Mss Eur F699

The collection consists of the papers of Charles John Canning, Viscount (later Earl) Canning (1812-1862), and his wife Charlotte, Lady Canning (née Stuart) (1817-1861).

Mss Eur F699/1 forms the bulk of the collection, being primarily of the papers of Charles Canning, during the period 1856 to 1861 while he held the position of Governor General of India, and, from 1858, Viceroy of India. These papers originated as administrative papers in India and consist of the papers of the Governor General, together with the records generated by the Offices of his Private Secretary and Military Secretary.

The correspondence and papers of Charles Canning as Governor General and later Viceroy of India are not the 'official' records of the Government of India during this period. The majority of the papers in the collection originated in India, but were removed by Canning on his departure and taken back with him to England, which was the usual procedure for retiring Governor Generals. The most important papers were housed in portfolios, and were demarcated at the time as the Governor General's 'private' as opposed to 'official' records, although the dividing line may not always be obvious, and some papers in the collection are described as 'Demi-Official Letters'. The papers are made up primarily of correspondence received and copies of correspondence sent, with significant series of telegrams sent and received, subject papers, minutes, and applications for positions.

In addition, the collection contains a series of Charles Canning’s more personal papers. These relate to Charles Canning’s early political career as Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Postmaster General, as well as papers relating to British politics and International issues in the 1840s and 1850s. There are also papers relating to the Canning family, and to Charles Canning’s final illness and his death. Although a proportion of these papers relate to India, many neither originated in India nor travelled to India with the Cannings.

Mss Eur F699/2 consists of the papers of Charlotte, Lady Canning. They contain both papers originating in India before her death in 1861, and which were brought back by Charles Canning to England on his return, and papers originating in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. These include family papers, journals, correspondence, and papers relating to nursing, charities, and education.

Papers relating to India include material relating to Charles Canning’s appointment as Governor General and his arrival in India. There is correspondence and other papers relating to the uprising known as the ‘Indian Mutiny’ and its aftermath, including material relating to the ‘Clemency’ Resolution, the Oudh Proclamation, and Lord Ellenborough’s despatch. The collection covers the period of transition in the Governance of India from the East India Company to the Crown. It refers to Canning’s policy of land confiscation in Oudh, and the relationships between the Government of India, the Governor General, the regional Chief Commissioners and Governors, and the Indian landholders, Princes, and Chiefs. There is a large tranche of material relating to the reorganisation of the Army, as well as reform and reorganisation in areas such as the law, the executive and legislative councils, and India’s finances. In terms of Foreign policy and areas beyond India, there is there is correspondence relating to the Anglo-Persian War of 1856-57, the governance of Pegu (Burma), and the China expedition or Second Opium War of 1860.

The collection has been used by researchers over a number of years, including Michael Maclagan for his biography of Charles Canning, and Augustus Hare for his biography of Charlotte Canning and her sister Louisa, Lady Waterford. There is evidence that the papers were used in the publication of Sir John Kaye and George Malleson’s 6 volume work History of the Indian Mutiny 1857-58 ( London: W.H. Allen, 1878-1880). Various of these researchers have left notes in the collection, and these have been left in situ.

Note on terminology: The papers of Charles and Charlotte Canning include the period 1857-58, a period of great upheaval in India which was known at the time as ‘the Indian Mutiny’. Although the uprising has been referred to in different ways since, the phrase 'Indian Mutiny' has been retained where it appears in the documents. The collection contains many references to the uprising, its causes, consequences, repercussions and protagonists. In cataloguing the collection, the contemporary use of words such as ‘Mutiny’, ‘Mutineers’, ‘Rebels’, ‘Natives’ etc. has been retained, as that is the language used in and reflected in the documents. In some cases, terms had a specific use and meaning at the time, such as ‘Native Infantry’, meaning Indian as opposed to European. In other cases we would now interpret use of particular words to be pejorative.