Correspondence between C.J. Rhodes and A.H.G. Grey, 4th Earl Grey (photocopies)

Correspondence between Cecil John Rhodes and Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey. Photocopies.

Cecil John Rhodes was born on the 5 July 1853 at Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire and educated at Bishop's Stortford Grammar School. In 1870 Rhodes emigrated to Natal and made a fortune in the Kimberley diamond mines. In 1880 he founded the De Beers Mining Company. Rhodes dreamed of building a British Empire in Africa that stretched from the Cape to Cairo. In 1885 he persuaded the British government to form a protectorate over Bechuanaland (now Botswana). In 1889 he founded the British South Africa Company, which occupied Mashonaland and Matabeleland, thus forming Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe). Rhodes was prime minister (1890-1896) of Cape Colony. The discovery of his role in Leander Starr Jameson's attempt to overthrow Paul Kruger in the Transvaal (Jameson's Raid, 1895-1896) led to his resignation. He died on the 26 March 1902 in Muizenberg, Cape Colony. By his will he established the Rhodes scholarships at Oxford University.

Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey, was born on the 28 November 1851 and educated at Harrow, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He served as Member of Parliament (Liberal) for South Northumberland (1880-1885); Member of Parliament for Northumberland (Tyneside, 1885-1886); Administrator of Rhodesia (1896-1897); Director of the British South Africa Company (1898-1904), and Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada (1904-1911). Earl Grey was awarded the GCMG (1904), GCVO (1908) and GCB (1911). He died on the 29 August 1917.

Bodleian reader's ticket required.

Collection level description created by Marion Lowman, Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies at Rhodes House.

Administrative/Biographical History compiled with reference to Who Was Who and Philip's Encyclopedia (1999).

The library holds a card index of all manuscript collections in its reading room and a handlist is also available for this collection.

The library also holds a copy of this collection on microfilm (reference: Micr.Afr.633).

No reproduction or publication of personal papers without permission. Contact the library in the first instance.

The originals are held by Durham University (Earl Grey Family Papers).