Melliss Papers

Papers relating to St. Helena, comprising:

• Legal documents and correspondence, 1845-1857, between G.W. Melliss and Colonel Charles Hodson regarding the sale of Oak Bank House, family matters, and island affairs
• Four letters, 1855 and 1863, to J.E. Melliss from civil servants about his affairs
• Correspondence, 1952-1953, of H.J. Melliss relating to the renovation of Longwood House, and Napoleonic memorabilia
• Photographs and drawings of Oakwood House, Longwood House and local landscapes

G.W. Melliss worked on St. Helena as Acting Superintendent of Works, c1830s, then Surveyor General for the East India Company, mid-19th century. He purchased the island's Oakbank Estate, c1846-1851. J.E. Melliss was Surveyor General on St. Helena for the Colonial Office, [19th century], helping with the restoration of Longwood House, Napoleon's home during his exile on the island from 1815 to 1821. H.J. Melliss continued his family's interest in the history of Longwood House in the 1950s.

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

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