James Ludovic Lindsay collection of French manuscripts, 1767-1863

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Summary

Creator:
Crawford, James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of, 1847-1913
Abstract:
James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and 9th Earl of Balcarres, was a British astronomer, politician, and noted collector of books and manuscripts. Lindsay inherited a considerable library from his father, but during his lifetime he assembled the Bibliotheca Lindesiana, one of the largest private libraries of the nineteenth century. In the 1880s, Lindsay’s fortunes suffered and he was forced to sell much of his rare book library, although he continued to collect proclamations, broadsides, and manuscripts of the French Revolutionary era. After Lindsay’s death, his heirs auctioned off most of what remained of his collections, including his French manuscripts. Collection consists of selected letters, administrative papers, and other manuscripts, chiefly of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods, that bear the bookplate and previously formed part of the Bibliotheca Lindesiana, the private library of James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford. Lindsay's collection of French manuscripts was auctioned off by Sotheby's between 1924 and 1925 and a small portion was acquired by Duke in 1960. Duke's collection represents a very small fraction of Lindsay's original collection and consists chiefly of manuscripts, with typed transcripts in French, that document various aspects of civil administration including letters from the prefects of various departments, letters from government ministers, and several letters addressed to Comte Collin de Sussy, Minister of Commerce and Manufacturing, and the Comte d'Antraigues. Other materials in the collection include letters in English from French elites to British nobility, such as to the Duke of York, and letters from French aristocrats to government officials. Examples include a letter addressed to Napoleon Bonaparte from Arnoud Joubert, a lawyer at the imperial court of Paris, discussing the possibility of receiving a medal of honor, and a letter from Cardinal Albani to Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, requesting the Emperor's protection from French authorities. The collection also includes some manuscripts and engravings acquired separately that do not bear the Bibliotheca Lindesiana bookplate.
Extent:
1.75 Linear Feet
223 Items
Language:
Material in French, English
Collection ID:
RL.00816

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of selected letters, administrative papers, and other manuscripts, chiefly of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods, that bear the bookplate and previously formed part of the Bibliotheca Lindesiana, the private library of James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford. Lindsay's collection of French manuscripts was auctioned off by Sotheby's between 1924 and 1925 and a small portion was acquired by Duke in 1960. Duke's collection represents a very small fraction of Lindsay's original collection and consists chiefly of manuscripts, with typed transcripts in French, that document various aspects of civil administration including letters from the prefects of various departments, letters from government ministers, and several letters addressed to Comte Collin de Sussy, Minister of Commerce and Manufacturing, and the Comte d'Antraigues. Other materials in the collection include letters in English from French elites to British nobility, such as to the Duke of York, and letters from French aristocrats to government officials. Examples include a letter addressed to Napoleon Bonaparte from Arnoud Joubert, a lawyer at the imperial court of Paris, discussing the possibility of receiving a medal of honor, and a letter from Cardinal Albani to Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, requesting the Emperor's protection from French authorities. The collection also includes some manuscripts and engravings acquired separately that do not bear the Bibliotheca Lindesiana bookplate.

Biographical / historical:

James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and 9th Earl of Balcarres, was a British astronomer, politician, and noted collector of books and manuscripts. Lindsay inherited a considerable library from his father, but during his lifetime he assembled the Bibliotheca Lindesiana, one of the largest private libraries of the nineteenth century. In the 1880s, Lindsay’s fortunes suffered and he was forced to sell much of his rare book library, although he continued to collect proclamations, broadsides, and manuscripts of the French Revolutionary era. After Lindsay’s death, his heirs auctioned off most of what remained of his collections, including his French manuscripts.

Acquisition information:
The James Ludovic Lindsay collection of French manuscripts were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 1960.
Processing information:

Processed by Sophia Durand and Noah Huffman, December 2011

Encoded by Noah Huffman, December 2011

Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 1960-0141 and 1960-0175

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.

Names:
Walpole, Robert, 1736-1810
Villemanzy, Jacques-Pierre Orillard, comte de, 1751-1830
Tallien, Jean-Lambert, 1767-1820
Talleyrand-Périgord, Charles Maurice de, prince de Bénévent, 1754-1838
Vansittart, George, 1745-1825
Treilhard, M., (Jean-Baptiste), 1742-1810
Royou, Jacques-Corentin, 1745?-1828
Rouyer, Jean Pascal, 1761-1819
Sussy, Jean-Baptiste Collin, comte de, 1750-1826
Saurine, Jean-Pierre, 1733-1813
Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, 1777-1825
Antraigues, Emmanuel-Henri-Louis Alexandre de Launay, comte d’, 1753-1812
Alquier, Charles Jean-Marie, 1752-1826
Brissac, Augustin-Marie-Paul-Pétronille-Timoléon de Cossé, duc de, 1775-1848
Azéma, Michel, 1752-1827
Chabot, Georges Antoine, 1758-1819
Caprara, Giovanni Battista, 1733-1810
Jaucourt, Arnail François, 1757-1852
Hardy, Antoine-François, 1748-1823
Guyton de Morveau, Louis-Bernard, 1737-1816
Grégoire, Henri, 1750-1831
Gleizal, Claude, 1761-1833
François de Neufchâteau, Nicolas Louis, comte, 1750-1828
Fourcroy, Antoine-François de, comte, 1755-1809
Fleurieu, C. P. Claret (Charles Pierre Claret), comte de, 1738-1810
Delaunay, Pierre-Marie, 1755-1814
Decrès, Denis, duc, 1761-1820
Debry, Jean-Antoine-Joseph, 1760-1834
Dauchy, Luc-Jacques-Edouard, 1757-1817
Crawford, James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of, 1847-1913
Crawford, James Ludovic Lindsay, Earl of, 1847-1913
Chazaud, Jean-François-Simon, 1747-1818
Chasset, Charles Antoine, 1745-1824
Roederer, P.-L. (Pierre-Louis), 1754-1835
Rousseau, Jean, 1738-1812
Ramel de Nogaret, Dominique-Vincent, 1760-1829
Richard, Joseph-Etienne, 1761-1834
Pellissier, Denis-Marie, 1765-1821
Quinette, Nicolas Marie, 1762-1821
Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821
Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873
Loisel, Pierre, ca. 1750-1812
Mailhe, Jean-Baptiste, 1754-1834
Lepelletier de Saint-Fargeau, Félix, 1769-1837
Lequinio, J. M. (Joseph Marie), 1755-1813
Ladoucette, J. C. F. (Jean Charles François), baron de, 1772-1848
Leckie, Gould Francis
Jourdan, Jean-Baptiste, 1762-1833
Julien, Jean, 1750-1828
Places:
France -- History -- 1789-1815
France -- History -- 1789-1900
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], James Ludovic Lindsay Collection of French manuscripts, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.