Beau Brummell: Archival Material

Extant manuscript material for Beau Brummell is sparse, particularly for anything before 1816 when he fled to France to avoid his creditors. The following lists the repositories in which Brummell material has been identified. Materials listed in grey I have not seen personally. The Beinecke Library holds the largest collection of Brummell manuscript material, thanks to the two-volume set collected by Brummell’s biographer, Captain Jesse, though most of it is from the end of his life in Caen.

• American Collections:
  • Beinecke Library, Yale University
    • 1813: Letter written to Lord Spencer regarding a dinner party at which Brummell was a guest. (OSB MSS FILE 5036).
    • ND (1816-1830): letter from Brummell in Calais to unidentified “Lady,” thanking her for a present and refering to his “more propserous days” (OSB MSS FILE 19366)
    • 1827-1836: 2-volume set of letters collected by Brummell’s biographer Captain Jesse. The first volume contains 49 letters written by Brummell from Calais and Caen, most of which were sent from debtor’s prison. Volume 2 contains 63 letters written to Jesse by people who had known Brummell, describing his character. (GEN MSS vol 116)
  • Houghton Library, Harvard University
    • Houghton library has two letters in its collection, two and from Brummell and Frederick, the Duke of York (2nd son of George III). The letter from Brummell was written in April of 1816, tantalizingly just one month before he left London forever, though the content is disappointingly mundane, merely passing on someone’s address. The letter to Brummell was sent in 1821, and was—like the majority of Brummell’s correspondence sent from Calais—regarding his hopes for a better position. (MS Eng 1868, Box 13, Folder 27, 48)
  • Bryn Mawr College Libraries
    • Bryn Mawr has an undated letter from Brummell sent from Calais. It has a handwritten date of c. 1823, but certainly would have been sent between 1816-1830. (Seymour Adelman Letters and Documents Collection, Box 3)

• British Collections:
  • The British Library
    • 3 letters from Brummell to Sir Arthur Paget, two sent from Calais and one undated but likely between 1810-1812 (MS 48416).
    • A letter from Brummell to Thomas Grenier de Fonblanque from Calais regarding the death of Brummell’s dog (Add MS 59655).
    • 1832 certificate of admission of Brummell as Freemason of the Vallée of Caen (Add MS 41335).
    • 1829: 2 letters to Sir Robert Wilson (Add MS 301115).
  • The National Archives
    • c. 1801: Letter from Lady Hester Stanhope to the Dowager Lady Chatham, which refers to the extravagance of Brummell. (PRO 30/70/6/380)
    • 1815-1821: debts of Worcester (likely Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort) on behalf of Brummell (D2700/QA4/16) (see: note in another record suggesting that he had put up £20,000 as security for Brummell. (D2700)
    • correspondence with Brummell while consul in Caen.

*Biographer Ian Kelly makes references to additional letters, though he does not do his reader the service of citing their locations. In his Acknowledgements, he notes the private collections of the Duke of Rutland and the Duke and Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, along with the stewards of Eton College, Oriel College at Oxford, and Westminster Abbey.

If you know of additional manuscript material related to Beau Brummell, I would love to add it to this list! Please email me: chloe.chapin@gmail.com.