Papers of Captain William Markham relating to the Crimea War, 1855-1964

The collection comprises:

Contemporary manuscript copies and extracts of twenty-three letters from William T. Markham, mainly to his mother, giving news from the battle front in the Crimean War. They include references to his brothers and to other friends. There are extensive descriptions of military action and of the cholera and other diseases rife in the camps. The original letters were written in 1854-1855. Undated, after 1855 (MS 247/1);

Contemporary manuscript copies of various literary and other items dating from the Crimean War, including poems. Undated, after 1855 (MS 247/2);

Transcripts of MS 247/1 and 247/2 made by General R.E. Barnsley in 1964 (MS 247/3);

Correspondence between General R.E. Barnsley and M. W. Wadsworth concerning the loan and copying of the manuscripts in 1964. (MS 247/4).

These papers concern William T. Markham only during the Crimean years, and give no firm evidence about his biographical history. Markham genealogical sources identify a William Thomas Markham, born on 13 July 1830, from Cufforth Hall (now Becca) in Yorkshire. He served as Aide-de-Camp to Sir George Brown (1790-1865), and in Canada, at the Battle of the Alma, the Siege of Sebastpol, and at Kertch during the Crimean War. He was also apparently at one time in the Coldstream Guards and a lieutenant colonel in the Leeds Rifle Militia. In 1857 Markham married Anne Emily Sophia, daughter of Sir Francis Gervant, president of the Royal Academy, and Isabella, daughter of Richard Norman and Lady Elizabeth Manners.

The letters are contemporary copies, possibly made by a family member for circulation. Several of them bear notes indicating that they are copies, and stating when the original had been received. One is said to be an extract. At least two are not from William Markham: one is from 'C.H.B.' and another from Private G. Winterbourne. They were put together, with a cover description 'Copies of Letters from W.T.M.'. The accompanying copies of literary and miscellaneous papers are in the same hand.

The Markham letters and other papers were studied in the mid-20th century by M.W. Wadsworth, a London solicitor, and Major General Robert Eric Barnsley (1886-1968), of the R.A.M.C. Historical Museum at Aldershot. Barnsley made transcripts of the letters in 1964 and retained copies for the Museum. The Wadsworth-Barnsley correspondence forms part of the collection.

The collection has been divided by document type into four series. Within these series, items have been arranged chronologically where possible.

ACCESS: Accessible to all registered readers.

LANGUAGE: English

This description is the only finding aid available for the collection. Copyright in the description belongs to The University of Nottingham.

REPROGRAPHIC: Reprographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only, depending on access status and the condition of the documents.

COPYRIGHT: Permission to make published use of any material from this collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). The Department will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but the responsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the reader.

The Markham copy letters survived in the records of a London solicitor until the mid-20th century. The location of the original letters is not known. The collection was given to The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections in July 2002.

• Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine: 23 letters from William Markham describing cholera outbreaks in the Crimea, battles and Siege of Sebastopol, 1854-1855. These are further typescript copies of Nottingham MS 247. Reference: RAMC/436