Wellington-Elrington Papers

The papers consist of the following series:

1. Correspondence, Manuscripts & Documents (Boxes 1-5) are arranged alphabetically by author and title. Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, was appointed Constable of the Tower of London by George IV in 1827. A sinecure of high honor, the post of Constable was also very lucrative. The constable was not required to reside in the Tower, and the actual administration of it was traditionally carried out by a staff officer, the Tower Major. Wellington, however, took his responsibilities seriously and closely supervised Tower Major John Henry Elrington. The papers include letters and documents pertaining to the day to day running of the Tower and the efforts of Wellington to reform the long-standing traditions of the staff and personnel who lived and worked in the Tower.

The majority of the letters are written by Wellington to Elrington, with a small number written to Colonel Sir Francis Hastings Doyle. The remainder of the letters include five letters written by Elrington to Wellington, 34 letters from Wellington's secretary Algernon Frederick Greville to various addressees, and a small number of letters from, among others, Sir George Cathcart, Fox Maule-Ramsay (Earl of Dalhouise), George Sackville-West (Earl De La Warr), John Gurwood, William Loftus, Sir John Pirie, Arthur Marcus Cecil Sandys (Baron Sandys), and one letter from Gerald Wellesley (Duke of Wellington). There are two 20th century manuscripts, based upon the material in the collection, written by Frank Benjamin Maggs and Ralph Partridge. There is also one folder of Ephemera.