Lord Acton (1834-1902): letters to Reginald Lane Poole (1857-1939)

John Emerich Edward Charles Dalberg Acton, 1st Baron Acton (1834-1902), was born in Naples on 10 January 1834, the son of Sir Ferdinand Richard Acton, 7th Baronet. He studied at the University of Munich under the church historian Ignaz von Döllinger. In 1859 he became Liberal MP for the Irish constituency of Carlow, and in 1869 accepted a peerage. During this time Acton acquired The Rambler and developed it as a liberal Catholic journal dedicated to discussing social, political and theological matters. He was engaged for many years in carrying out historical research on the continent. In 1895 he was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University. He gave lectures on the French Revolution and Modern History, and was chiefly responsible for organising the Cambridge modern history. Acton died at Tegernsee, Bavaria, on 19 June 1902. Reginald Lane Poole (1857-1939) was a lecturer in history at Jesus College, Oxford from 1886 to 1910, and a research fellow of Magdalen College from 1898 to 1933. In 1896 he was appointed university lecturer in diplomatic, and in 1909 keeper of the university archives, holding both posts until 1927. He was successively assistant, joint and sole editor of the English Historical Review from its foundation in 1886 until 1920, and many of the letters listed below concern Acton's contributions to the journal.

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Presented to Cambridge University Library in 1952 by Poole's younger son A.L. Poole, together with letters to Poole from F.W. Maitland catalogued at MS Add.7474

A catalogue of the collection can be found on ArchiveSearch.

Frederic William Maitland's letters to Poole are catalogued at MS Add.7474. The Library also holds Poole's letters to Acton (1888-98) among the latter's papers (MS Add.6443/219-225, MS Add.8119(4)/P108-P135).