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University College London

Russell (John, 1st Earl) Papers

IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 0103 MS OGDEN 83-85

Held at: University College London

Title: Russell (John, 1st Earl) Papers

Date(s): 19th century

Level of description: Collection (fonds)

Extent: 1 box, 2 volumes

Name of creator(s): Russell | John | 1792-1878 | 1st Earl Russell | statesman

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

Born in Westminster, 1792; third son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford; known as Lord John Russell; a delicate child; attended a private school at Sunbury; Westminster School, 1803-1804; subsequently educated privately; attended the University of Edinburgh, 1809-1812; developed a taste for literature, which endured during his later political career; returned, by his father's direction, Member of Parliament for the family borough of Tavistock in the Whig interest, 1813; delivered his maiden speech, 1814; elected for Huntingdonshire at the general election, 1820; pressed for parliamentary reform; at the general election, a candidate for Bedford, but lost, 1830; though not in Parliament, accepted the office of Paymaster-General of the forces in the administration of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey; member of a committee to draft a measure of parliamentary reform; moved the first reading of the Reform Bill in the House of Commons, 1831; the Bill was eventually passed, 1832; his national popularity dated from its delivery; participated in introducing reforming measures in the 1830s; Colonial Secretary, 1839; formed an administration and served as Prime Minister, 1846-1852; Foreign Secretary, 1852-1853; other Cabinet offices followed; retired from public life for a period, 1855-1859; created Earl, 1861; Prime Minister for the second time, 1865-1866; various attempts to introduce Bills for further parliamentary reform during his political career failed; occupied in his later years with political speculation and literary work, but frequently took part in debates in the House of Lords; died, 1878; buried in the family vault at Chenies. Publications include: Life of Lord William Russell (1819); Essays and Sketches (1820); Essay on the English Constitution (1821); The Nun of Arrouca (1822); Don Carlos (1822); Memoirs of the Affairs of Europe (1824); a translation of the fifth book of The Odyssey (1827); Causes of the French Revolution (1832); as editor, Letters of the Fourth Duke of Bedford (3 volumes, 1842-1846); Memoirs, Journal and Correspondence of Thomas Moore (1853-1856); Memorials and Letters of Fox (4 volumes, 1853-1857); Life and Times of Fox (3 volumes, 1859-1867).

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Undated manuscript drafts, essays and notes of John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, comprising a volume containing a narrative on the 1st Duke of Marlborough (Ref: MS OGDEN 83); a volume including a narrative on religion, notes on Ireland, and other notes and statistics (Ref: MS OGDEN 84); and essays on painting, the Renaissance, and European affairs from the peace of Utrecht (Ref: MS OGDEN 85).

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

Conditions governing access:

Open.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Normal copyright restrictions apply.

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids:

Collection level description.

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

Archival history:

Part of the library of Charles Kay Ogden (1889-1957), linguistic psychologist, founder of the Orthological Institute and originator of the language system Basic English, whose interests in language systems are reflected in the subject matter of his collection, which comprised individual manuscripts and manuscript collections dating from the 14th to the 20th century.

Immediate source of acquisition:

Part of the C K Ogden Library purchased by University College London in 1953 with a grant from the Nuffield Foundation.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

Related material:

University College London Special Collections also holds letters from Russell to Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, 1823-1866 and undated (in the numerical sequence of Brougham's in-correspondence); correspondence (105 letters) with Sir Edwin Chadwick, 1836-1872 (Ref: Chadwick no 1733); one undated letter to Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid (Ref: MS MOCATTA); four letters to Joseph Parkes, 1841-1862 and undated (Ref: Parkes); and 14 letters, 1828-1842, to the Society for Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Ref: SDUK); three letters relating to University College London, 1826-1827, 1849 (Ref: COLLEGE CORRESPONDENCE).

The Public Record Office; British Library, Manuscript Collections; Oxford University, Bodleian Library, Special Collections and Western Manuscripts; Nottingham University Library, Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections; Southampton University Library; Lambeth Palace Library; West Sussex Record Office; Woburn Abbey; National Library of Wales, Department of Manuscripts and Records; National Library of Scotland, Manuscripts Division; National Archives of Scotland; and many other repositories hold correspondence and papers of Russell, for details of which see the National Register of Archives.

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Note:

Archivist's note: Sources: Dictionary of National Biography; National Register of Archives; British Library OPAC. Compiled by Rachel Kemsley as part of the RSLP AIM25 project.