Add MS 46525-46559

LEXINGTON PAPERS

46525 - 46559 B. Correspondence and papers of Robert Sutton, 2nd Baron Lexington (b. 1661, d. 1725), mostly as Envoy at Vienna, 1694-1697, where he was concerned in the negotiations preceding the Treaty of Ryswick, and as Ambassador to Spain, 1712-1713, where he conducted negotiations in connection with the Peace of Utrecht. Also included are papers relating to his special mission to Denmark in 1693 ( Add. MS. 46557, ff. 1-49 ) and his membership of the Council of Trade and Plantations, 1699-1702 ( Add. MS. 46542, passim ). The papers contain letters addressed to Lexington's secretaries, Sir Robert Sutton, his cousin and successor as Resident at Vienna, John Burch who took charge of the mission at Madrid in 1713, and Joseph de Famars. For an account of the collection see the Times Literary Supplement, 1929, p. 344. Many of the letters relating to the Vienna mission have been printed, with a brief account of Lexington's life ( pp. 1- 9 ), in The Lexington Papers, 1851, edited by John Henry Thomas Manners-Sutton ( 3rd Viscount Canterbury 1869 ), who was responsible for some annotations and for transcripts of state papers, etc., included in the collection. In the 19th century further complementary material, now chiefly in Add. MSS. 46528 A- C passim, 46529 A, B, and 46530 A, B, was added to the collection from the papers of William Blathwayt, Secretary-at-War, and Sir Robert Southwell. These papers had been bought at Christie's (sale-cat., 11 Feb. 1834, lots 44- 47 ) by Thomas Thorpe, bookseller (see his Catalogus Librorum Manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Southwellianae, 1834, p. 278, item 485), and they passed into the hands of Herbert Arthur Sutton ( b. 1853, d. 1924 ), a descendant of Sir Robert Sutton ( see his armorial bookplate inserted in the above-mentioned volumes ). They supplement other Blathwayt Papers in the Department, particularly Add. MSS. 9718- 9768 also purchased at the Christie's sale. The whole collection remained in the hands of the Sutton and Manners - Sutton families until 1929, when it was purchased by Sir Robert Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Bart. ( Sotheby's sale-cat., 15 April 1929, lot 232 ). For other papers inherited by Lexington's daughter, Bridget, Duchess of Rutland, see Hist. MSS. Comm. 12th Report, App. v, 1889, pp. viii, 140-154. An additional group of papers has been incorporated as Add. MS. 53816 G. Add. MSS. 46529 A, B, and 46530 A, B are in 19th-cent. bindings of brown leather, gilt-tooled, with red morocco labels, while Add. MSS. 46526, 46542, 46543 A, B, and 46547 have 20th-cent. quarter-bindings of red morocco, gilt-tooled. Forty-four volumes. Various sizes. Classified as follows:-

A. Correspondence relating to the mission to Vienna and the Council of Trade and Plantations, etc. ( 46525 - 46542 ). B. Correspondence relating to the mission to Madrid ( 46543 - 46552 ). C. Private and miscellaneous papers ( 46553 ). D. Diplomatic papers ( 46554 - 46559 B ). The names of writers of letters are given in the Index to the present Catalogue.