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Collection Summary

Creator: Sandwich, John Montagu, Earl of, 1718-1792
Title: Papers of Lord Sandwich, 1718-1792
Date range: 1771-1784
Collection number:MS 7218
Extent: 45 documents.

 

Introduction

Scope and Content

For over 150 years the papers of Lord Sandwich were kept at the family seat, Hinchingbrooke House, Huntingdonshire. In the 1950s they were transferred to Mapperton House in Dorset. Some of the naval papers were reproduced in The Sandwich Papers, published by the Navy Records Society in four volumes in 1932-36. They were also referred to in the edition of Cook's voyages published by the Hakluyt Society (1955-68), Warren R. Dawson, ed. The Banks letters (London, 1958) and Phyllis Mander-Jones, Manuscripts in the British Isles relating to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific (Canberra, 1972).

Many of the papers were sold at a Sotheby's sale in London on 23 July 1985. Of the 17 lots, the National Library purchased three lots. Two other lots were bought by the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.

The three lots bought by the Library comprise: (i) a letter of John Hawkesworth, who edited the published account of Cook's first voyage (ii) a letter of James Cook written to Sandwich during the third voyage (iii) letters relating to the publication in 1784 of the account of the third voyage, together with some letters from the British Ambassador in St Petersburg referring to the visits of the expedition to Kamchatka in 1778 and 1779. The principal correspondents are Sir Joseph Banks, the lawyer and naturalist Daines Barrington, the Reverend John Douglas (later Bishop of Salisbury) who edited the publication, and Captain James King who commanded HMS Discovery in 1779-80, following the death of Captain Charles Clerke.

Access

The collection is available for research.

Provenance

For over 150 years the papers of Lord Sandwich were kept at the family seat, Hinchingbrooke House, Huntingdonshire. In the 1950s they were transferred to Mapperton House in Dorset. Some of the naval papers were reproduced in The Sandwich Papers, published by the Navy Records Society in four volumes in 1932-36. They were also referred to in the edition of Cook's voyages published by the Hakluyt Society (1955-68), Warren R. Dawson, ed. The Banks letters (London, 1958) and Phyllis Mander-Jones, Manuscripts in the British Isles relating to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific (Canberra, 1972).

Many of the papers were sold at a Sotheby's sale in London on 23 July 1985. Of the 17 lots, the National Library purchased three lots. Two other lots were bought by the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.

Restrictions on use

Copying and publishing of unpublished materials in manuscript collections is limited and permission must be obtained from the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title of manuscript item], Papers of Lord Sandwich, 1718-1792, National Library of Australia, MS 7218, [Series and/or folder number]'.

 

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