Walpole, Horace, 1717–1797, 1766–1790

Part of Collection — Box: 2, Folder: 6–8

Call Number: LWL MSS 16, Series I

Scope and Contents

Twenty-six letters from Horace Walpole to his cousin Thomas Walpole, who was then living in Paris, with a draft of a reply (circa September 11, 1773). The letters discuss current political events in England and America, as well as personal affairs including family matters and book collecting. Thomas Walpole served as a communication link between Horace Walpole and his great Parisian friend Marie du Deffand, who was elderly and infirm. She died on September 23, 1780, leaving her papers to Horace Walpole, and letters after that time cover the negotiations concerning that bequest.

Twenty-two of the letters were published by Sir Spencer Walpole in Some Unpublished Letters of Horace Walpole (1902) as numbers 1–18, 20–22, and 29.

Dates

1766–1790

Creator

From the Collection: Erskine, Thomas Erskine, Baron, 1750-1823

Conditions Governing Access

From the Collection:

This material is open for research.

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Biographical / Historical

Walpole was a cousin of Thomas Walpole. The son of Robert Walpole (1676–1745), he was an antiquarian collector and author who lived in London and at Strawberry Hill in Twickenham, Middlesex.