Papers of Christopher Collins

Scope and Content

MS 69 is a collection of approximately 400 letters for the most part separated from the Wellington papers that form MS 61 at this time. The collection divides into four groups: (i) political correspondence of the first Duke of Wellington, 1807-52 (ii) correspondence of Wellington with Lieutenant Colonel Gurwood, editor of his Dispatches (iii) Wellington's correspondence with Christopher Collins, his confidential servant and (iv) papers of Christopher Collins.

Administrative / Biographical History

Christopher Collins acted as a personal confidential servant to the first Duke of Wellington from about 1824 until the Duke's death in 1852. He continued in the service of the second Duke into the 1860s. During the close of this period some sorting of the first Duke's papers took place, which had the effect of reducing its bulk by up to fifty per cent for some periods of the correspondence.

Access Information

The Special Collections Division is available for anyone to use, regardless of whether you are attached to an academic institution. Access to the Archives and Manuscripts and Rare Books reading room, however, is by prior appointment to access the manuscript material. See our website for more details.