| Collection | Stuart Papers |
| Reference | SP |
| Record Type | Correspondence |
| Title | Stuart Papers |
| Date | [1400-1999] |
| Description | The papers of exiled James II (1633-1701), his wife, Mary of Modena (1658-1718), their son, James Francis Edward Stuart (1688-1766) (the 'old Pretender', addressed as James III in many of the letters); as well the latter's sons, Charles Edward Stuart (1720-1788) (the 'young Pretender' or 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', often referred to as Charles III after 1766), and Henry Benedict Stuart (1725-1807), from June 1747 Cardinal Duke of York, and self-styled Henry IX and I from 1788. The papers, mainly for the period 1713 to 1770, document their lives, the administration and activities of the Stuart Court in Exile, the appointment of Court officials, ministers, agents and spies, the correspondence with European rulers and their ministers, and with the Papacy. A significant proportion of the letters are wholly or partly in cipher, now often with the translation written above the line. |
| Language | English |
| French |
| Italian |
| Latin |
| German |
| Dutch |
| Spanish |
| Danish |
| Russian |
| Turkish |
| Extent | 17 boxes, 651 volumes, 8 folders and 1 document |
| Access Conditions | Available in surrogate form only |
| Arrangement | The Stuart Papers, arriving in separate batches, were arranged by James Pulman (Secretary to the Stuart Papers Commission from 1819) at St James's Palace into four series: the main chronological run of correspondence and other documents (SP/MAIN); Miscellaneous volumes (SP/M); Boxes of loose Papers (SP/BOX); Additional Papers (SP/ADD ); and seals previously removed from letters in the collection (SP/SEALS). |
| CustodialHistory | The papers were acquired by George IV (when Prince of Wales and then Regent) in two batches from Rome between 1810 and 1819: the first inherited by Charlotte, Duchess of Albany, (daughter of Charles Edward Stuart) who died in 1789 and bequeathed the papers to Abbé Waters, and those held by Henry Benedict at his death in 1807. In May 1819, a Commission was appointed by the Prince Regent to examine and report on the value of the Stuart Papers and on 30 June 1819 the papers were moved to St James’s Palace. The papers were moved from there to the Royal Archives in the Round Tower of Windsor Castle via Buckingham Palace, a location in Windsor, Cumberland Lodge and the Royal Library. |
| URL | https://www.gale.com/product-catalog/primary-sources/state-papers-online/stuart-and-cumberland |
| Level | Fonds |
| Publications | Transcripts of the papers can be found in the following:
A History of the Highlands, and of the Highland Clans, 1727-1759, 3 vols, ed. James Browne, published by A. Fullarton & Co., Glasgow, 1838;
The Stuart Papers, printed from the originals in the possession of Her Majesty the Queen, 1717-1725, ed. John Hulbert Glover, published by W. N. Wright, London, 1847;
The Forty-Five: Being the Narrative of the Insurrection of 1745, [1745-1747], ed. Lord Mahon, published by John Murray, London, 1851; 1745 and after, eds Harriet Tayler and Alistair Tayler, published by Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1938;
The Stuart Papers at Windsor: Being Selections from Hitherto Unprinted Royal Archives, 1718-1749, eds Harriet Tayler and Alistair Tayler, published by E. P. Dutton & Co., New York, 1939;
Ireland in the Stuart Papers, 1719-1765, ed. Patrick Fagan, Four Courts Press, Dublin, 1995. |