It is always hard to single out any particular collection as a favourite, but some are obviously outstanding due to the sheer scope and variety of their contents. One of the great treasures at Wiltshire and Swindon Archives is the archive of the Earls of Radnor, of Longford Castle, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. Part of the archive is an uncatalogued collection referenced 1946, which has recently been added to thanks to a very generous loan of archive material from the current Earl. This is the subject of a bid for funding to enable us to catalogue and make this fascinating archive more accessible to everyone.

This autograph letter of Elizabeth I forms part of the collection

The uncatalogued archives of the Earls of Radnor in collection 1946 supplement the earlier deposit 490 (see: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a). The material in 490 contained mainly estate material, and 1946 also includes some manorial and other estate records which will be of enormous importance for local history and will benefit the continuing production of the Victoria County History of Wiltshire. Importantly, however, 1946 broadens the scope of 490, as it also contains a lot of unique material relating to the building, maintenance and governance of Longford Castle and its household, which will be of great interest to anyone researching either the house or its contents, including its famous art collection. The records also include family and personal material. However, the records do not just shed light on nobility but will also be of interest to family historians wanting to find out about ancestors who were involved with the Radnor family. The records include wage books and accounts for both household servants and agricultural labourers, dating back to the early 19th century. Please 'read more' to find out which other interesting documents can be found in the collection...

The family owned property in Berkshire, Kent and London and by cataloguing the out-county material held in collection 1946 we hope to facilitate access to this material by the residents of those areas, too.

Moreover, this collection contains much that is of wider interest for national and international history. The Des Bouveries’ trading accounts, dating back to the late 17th century, could be of great interest to business historians, especially those researching the international trade of the Levant Company. The parliamentary diaries and correspondence of the Second Earl of Radnor have already been used by the History of Parliament and will continue to be of value to any student of politics in the late 18th century, and correspondence with Cobbett and others will also be a valuable aid to students of 19th century political history, especially the history of parliamentary reform.

There is material of interest to naval and military historians, and researchers into black and minority ethnic history will find the correspondence and paintings concerning Tobago provided by the Governor of Tobago, Sir William Young, 1807-1815, of great interest.

 
The autograph letter of George Washington

Among the particular ‘gems’ of the collection are a series of autograph letters from Thomas Cromwell, and individual autograph letters from Elizabeth I and George Washington among others, which are of great historical interest.

Should Wiltshire be successful in getting through to phase 2 of the funding process, we will be looking for support from the community to help strengthen the case to get the funding we need. Please get in touch with me if you feel the cataloguing of this collection will be of benefit to you or your community.

Claire Skinner, Principal Archivist

Claire.skinner@wiltshire.gov.uk