Letters addressed to, or collected by, the Peyton and Harding families of Birmingham

Letters addressed to, or collected by, the Peyton and Harding families of Birmingham, late 18th-early 20th century, with the majority dating from the late 19th century. The collection includes many letters from musicians, often concerning the Birmingham Triennial Festival, and including a few bars of autograph music and/or a photograph. There are also 51 letters to members of the Harding family, especially to Mr and Mrs Charles Harding, from members of the Peel family, including the first, second and third baronets Sir Robert Peel. Some of the items in the collections are signatures extracted from letters.

The letters received, rather than collected, are principally addressed either to Richard Peyton or to Charles Harding, relations of Miss Herma Fiedler (donor of the letters) on her mother's side.

Richard Peyton (1825-1910) was a Birmingham businessman, JP, and a patron of music. He endowed the Chair of Music at the University of Birmingham in 1908, and was officially connected with the Birmingham Triennial Musical Festivals between 1858 and 1879. He was also a collector of autograph letters.

Charles Harding (1839-1904) was Herma Fiedler's grandfather. He was a lawyer and Governor of the University of Birmingham.

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Given to the Library by Miss Herma Fiedler, daughter of Hermann Georg Fiedler, formerly curator of the Taylor Institution.

Collection level description created by Susan Thomas, Department of Special Collections and Western Manuscripts.

The Library's card catalogue for manuscripts.

Miss Fiedler also gave the papers and collections of her father, Hermann Georg Fiedler, to the Library.