Wilberforce Family Papers

The Wilberforce papers consist of:

• Family correspondence, 1814-73
• Papers of William Wilberforce, 1772-1833, including correspondence and other papers
• Papers of Samuel Wilberforce, 1818-73, including larger groups of letters, letter books, smaller groups and single letters, letters concerning the church overseas, and diocesan correspondence
• Papers relating to the death of Samuel Wilberforce
• Materials relating to the publication of the Life of Samuel Wilberfoce, D.D., by A.R. Ashwell and R.G. Wilberfoce (1880-2)
• Other papers
• Addenda

The members of the Wilberforce family of Markington represented in this collection are William Wilberforce (1759-1833), MP and philanthropist, and Samuel Wilberforce (1805-1873), Bishop of Oxford and Winchester. Details are given in the Dictionary of National Biography.

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card (for admissions procedures see http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/specialcollections).

This collection was acquired by the Library in 1965, 1966, 1969 and 1970.

Collection level description created by Emily Tarrant, Department of Special Collections and Western Manuscripts.

A full catalogue is available in the Library.

See also Additional Wilberforce Papers (MSS. Don. e. 164-5; Wilberforce b. 2, c. 33-67, d. 54-6, e. 24), and Diaries of Samuel Wilberforce (Dep. e. 311-31).

Some related material, mainly estate papers but including correspondence of the Sargent and Wilberforce families of H.E. Manning, were presented by the executors to the West Sussex County Record Office and are listed in F.W. Steer The Wilberforce Archives, 1966.