 1665, he attended the Middle Temple and in 1668 entered public life as clerk in
the embassy of Sir William Temple at The Hague (1668-1672). The Embassy was established with
the purpose of implementing the Triple Alliance (1668) and was closed in 1672, following the
secret treaty between Charles II and Louis XIV (1670) and the outbreak of the Third
Anglo-Dutch War (1672). In 1672, Blathwayt toured Germany and Italy, before returning to
England.
Through the influence of his uncles, Thomas and Richard Povey, both of whom were prominent
in colonial affairs, Blathwayt secured a position in the Plantation Office in 1675 as a
minor clerk. Advancement came rapidly, and among the offices administered from that time on,
were: Clerk Extraordinary of the Privy Council (1678); Secretary of the Lords of Trade
(1679-1696); Surveyor and Auditor General of Plantation Revenues (1680-until his death);
Under-Secretary of State to Lord Conway in the Northern department (1681-1683); Secretary at
War (1683-1704); Clerk in Ordinary of the Privy Council (1686-1689); acting Secretary of
State with William III, during his campaigns in the Low Countries in Flanders (1692-1701);
member of Parliament for Bath (1693-1710); and a member of the Board of Trade (1696-1707).
During the reign of Queen Anne, he gradually lost his posts: in 1704 he was dismissed as
Secretary at War, in 1707 lost his Board of Trade position, and three years later, his seat
in Parliament. In 1712, Blathwayt, driven from active public life by ill health, withdrew to
his seat at Dyrham Park, where the last five years of his life were spent in retirement.
Blathwayt married Mary Wynter (1650-1691) of Dyrham Park in December 1686, and the couple
had two surviving sons and a daughter. William Blathwayt died at Dyrham Park on August 16,
1717.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of 195 pieces of business, diplomatic, and personal correspondence
and accounts primarily accumulated by English civil servant William Blathwayt (1649-1717)
during his service as a clerk in The Hague (1668-1672) and his tour of Europe in 1672, with
some items dated 1682 and a few pieces relating to British colonies in the East and West
Indies. Approximately twenty items are secret diplomatic correspondence and intelligence
reports from agents throughout Europe, dating from 1720 to 1734 (after Blathwayt's
death).
Blathwayt Correspondence, 1668-1682
The correspondence of William Blathwayt primarily pertains to the affairs of the English
Embassy in The Hague, international affairs, and the personal affairs and professional
duties of Blathwayt, including his acquisition of rare books and antiques, particularly his
dealings with Daniel Elzevir.
The documents related to the affairs of the English Embassy in The Hague date from 1668 to
1672 and include negotiations about the release of ships and goods seized during the Second
Anglo-Dutch War; affairs of English sailors and merchants in the Low Countries; and the
salvage of a cargo of tin sunk off the port of Ostend (1666-1669).
The documents related to international affairs primarily concern the secret treaty of
Dover (1670) and the events leading to the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-1674); foreign
relations with Sweden, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and Russia, as reflected in letters to
Blathwayt from English diplomats and memoranda submitted to King Charles II by the
Ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire in London (1682).
Among the correspondents represented are Amsterdam lawyer Paulus Buys (18 items);
Amsterdam book commissioner and agent J. D. Benoist (3 items); English factotum in Amsterdam
Edmond Custis (15 items); Thomas Downton, the 1st secretary of William Temple (8 items); E.
Jollyvet (4 items); Tannegui Lefebvre (2 items) Edward Meredith, an English diplomat in
Spain (3 items); Sir William Temple (11 items); Count Franz Sigmund von Thun (6 items);
Amsterdam merchant Dirck Van Pas (7 items); Sir John Werden (7 items); and Robert Wolseley
(3 items).
Diplomatic and intelligence reports, 1720-1734
The collection also includes letters and dispatches (including ciphered messages), written
between 1720 and 1734 (after Blathwayt's death), from intelligence agents in Berlin,
Hamburg, Cambrai, Paris, Port Sainte Marie (Spain), and Madrid addressed to Alexander
Hume-Campbell, 2nd Earl of Marchmont, Charles Withworth, Charles Townshend, and Thomas
Pelham-Holles, 4th Duke of Newcastle. The documents contain information on affairs in
Brandenburg-Prussia, Russia, Spain, France, and Italy. Correspondents include: Giovanni
Battista Paretti, Charles du Bourgay, and Sir Cyril Wich, although most dispatches are
anonymous.
General
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssBLA 1-195.
Related Materials
-
William Blathwayt Papers
-
Correspondence and documents from the office of William
Blathwayt
Existence and Location of Copies
Arrangement
The collection is arranged chronologically and organized in the following manner:
- Box 1: Blathwayt correspondence (1668-Nov. 1669)
- Box 2: Blathwayt correspondence (Dec. 1669-1670)
- Box 3: Blathwayt correspondence (1671-1682 and undated) and diplomatic correspondence
and intelligence reports (1720-1734)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Anglo-Dutch War, 1664-1667.
Book collecting -- Great Britain -- 17th century
Diplomats -- Great Britain -- 17th century -- Correspondence
Dutch War, 1674-1678.
Intelligence service -- Great Britain -- 17th century
Maritime law -- History -- 17th century -- Sources
Antiques -- Great Britain -- 17th century
Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- 17th century
Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- 18th century
Great Britain -- History -- Stuarts, 1603-1714 -- Sources
Great Britain -- History -- 18th century -- Sources
Letters (correspondence) -- Great Britain -- 17th century
Professional papers -- Great Britain -- 17th century
Personal papers -- Great Britain -- 17th century
Blathwayt, William, 1649?-1717 --
Archives
Marchmont, Alexander
Hume-Campbell, Earl of, 1675-1740, correspondent.
Newcastle, Thomas Pelham-Holles,
Duke of, 1693-1768, correspondent.
Temple, William,
1628-1699
Townshend, Charles Townshend,
Viscount, 1674-1738, correspondent.
Whitworth, Charles Whitworth,
Baron, 1675-1725, correspondent.
Great Britain. Embassy (Hague, Netherlands),
1668-1672 -- Correspondence.