| Document Reference | Pw A |
| Title | Papers of Hans William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (1649-1709), statesman, in the Portland (Welbeck) Collection |
| Date | 1668-1709 |
| Extent | 2899 items |
| Abstract | Principal document types present include; correspondence, official papers |
| Level | SubFonds |
| Access Conditions | Accessible to all readers. |
| Admin History | Hans William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland (1649-1709), the founder of the family's fortunes in England, was a friend and adviser to William of Orange and accompanied him to England in 1688. He continued his close relationship after William was crowned, and his family's eminence in England was based on the rewards given to him, including the title of Earl of Portland. |
| Custodial History | These papers form a sub-group of the Portland (Welbeck) Collection (Pw) and were part of the first deposit received from Welbeck Abbey in 1949 from the 7th Duke of Portland. |
| Description | The correspondence predating the landing in England concerns diplomatic and military preparations on the Continent and in England, with a significant number written in cipher. These subjects continue to feature during the critical early years of William and Mary's reign.
The 1st Earl was a leading diplomat, and was a central negotiator for both the Treaty of Ryswick and the Partition Treaties. The diplomatic papers are generally in French, Dutch or German.
The Earl travelled extensively, as did his son, Viscount Woodstock, who undertook the Grand Tour and wrote many letters to his father during his travels.
Portland was also involved in political life, with his papers reflecting events in England, Ireland, Scotland and Holland during the period of William's reign. He took a particular interest in Jacobite activity, both at home and abroad. Correspondents include William III and a wide range of representatives of other rulers, eminent men and officials. |
| MgtGroup | Political and diplomatic papers |
| Personal papers |
| Family and estate collections |
| MgtSubGroup | Individuals |
| Private papers |
| Portland |
| Arrangement | The letters are arranged alphabetically by correspondent, in chronological sequence. The majority of the letters are to the 1st Earl. |
| Language | English |
| French |
| Dutch |
| German |
| Italian |
| Term | Great Britain - Politics and government - 17th century |
| Great Britain - History - William and Mary, 1688-1703 |
| Great Britain - History - Revolution of 1688 |
| Ireland - Politics and government - 17th century |
| Europe - Foreign relations - 17th century |
| Great Britain - Foreign relations - 17th century |
| Diplomacy |
| Diplomatic and consular service, British |
| Diplomatic and consular service, French |
| Politicians - Great Britain |
| Europe - History, Military - 17th century |
| Europe - History, Naval - 17th century |
| Voyages and travels |
| Kings and rulers |
| Royal households - Great Britain |
| Espionage |
| Intelligence service - Great Britain |
| Jacobites |
| FindingAids | Copyright in all Finding Aids belongs to the University of Nottingham.
In the Reading Room, King's Meadow Campus:
Old Typescript catalogue, 66 pp
At the National Register of Archives, The National Archives, Kew:
Old Typescript catalogue, 66 pp
Online:
Catalogue accessible from the website for Manuscripts and Special Collections, Manuscripts Online Catalogue.
The old typescript catalogue has now been considerably upgraded and the Manuscripts Online Catalogue should be consulted for the full version. |
| Copyright | Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). |
| ReprodnNote | Photocopies and photographic copies can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents. |
| Related Material | See the fonds record for the Portland (Welbeck) Collection as a whole (Pw); and also the separate records for each of the other constituent subfonds (Pw 1, Pw 2 Hy, Pw B, Pw C, Pw D, Pw E, Pw F, Pw G, Pw H, Pw J, Pw K, Pw L, Pw M, Pw N, Pw V) |
| British Library |
| Longleat House, Wiltshire |
| Northamptonshire Record Office |
| Related Record | PwB |
| MS921 |
| Publication Note | N. Japiske, 'Correspondentie van Willem III en van Hans Willem Bentinck, Eersten Graaf van Portland' (Vols. 23 and 24; Martinus Nijhoff; the Hague, 1927 and 1928) (These volumes are available for consultation in the King's Meadow Reading Room under manuscript reference MS 921) |