Collection of letters concerning the Jacobite Rebellion of 1722 in Scotland and the North of England

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 206 Brotherton Collection MS Misc. Letters 1 Jacobite 1722
  • Dates of Creation
      1722
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
      English
  • Physical Description
      1 vol. (100 ff.) small folio manuscript. Finely-bound in new half morocco with gilt tooling on both outside boards and compartments and gilt and decorated tooling on the spine with gilt lettering, thus: JACOBITE REBELLION AUTOGRAPH LETTERS ETC. 1722. There is blue marbling on both inside covers and endpapers. The letters are hinged and bound together by Riviere.

Scope and Content

Contains 4 autograph letters from the Hon. Edward Carteret, Postmaster General, to Charles Viscount Townshend, concerning letters passing through the post suspected of being of a treasonable nature, and written by Jacobites; also, 45 contemporary official transcripts of these suspected letters.

Administrative / Biographical History

Edward Carteret, a Cambridge graduate, was Postmaster General at the time of the Jacobite Rebellion in 1722 and Viscount Townshend was Secretary for the Northern department, the seat of the Jacobite trouble. The latter gave orders to the postal authorities for the detention and examination of all suspected letters, hoping thus to arrest the rebel leaders. These letters show remarkable evidence of the vast web of intrigue spread all over Europe at this time in favour of the Jacobites.

Access Information

Access is unrestricted.

Acquisition Information

From the library of Lord Brotherton.

Note

In English.

Other Finding Aids

The autograph letters are listed in the Letters database http://www.leeds.ac.uk/library/spcoll/letters/letlink.htm#jacobite2