Family and general correspondence and the diplomatic papers of Hugh Elliot (1752-1830), younger brother of the 1st Earl of Minto., 1771-1820, undated.
Scope and Contents
Hugh Elliot was British ambassador successively in Munich and Ratisbon, Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, Dresden and Naples, then governor of the Leeward Islands, and finally of Madras. Elliot was partly educated in France, and from 1770 until his withdrawal from Naples in 1806 he was almost permanently on the Continent. His diplomatic papers, especially those relating to the Copenhagen and Naples embassies, are rich in material for the general political history of Europe. He also enjoyed wide contacts amongst men and women of ability and learning, including such diverse figures as Mirabeau, Gentz, the Prince de Ligne, Mme du Deffand, and Queen Maria Carolina of Naples.
Dates
- Creation: 1771-1820, undated.
Conditions Governing Access
Normal access conditions apply.
Conditions Governing Use
Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.
Extent
109 Volumes ; These bound volumes are nearly all quarto and are described as such, though they contain a quantity of larger material folded.
Arrangement
About 1786 Hugh Elliot began to bind his own papers, and most of the correspondence from before that year arrived bound in the National Library. No alteration has been made to this arrangement, despite Elliot's occasionally inaccurate dating, and tendency to arrange letters by the language in which they were written rather than by date or subject.
The papers are arranged as follows.
MSS.12952-12963. Family correspondence
MSS.12964-12975. Letters of particular correspondents
MSS.12976-13005. General correspondence and bound diplomatic papers
MSS.13006-13016. Business and financial papers
MSS.13017-13022. Unbound diplomatic papers to 1802
MSS.13023-13053. Papers relating to the Neapolitan mission
MSS.13054-13058. Papers relating to the Governorship of the Leeward Islands
MS.13059. Papers relating to the Governorship of Madras
Bibliography
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk