Londonderry Estates
Reference: D/Lo/C Catalogue Title: Londonderry Estates Area: Catalogue Category: Estate and Family Records Description: Correspondence (part 1)
Covering Dates: c.1791-1951
Catalogue Index
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- Londonderry Estates
- CORRESPONDENCE (Ref: D/Lo/C)
- LONDONDERRY FAMILY: POLITICAL, ESTATE AND PERSONAL LETTERS (Ref: D/Lo/C 1-260)
- Papers of Lord Castlereagh (Ref: D/Lo/C 1-36)
- State Papers, 1804 - 1816 (Ref: D/Lo/C 1-16)
- Diplomatic despatches and letters (Ref: D/Lo/C 17-36)
- Peninsular War, 1808 - 1812 (Ref: D/Lo/C 17-19)
- The Congresses, 1815 - 1820 (Ref: D/Lo/C 20-27)
- Various subjects (Ref: D/Lo/C 28-31)
- Miscellaneous private and political correspondence (Ref: D/Lo/C 32-36)
- Papers of Lord Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (Ref: D/Lo/C 37-166)
- Despatches and other diplomatic correspondence (Ref: D/Lo/C 37-63)
- Drafts of official despatches from Lord Stewart to Lord Castlereagh, 1813, 1815 - 1821 (Ref: D/Lo/C 37/1-11)
- Drafts of the separate and secret despatches from Lord Stewart to Lord Castlereagh (Ref: D/Lo/C 38/1-6)
- Despatches relating to special topics, kept in separate series (Ref: D/Lo/C 39-44)
- Princess of Wales (Ref: D/Lo/C 39-42)
- Secret Agents (Ref: D/Lo/C 43)
- Secret Service Money (Ref: D/Lo/C 44)
- Letters and despatches to Lord Stewart and draft replies from him to other British representatives (Ref: D/Lo/C 45-52)
- Prince Metternich (Ref: D/Lo/C 53)
- Catholic Emancipation (Ref: D/Lo/C 54)
- Miscellaneous despatches, letters, diplomatic papers and memoranda, 1813 - 1820 (Ref: D/Lo/C 55/1-16)
- Letters and papers concerning the financial and domestic arrangements for the Vienna Embassy (Ref: D/Lo/C 56-60)
- Miscellaneous papers relating to the Embassy (Ref: D/Lo/C 61-63)
- Political and personal correspondence (Ref: D/Lo/C 64-140)
- Series of letters arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent (Ref: D/Lo/C 64-117)
- Letters from various persons arranged according to subject (Ref: D/Lo/C 118-140)
- Business and estate correspondence (Ref: D/Lo/C 141-157)
- Letters arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent (Ref: D/Lo/C 141-154)
- Letters arranged by subject (Ref: D/Lo/C 155-157)
- Irish correspondence (Ref: D/Lo/C 158-166)
- Correspondence of Frances Anne, Marchioness of Londonderry (Ref: D/Lo/C 167-216)
- Personal correspondence (Ref: D/Lo/C 167-184)
- Letters arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent (Ref: D/Lo/C 167-182)
- Letters arranged by subject (Ref: D/Lo/C 183-184)
- Estate and business correspondence (Ref: D/Lo/C 185-216)
- Letters arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent (Ref: D/Lo/C 185-211)
- Letters arranged by subject (Ref: D/Lo/C 212-216)
- Correspondence of Henry, 5th Marquess of Londonderry (Ref: D/Lo/C 217-223)
- Estate and business correspondence (Ref: D/Lo/C 217-223)
- Correspondence of Lord Adolphus Vane-Tempest (Ref: D/Lo/C 224-235)
- Family Letters (Ref: D/Lo/C 224-229)
- Letters from various correspondents (Ref: D/Lo/C 230)
- Letters concerning various subjects (Ref: D/Lo/C 231-235)
- Correspondence of Charles, 7th Marquess of Londonderry (Ref: D/Lo/C 236-250)
- Political and personal letters (Ref: D/Lo/C 236-244)
- Family and business matters (Ref: D/Lo/C 245-250)
- Correspondence of Edith, Marchioness of Londonderry (Ref: D/Lo/C 251-256)
- Files of in and out-letters (Ref: D/Lo/C 251/1-27)
- Miscellaneous letters not in files (Ref: D/Lo/C 252)
- Letters arranged by subject (Ref: D/Lo/C 253-256)
- Miscellaneous Letters and Artificial Collections (Ref: D/Lo/C 257-260)
- LONDONDERRY AGENTS, STEWARDS, REPRESENTATIVES AND PERSONS CONNECTED WITH THE FAMILY, MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENTS, ETC. (Ref: D/Lo/C 261-430)
- Letters arranged alphabetically by name of agent etc. (Ref: D/Lo/C 261-351)
- Anderson, Robert (Ref: D/Lo/C 261-265)
- Apperley, Newton (Ref: D/Lo/C 266)
- Buddle, John (Ref: D/Lo/C 267-273)
- Clayton, William (Ref: D/Lo/C 274)
- Corbett, Vincent (Ref: D/Lo/C 275-276)
- Dillon, Malcolm (Ref: D/Lo/C 277-280)
- Ditchfield, Samuel James (Ref: D/Lo/C 281-282)
- Elliot, George (Ref: D/Lo/C 283)
- Eminson, John Brett (Ref: D/Lo/C 284-316)
- Gregson, John (Ref: D/Lo/C 317)
- Groom, Richard and William (Ref: D/Lo/C 318-320)
- Hawkes, William (Ref: D/Lo/C 321-322)
- Hindhaugh, Nathaniel (Ref: D/Lo/C 323-329)
- Hunter, George (Ref: D/Lo/C 330-331)
- Iveson, John (Ref: D/Lo/C 332-334)
- McDonnell, Edmund, of Glenarm (Antrim) (Ref: D/Lo/C 335-337)
- Meiklejohn, David Watson (Ref: D/Lo/C 338-341)
- Murray, Thomas (Ref: D/Lo/C 342)
- Ravenshaw, J. H. (Ref: D/Lo/C 343)
- Shaw, Tryran George (Ref: D/Lo/C 344-345)
- Upton & Co. (Ref: D/Lo/C 346)
- Warham, William (Ref: D/Lo/C 347-348)
- Wilson, R. M. (Ref: D/Lo/C 349)
- Wilthew, Neville Wilthew (Ref: D/Lo/C 350)
- Londonderry agents, various (Ref: D/Lo/C 351)
- Letter books (Ref: D/Lo/C 352-430)
- Letter books of Wynyard agents (Ref: D/Lo/C 352-418)
- Letter books of Neville Wilthew relating to the Irish estates (Ref: D/Lo/C 419-427)
- Letter books of Neville Wilthew relating to various subjects (Ref: D/Lo/C 428-430)
- MISCELLANEOUS CORRESPONDENCE (Ref: D/Lo/C 431-434)
Catalogue Description
Accepted by HM Government in Lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to Durham County Record Office, 2016CORRESPONDENCE
The correspondence is particularly voluminous and diverse although paradoxically the more recent is less well preserved than the earlier. In the mid-nineteenth century, probably as a result of Sir Archibald Alison's work on the manuscripts, the diplomatic papers and the correspondence of both the 3rd Marquess and his wife were arranged in files, fastened together by large brass screws pushed through the top left hand corner, and boxed in volume-type containers. This arrangement eased the problem of sorting when the manuscripts were deposited but unfortunately not only had certain letters and papers been overlooked but a number of items had been arranged on a subject system instead. It was decided to maintain the arrangement by correspondent in its entirety with the necessary additions and corrections. A number of miscellaneous letters clearly related to the same topics and these were therefore formed into new subject files, leaving only a small irreducible nucleus of 'miscellanea'. In listing the recipient has been taken as the norm and the writers are listed alphabetically under this main head, with a brief indication of the subjects of their letters, covering dates and the number of items.
The diplomatic papers of Lord Castlereagh and Lord Stewart, also included in this section, presented special problems. It was clear that despite the removal of most of the Castlereagh MSS to Ireland items had remained in their original home and a careful examination was necessary to identify these. In the event 288 items were recognised as having been in the possession of Lord Castlereagh himself (D/Lo/C 1-36). The largest continuous series are the 72 letters sent from the peninsula by Sir Charles Stewart, as he then was, to his half brother from 1808 until 1812. These are detailed eye-witness accounts of the campaigns with additional valuable material on the relationships and characters of the Allied commanders. Also of interest are the reports from secret agents in France in 1815 and 1816 (D/Lo/C 26).
The fine series of Lord Stewart's diplomatic papers totals over 1 ,000 files and here too some archival research was necessary before the papers could be reduced to satisfactory order. First there are the draft official despatches containing formal news; these are accompanied frequently by a separate series reserved for more confidential matters written in full in Lord Stewart's hand, with passages marked for turning into cypher. Finally there are personal communications between Castlereagh and Stewart for family affairs or State matters of the utmost delicacy. The value of these papers for a study of British policy in the 'Congress Period' will be quickly apparent.
The extent to which Lord Stewart maintained his political connections after he became Marquess of Londonderry and retired from diplomatic service is shown by the 3,000 letters he received from friends who included Disraeli, Lord Aberdeen, Sir James Graham, Lord Hardinge, Sir Robert Peel, Lord Derby and the Duke of Wellington. An especially interesting and unusual correspondent was the King of Hanover (D/Lo/C 72) and the subjects include( in this section range from Abd-el-Kadir to Lola Montes, the Eglinton Tournament to Catholic Emancipation. In addition there are some 5,500 letters relating to business and the estates.
With Frances Anne, Marchioness of Londonderry, the balance swings as might be expected to the estates and to family affairs. Mention must be made of the letters written by Lord Adolphus Vane to his mother from the Crimean campaign, some of which run to as many as 20 pages each (D/Lo/C 180 (4)). The letters from the agents and managers give detailed accounts of the administration of the estates and show how closely the Marchioness watched the activities of her servants. After the death of the Marchioness the main body of correspondence is that of the agents themselves but some of the political letters of the 7th Marquess are included at D/Lo/C 236-237, notably some interesting correspondence with Sir Nevil Henderson on British policy in regard to the Nazis, with Leo Amery on Chamberlain and with Herbert Morrison and others on air defence and bombing.
There is an especially large section of estate correspondence for the whole of the 19th century both as regards the letters sent by the agents and as regards the letters received by them, the bulk of which seem to have remained at the Seaham Office. In the case of John Buddle, the 3rd Marquess actually made a determined attempt to claim all his papers after his death in 1843 but in this he must have been unsuccessful as a large number of them are now in the Institute of Mining Engineers, Newcastle on Tyne, and some in the National Coal Boards Records at the Durham County Record Office. The agents, particularly at Seaham, became more and more important and more independent as time went on with the result that their correspondence tends to overshadow that of the holders of the title. For example the letters of John Eminson, agent from 1866 (D/Lo/C 284-316) and of Malcolm Dillon, agent from 1912 (D/Lo/C 277-280) contains much more than the normal estate business.
Catalogue Contents
See also D/Lo/C 435-440
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh (1769 - 1822), son of the first Marquess of Londonderry, M.P. for County Down 1790, became Irish Chief Secretary 1799 and supported the Union. Secretary of State for War 1805 and 1806 - 1809 during which time he planned the Peninsula expedition. Resigned after a duel with Canning but returned to the government in 1812 as Foreign Secretary which post he held until his death and was therefore in charge of British policy throughout the 'Congress period'.
For a brief account of the history of the Castlereagh Papers and the archival arrangement of the items listed below, etc. see the General Introduction and the Introduction to this section.
Charles William 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (1778 - 1854) was the half brother of Lord Castlereagh. He entered the army in 1794 and served in the Netherlands, Austria and the Peninsula where he was Adjutant-General to Wellington, 1808 - 1812, after commanding a brigade of cavalry. In 1815 he was sent as British Minister to Prussia and was present at the battles of Culm and Leipzig. In July 1814 he was appointed to the British delegation at the Congress of Vienna and remained as ambassador until 1822 when he resigned and devoted himself to the improvement of his Durham and Irish estates. On the death of Castlereagh, Stewart became Marquess of Londonderry. Sir Robert Peel appointed him to the St. Petersburg Embassy in 1835 but Shiel and Fergusson, two Radical members, supported by Lord Stanley, moved the cancellation of the appointment and Lord Londonderry resigned. He toured Germany, Russia and Scandinavia in 1856 and Vienna and the Balkans in 1840.
Lord Londonderry was made Colonel of the 2nd Life Guards (1841) and Lord Lieutenant of Durham (1843). He maintained his political contacts to the end of' his life and his frequent correspondents include Peel, Derby, Aberdeen and Wellington. Lord Londonderry also produced several books of memoirs and edited the correspondence of Lord Castlereagh. In 1852 he received the Duke of Wellington's Garter.
(For a discussion of the archival arrangement of these papers see the Introduction to this section)
Drafts of official despatches from Lord Stewart to Lord Castlereagh, 1813, 1815 - 1821 (Ref: D/Lo/C 37/1-11)Ref: D/Lo/C 37/1see also D/Lo/C 442 -497
Series of letters arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent (Ref: D/Lo/C 64-117)Aberdeen, 4th Earl of, see Gordon, George Hamilton
Anglesey, 1st Marquess of, see Paget, Henry William
Buckingham, 2nd Duke of, see Grenville, Richard
Burghersh, Lord, see Fane, John
Clancarty, 2nd Earl of, see Trench, Richard
Clarendon, 4th Earl of, see Villiers, George
Cleveland, 2nd Duke of, see Vane, Sir Henry
Derby, 14th Earl of see Stanley, Edward Geoffrey
Dudley, 1st Earl of, see Ward, John William
Dufferin, 2nd Baron, see Stevenson, John
Dungannon, 3rd Viscount, see Trevor, Arthur Hill
Durham, 1st Earl of, see Lambton John George
Eglinton, 13th Earl of, see Scott, John
Eldon, 2nd Earl of, see Scott, John
Goderich, Viscount, see Robinson, Frederick John
Hanover, King Ernest I of see Cumberland, Duke of
Hatherton, 1st Baron see Littleton, Edward John
Hertford, 3rd Marquess of, see Seymour, Francis
Mansfield, 3rd Earl of, see Murray David
Raglan, 1st Baron, see Somerset, Lord Fitzroy James
Ripon, 1st Earl of, see Robinson Frederick John
Roden, 3rd Earl of, see Jocelyn, Robert
Rutland, 5th Duke of, see Manners, John Henry
Strangford, 6th Viscount, see Smythe, Percy Clinton Sydney
See also D/Lo/C 498-511
Letters arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent (Ref: D/Lo/C 141-154)Anderson, Robert, see D/Lo/C 185
Ref: D/Lo/C 141See also D/Lo/C 512-522
Ref: D/Lo/C 158Frances Anne Vane-Tempest (1800 - 1865) was the daughter and heiress of Sir Henry Vane-Tempest. She married the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry in 1819 and, after his death in 1854, ran the estates and commercial enterprises with the assistance of her sons, Earl Vane and Lord Adolphus Vane. She resided mainly at Seaham Hall until her death. A close friend of Disraeli she appears as the 'Marchioness of Deloraine' in Sybil.
See also D/Lo/C 523-568
See also D/Lo/C 524
Letters arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent (Ref: D/Lo/C 167-182)Argyll, 8th Duke of, see Campbell, George Douglas
Clarendon, 4th Earl of, see Villiers, George William Frederick
Durham, 2nd Earl of, see Lambton, George Frederick D'Arcy
Durham, Bishop of, see Longley, Charles Thomas
Rokeby, 6th Baron, see Robinson-Montagu, Henry
See also D/Lo/C 553-568
Letters arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent (Ref: D/Lo/C 185-211)Ref: D/Lo/C 185See also D/Lo/C 573-624
George Henry Robert Charles William, Viscount Seaham and 5th Marquess of Londonderry (1821 - 1884) was the eldest son of the 3rd Marquess and Lady Frances Anne. He was a lieutenant in the Life Guards and represented North Durham in Parliament from 1847 until 1854 when he succeeded his father as Earl Vane. He resided largely on his wife's estates in Wales. In 1872 he succeeded to the Marquessate on the death of his half brother.
Very little of his personal correspondence survives and much of his business was handled by, first his mother, and subsequently the agents. The bulk of the estate letters therefore are those listed below as the correspondence of J. B. Eminson, who became chief agent in 1865, including items addressed to Earl Vane and either passed to Eminson for answers or filed away by him at the Seaham office. (For further letters to the 5th Marquess see D/Lo/C 259)
Letters arranged alphabetically by correspondent
Anderson, Robert, agent at Seaham Harbour, see D/Lo/C 185
Lord Adolphus Vane-Tempest (1825 - 1864) was the second son of the 3rd Marquess and Lady Frances Anne and brother of the 5th Marquess. A Lieutenant Colonel in the Scots Guards, he saw service in Corfu, India and the Crimea. He represented Durham City from 1852 - 1853 and North Durham 1854 - 1865. He took charge of the blast furnace project at Seaham. In 1861 he married Susan, daughter of the 5th Duke of Newcastle.
Family Letters (Ref: D/Lo/C 224-229)Ref: D/Lo/C 224See also D/Lo/C 692
Edith, Marchioness of Londonderry (1879 - 1959) was the daughter of Henry, 1st Viscount Chaplin. She married the 7th Marquess of Londonderry in 1899 and subsequently became the leading Conservative hostess. Founder of the Women's Legion she was active in war and social work and was the author of a life of her father (1926), The Magic Ink pot (1928), Character and Tradition (1935), Retrospect (1938) and Frances Anne (1958). In view of her varied activities her correspondents included many eminent contemporaries.
This section is comprised mainly of letters collected together for specific purposes at a subsequent date or returned by the recipient or his descendant to the Londonderry Estate for antiquarian reasons
Ref: D/Lo/C 257Agent at Wynyard
Ref: D/Lo/C 266See also D/Lo/C 142
Ref: D/Lo/C 267See also D/Lo/C 701
Ref: D/Lo/C 274Chief viewer, Londonderry collieries
Ref: D/Lo/C 275Chief agent at Seaham from 1912, J.P., County Councillor and Chairman of the Seaham Unionist Association
Ref: D/Lo/C 277Coal fitter and agent at Seaham, French Vice-Consul
Ref: D/Lo/C 281Of Houghton Hall, mining engineer, and colliery and general agent for Lord Londonderry
See also D/Lo/C 702-703
Chief agent at Seaham Harbour
See also D/Lo/C 704-723
This correspondence was found roughly sorted into a number of general bundles and a series arranged according to the sender. This order has been maintained in listing. The letters are very largely concerned with estate and business affairs but, as was the case with many of the Londonderry agents, personal letters were often passed to Eminson to answer, particularly by the 5th Marquess for whom he acted as secretary until about 1869, so that a clear division between the personal and estate correspondence for these years has not been possible and many of the 5th Marquess's letters are included in the sections listed below.
Solicitor
See also D/Lo/C 728-732
Henrietta Street, Cavendish Square, London.
See also D/Lo/C 733-734
The Grooms were Lord Castlereagh's solicitors and were concerned in various negotiations relating to the Londonderry Trust. William Groom of Lincoln's Inn was Lord Castlereagh's solicitor. After the latter's death he and George Holford M.P., were the literary executors and it was they who placed the Castlereagh manuscripts under the protection of chancery to prevent the Government recalling them.
agent at Wynyard
See also D/Lo/C 735-736
Colliery manager at Penshaw, later chief viewer of the Londonderry collieries
See also D/Lo/C 738-740
agent at Penshaw Colliery
Ref: D/Lo/C 33047 Pall Mall, agent for the estates of Lady Frances Anne Tempest
Ref: D/Lo/C 332Married the Countess of Antrim and therefore became one of the Londonderry Trustees until 1852
See also D/Lo/C 764-766
Agent at Wynyard Park
Ref: D/Lo/C 338Agent at Wynyard Park
See also D/Lo/C 767
Agent at Seaham Harbour
Ref: D/Lo/C 343Agent at Seaham Harbour
Ref: D/Lo/C 344-345Solicitors, 20 Austin Friars, London
Ref: D/Lo/C 346Auditor at the Londonderry offices, Seaham Harbour
See also D/Lo/C 770
Agent at Seaham Hall
Ref: D/Lo/C 349Agent at Wynyard Park
Ref: D/Lo/C 350