Archive Collection GOT - Trevelyan (George Otto) Archive

Identity area

Reference code

GOT

Title

Trevelyan (George Otto) Archive

Date(s)

  • 1838-1928 (Creation)

Level of description

Archive Collection

Extent and medium

Context area

Name of creator

(1838-1928)

Biographical history

Sir George Otto Trevelyan 20 July 1838 – 17 August 1928 was educated at Harrow and Trinity College Cambridge. He spent some years in India in the 1860s, including working as private secretary for his father Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan, and publishing books on British India.
He served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for a number of constituencies – Tynemouth and North Shields (1865-1868), Hawick Burghs (1868-1886) and Glasgow Bridgeton (1887-1897). He also held a number of political offices; Civil Lord of the Admiralty (1868-1870), Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty (1880-1882), Chief Secretary for Ireland (1882-1884), Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster (1884-1885) and twice serving as Secretary for Scotland (1886, and 1892-1895).
Trevelyan was a radical liberal, supporting expanded suffrage, Irish Home Rule and reform or abolition of the House of Lords, twice resigning his political position in protest at passing bills.
After resigning from public office 1897 he continued working as an author, and his Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay was followed a history of Charles James Fox and a three volume history of the American Revolution.
George married Caroline Philips in 1869, and they had three sons, Charles Philips Trevelyan, Robert Calverley Trevelyan and George Macaulay Trevelyan. George Otto became Baronet of Wallington in 1868, and spent time here and at Welcombe Hall, which was owned by his wife.

Name of creator

(c.1847-1928)

Biographical history

Caroline Trevelyan nee Philips c.1847-1928 was politically engaged, acting as President of Morpeth and Wansbeck Women’s Liberal Association and was also involved in the Tynemouth Association. She engaged in philanthropic activities, particularly for the village of Snitterfield, the home of Welcombe Hall, which she inherited in 1890 from her father Robert Needham Philips. She has become known for her watercolour landscapes, which have been exhibited at Wallington Hall.

Archival history

The bulk of this archive was deposited at Newcastle University on loan in 1967 by Charles and Mary's family, along with three further Trevelyan family archives - the Trevelyan (Charles Philips) Archive (CPT), the Trevelyan (Charles Edwards) Archive (CET) and the Trevelyan (Walter Calverley) Archive (WCT). Further items were added as smaller deposits in subsequent years.
The Trevelyan family kindly gifted the archives to Newcastle University Special Collections in 2012.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Acquired from the Trevelyan family

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Comprising most of family correspondence, with some content relating to estate and property and George Otto Trevelyan's political career. Also includes autographs and cuttings of notable figures.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

No further material is expected to be added to the collection

System of arrangement

This arrangement of this archive is based on groupings of files used in a previous catalogue created in 1972. The files appear to correspond to original bundles and gatherings created by the family prior to deposit.
All files in this archive were previously available with former references. These have been included to ensure content accessed and referenced in the past remains accessible.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright within this collection which would have resided with the Trevelyan family was kindly gifted to Newcastle University along with the physical material in 2012. UK copyright rules apply to other materials within the collection.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

gb186-GOT

Institution identifier

gb186

Rules and/or conventions used

ISAD(G)

Status

Draft

Level of detail

Full

Dates of creation revision deletion

This description created by Alexandra Healey, based on a description created by Alistair Elliot and Glenys Williams

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

Sources

Accession area