Correspondence sent to Sir Richard Wallace and Sir John Murray-Scott

Correspondence addressed to Sir Richard Wallace and Sir John Murray Scott. The letters are concise and primarily concern forthcoming engagements; fundraising and donations to specific organisations, such as The Jockey Club; and discussions relating to works of art. Most letters are written in English although some are in French and German. The collection also includes a photograph of Sir John Murray-Scott with his nephew, Ian Scott.

The majority of letters were written by members of the British Royal Family including six of Queen Victoria's nine children: Princess Helena Victoria (Princess Christian); Princess Victoria, The Crown Princess of Prussia; Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany; Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh; Prince Albert, Prince of Wales [the future Edward VII]; and Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. Other correspondents include Empress Eugenie of France [the wife of Napoleon III]; The Grand Duke of Baden; Princess Mary Adelaide [the mother of the future Queen Mary, consort of George V]; Sir Francis Knollys; Prince Louis of Battenberg; Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany; Emma Albani; and Edward Laneer. The collection also includes two signatures of Queen Victoria.

Sir Richard Wallace (21 June 1818-20 July 1890), Baronet, philanthropist and art collector. Wallace was the illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess of Hertford and Mrs Agnes Jackson and was raised in Paris. He worked as secretary to his father and on the death of the 4th Marquess in 1870 Wallace inherited his father's art collection. In recognition of his charitable works and gifts to humanitarian causes while Paris was besieged by the Prussians (1870-1871) Wallace was made a Baronet in 1871. He married his mistress, Julie Castelnau, the mother of his thirty-year-old son, Edmond Richard and in 1872 he took up residence in London in Hertford House, bringing with him from Paris many of his finest works of art. He also established his right to the Hertford Irish estates in Lisburn and was a Conservative MP for that constituency from 1873 to 1885; he gave the town a public park, known as Wallace Park, and built Castle House as his Lisburn residence. On his death he left all his estate to Lady Wallace, who continued to live in Hertford House. On her death in 1897 she bequeathed the contents of Hertford House to the nation as the Wallace Collection and Hertford House itself became a museum in 1900.

Sir John Murray Scott (1847-17 January 1912), Baronet, was born at Bolougne-sur-Mer in 1847, was educated at Marlborough College, at Paris, and in Germany, and was called to the Bar in 1869. From 1871 to 1890 he acted as private secretary to Sir Richard Wallace. After the death of Sir Richard Wallace he acted as principal advisor to Lady Wallace until her death in 1897. He was bequeathed properties and a considerable collection of art works by Lady Wallace. Whilst most of the finest pictures in the Wallace Collection had been brought to Hertford House, the other properties housed collections.After his death works of art from his collection were sold and so items formerly belonging to Sir Richard Wallace can now be found in museums and private collections throughout America and Europe.

The letters have been inserted into a fascicule and are not in chronological order.

Open. Access to all registered researchers

Gifted in January 1993.

Formerly known as 'The Cardew Collection'

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Papers arranged and described by Margaret Roper, October 2014, in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; and in-house cataloguing guidelines.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

These papers were inherited by Dr M. H. Cardew, lecturer School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, and his brother, K. H. F. Cardew. Sir John Murray Scott was their mother's uncle.