Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Blathwayt (William) Papers
mssBL
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: William Blathwayt papers
Creator:
Blathwayt, William, 1649?-1717
Identifier/Call Number: mssBL
Physical Description:
11.7 Linear Feet
(9 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Date (inclusive): 1657-1770
Date (bulk): 1660-1709
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence
and documents primarily accumulated by English civil servant William Blathwayt (1649-1717)
in his capacity as a British government official in such roles as surveyor and auditor
general of plantation revenues and secretary and member of the Lords of Trade. The bulk of
the papers date from 1660 to 1709 and chiefly relate to the British colonies in North
America and the West Indies.
Language of Material: The records are in English and
French.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
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.
[Identification of item]. William Blathwayt papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Dr. A. S. W. Rosenbach in July 1924.
With the exception of twenty-seven letters addressed to Richard Nicolls, first English
governor of the colony of New York, and a few odd pieces written after 1717, the collection
appears to have been a natural accumulation of Blathwayt's office records. Presumably these
were transferred from London to Dyrham Park in 1712. After Blathwayt's death they were
carried to King's Weston by his son-in-law, Edward Southwell. Here they remained until
purchased by Sir Thomas Phillipps of Cheltenham, and were known as Phillipps MSS. no. 8550.
A portion of the Phillipps Library was offered for sale in 1908, including these papers, and
they changed hands at least once more, through the agency of Sotheby's.
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). 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.
This collection contains correspondence and documents primarily accumulated by English
civil servant William Blathwayt (1649-1717) in his capacity as a British government official
in such roles as Surveyor and Auditor General of Plantation Revenues and Secretary and
member of the Lords of Trade. The bulk of the papers date from 1660 to 1709 and chiefly
relate to the British colonies in North America and the West Indies.
Papers having to do with the British West Indies primarily concern relations with the
Crown (including administration, taxation, and defenses) and local conditions (including
orders of governor, council, and assembly; management of blacks; piracy; and trade and
shipping). Geographically, the documents concern: Antigua (7 pieces), Bahamas (4), Barbados
(48), Bermudas (5), Jamaica (35), Montserrat (1), Nevis (4), St. Christopher's (2), and
Tobago (1).
Papers having to do with North America pertain to relations with the Crown (including the
administration of governments, charter and proprietary; taxation; and defense) and local
conditions (including orders of governor, council, and assembly; political corruption;
trade, shipping, etc.; Indian affairs; French encroachments; and piracy). Geographically,
the documents concern: Canada (14), Newfoundland (4), Rhode Island (3), Massachusetts (43),
New Hampshire (19), Connecticut (1), New York (77), Pennsylvania (4), Maryland (26),
Virginia (51), Carolinas (2), Florida (3).
Within the collection there are also 27 unofficial letters, dating from 1664 to 1668,
addressed to Richard Nicolls, the first English governor of the colony of New York, from Sir
William Berkeley, Charles Calvert and Philip Calvert, Thomas Ludwell, Nathaniel Utie, and
Jerome White. The correspondence deals with trade and shipping, runaway slaves, and tobacco.
Correspondents represented by five or more pieces in the collection are: Sir William
Beeston (5), Sir William Berkeley (14), William Blathwayt (32), Philip Calvert (7), George
Clarke (8), Edward D'Oyley (6), Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury (7), William Lowndes (9), John
Nanfan (16), Samuel Penhallow (6), John Povey (8), and Edward Randolph (10).
Within the collection, originals predominate slightly. Copies are all contemporary, and
most of them are attested and bear Blathwayt's endorsement.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssBL 1-423. Some earlier catalog
records and finding aids for the collection incorrectly indicated a call number range of BL
1-461.
Existence and Location of Copies
This collection has been digitized in its entirety and the digital reproductions are
available in the
Huntington Digital Library.
- William Blathwayt Papers (Addenda)
- Correspondence and documents from the office of William Blathwayt
The collection is arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Great Britain -- Colonies -- America -- History -- 17th century --
Sources
Great Britain -- Colonies -- America -- History -- 18th century --
Sources
United States -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 --
Sources
West Indies -- History -- 17th century -- Sources
West Indies -- History -- 18th century -- Sources
Letters (correspondence) -- Great Britain -- 17th century
Government records -- Great Britain -- 17th century
Personal papers -- Great Britain -- 17th century
Nicolls, Richard,
1624-1672
Blathwayt, William, 1649?-1717 --
Archives