National Library of Wales

Bunsen and Waddington Letters

Reference code(s): GB 0210 BUNTON

Held at:

Title: Bunsen and Waddington Letters

Short title: Bunsen and Waddington families, letters

Dates of creation: 1817-1863

Level of description: Fonds

Extent and medium: 0.58 cubic metres (2 boxes) (c.1200 items)

Name of creator(s): Waddington family of Llanover Court

CONTEXT

Administrative and biographical history: Benjamin Waddington (1749-1828) bought Llanover from the Cecil family of The Dyffryn, Glamorgan, in about 1792. He married Georgina Mary Anne Port (1771-1850) of Ilam, Derbyshire, and they had six daughters. With the agreement of the other daughters, the Llanover estate was settled on the youngest daughter, Augusta (1802-1896). In 1823 she married Benjamin Hall (1802-1867) of Abercarn, and the neighbouring estates of Llanover and Abercarn were united. Benjamin Hall was created Baron Llanover in 1859, and Augusta is best remembered as Lady Llanover, 'Gwenynen Gwent'. Benjamin and Georgina's eldest daughter Frances (1791-1876) married Christian Charles Bunsen (1791-1860). One of their ten children, Karl de Bunsen (Charles, 1821-1887), married Mary Isabell Waddington, his second cousin, thus uniting the two branches of the Waddington family.

CONTENT

Scope and content: Papers of the Waddington, Bunsen and Chisholm families, consisting mainly of letters to Mrs Georgina Waddington of Llanover from her eldest surviving daughter, Frances, and her husband Christopher Charles Bunsen, 1817-1825, mainly written from Rome where Bunsen was Charge d'Affairs; letters to Thomas Waddington mainly from his his wife Janet Waddington (nee Chisholm), 1825-1866; letters to Janet Waddington, [c.1825]-1845, from members of the family; letters to Catherine Chisholm, 1826-1843, mainly from Janette Waddington; letters to Mrs Eliza Chisholm, 1825-1845; and letters to Frances Chisholm, 1822-1841.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/script: English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements: Portions of some of the letters have been crossed out or cut off; see the Archival history field.

System of arrangement: Arranged in chronological order by recipient of letters.

Conditions governing access: Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.

Conditions governing reproduction: Usual copyright laws apply.

Finding aids: A hard copy of vol. 1 of the catalogue, describing the letters to Georgina Waddington and to Thomas Waddington, is available at NLW. The catalogue is also available online. The remainder of the papers remain uncatalogued.
Detailed catalogue

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information: All records purchased by NLW have been retained.

Accruals: Accruals are not expected.

Archival history: Portions of some of the letters written to Georgina Mary Ann Waddington from her daughter Frances have been cut off or whole sentences containing details of her health during successive pregnancies and unpleasant comments on individuals have been crossed out. This is possibly the work of Augustus John Cuthbert Hare who published some of the letters in 1879. The letters were rebound at NLW in 1974.

Immediate source of acquisition: Purchased by NLW in November 1973 from Richard Hatchwell.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Related units of description: Further papers are NLW MSS 13061-13185 and Gwent Record Office, Llanover estate records (D1210).

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Publication note: Frances, baroness Bunsen, A memoir of Baron Bunsen (1868); Hare, A. J. C., Life and letters of Baroness Bunsen (1879).

Note: Title supplied from contents of fonds.

Archivist's note: Compiled by Stephen Benham. The following source was used in the compilation of this description: Bradney, Joseph, History of Monmouthshire (London, 1991, facsimile ed.), vol. 1, part 2B.

Rules or conventions: This description follows NLW guidelines based on ISAD(G) Second Edition; AACR2; and LCSH.

Date(s) of description: August 2001