Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1741-1800 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
2 boxes
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Thomas Townshend, born either 1732 or 1733, graduated from Clare College, Cambridge, and was a Member of Parliament for almost thirty years, between 1754-1783. He was created Baron Sydney of Chislehurst in 1783, and retired in 1789 with the title of Viscount Sydney. He died in 1800.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Acquired in 1984 from D. and E. Lake.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The collection consists primarily of correspondence written to Townshend. The letters are from family, friends, political colleagues and people who worked for him or served under him. Many were written to Townshend between 1784 and 1786 after he was made Baron Sydney and when he was secretary of state in the Pitt government, with many asking for political favours.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Material may be requested in person at the Fisher Library Reference Desk, or in advance using our online stack retrieval request form: https://aeon.library.utoronto.ca
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English