Add MS 89317/7

Correspondence and papers of Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (1815-1891), politician, who served as Foreign Secretary under Gladstone. He was one of four children of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville (1773-1846) and Harriet Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville (née Lady Henrietta Elizabeth Cavendish) (1785-1862). He was known as Lord Leveson prior to inheriting his father’s title in 1846.

After a short stint as attaché at the British Embassy in Paris, he embarked on his Parliamentary career as a Whig politician in 1836, being elevated to the House of Lords in 1846. He served as Vice-President of the Board of Trade (1848-1852), Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1851-1852), Lord President of the Council (1852-1854, 1855-1858, 1859-1866), and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1854-1855). He served as Foreign Secretary during Gladstone’s ministries (1870–1874 and 1880–1885). For much of this period he was leader of the Liberals in the House of Lords.

Lord Granville led the British mission to the Tsar of Russia’s coronation in Moscow in summer 1856. He was Chancellor of the University of London 1856-1871. He was made Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1865, and took up residence in Walmer Castle, Deal.

He married first in 1840 Lady Acton (Marie Louise Pelline de Dalberg), widow of Sir Ferdinand Acton and mother of Lord Acton. After her death in 1860 he married Castalia Rosalind Campbell in 1865.

The series includes Lord Granville's correspondence with family and friends, with Gladstone, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and the royal household, members of the Cabinet and other politicians, correspondence with diplomats and foreign representatives resident in London, arising from his position as foreign secretary, and others. Besides political, parliamentary and foreign affairs, themes include education, admission of women to higher education, and business of the Cinq Ports.

Apart from correspondence and papers, the series also contains 163 bound volumes of Foreign Office confidential print (memoranda, reports, telegrams, etc. printed for internal Foreign Office use). The arrangement of the papers is that established while the collection was on deposit at the Public Record Office.

Add MS 89317/7/1-252: Correspondence and papers arranged chronologically, and to some extent thematically and by correspondent. Unbound files.

Add MS 89317/7/253-439: Correspondence arranged thematically and chronologically, chiefly court, cabinet and foreign affairs. Bound volumes (with the exception of Add MS 89317/7/434). Includes letters from the Queen in her own hand or written on her behalf by Charles Grey or Henry Ponsonby (Add MS 89317/7/253-266), and letters from Gladstone (Add MS 89317/7/278-283 and Add MS 89317/7/344-350).

Add MS 89317/7/440-483: Foreign Office confidential print, arranged by country. Bound volumes. 1860s-1870s.

Add MS 89317/7/484-574: Foreign Office confidential print, arranged by country. Bound volumes. 1880-1886.

Add MS 89317/7/575-602: Foreign Office confidential print, law officer’s reports, memoranda, telegrams, etc. Bound volumes. 1876-1886.

Add MS 89317/7/603-607: Miscellaneous printed items.