Papers of the Dukes of Portland
JISC (Non Formula Funding) awards for cataloguing and conservation (1995-1999)
Heritage Lottery Fund assistance for Access to Archives (A2A) development, 2001-2002
The main Portland (Welbeck) Collection came to the University of Nottingham in 1949. The Duke was formerly the Chancellor of the University. A subsequent gift added legal and financial papers from the premises of the family’s former London solicitors, now known as the Portland (London) Collection.
The 7th Duke of Portland distributed his extensive family and estate archive to a number of repositories, chosen for their relevance either to the origin of the different groups of papers or their subject matter.
An overview of both the Nottingham holdings and the wider context of the full Portland Collections is available in the Family and Estate Resources page relating to the family.
In October 2005, the Portland (London) and Portland of Welbeck papers were Designated as Outstanding Collections by the Museums, Libraries and Archive Council (MLA)
From the 1950s researchers relied on a series of typescript catalogues, each one devoted to a branch of the family or an individual family member, with a general one containing literary and historical manuscript works transferred from the library at Welbeck.
For 10 years from 1995 this rich collection was one of those receiving priority attention, resulting from a wish to make descriptions more detailed and useful, and the need to create catalogue records for the Portland (London) legal archive.
A very extensive programme of cataloguing and conservation work was undertaken on the collection, supported by major funding awards.
JISC (Non Formula Funding) award to catalogue political papers in the Portland of Welbeck archive (1995-1999)
A complex four-year project, this enabled the creation of detailed online catalogue records with indexes to the groups of papers which were predominantly of political or official interest.
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Harley Family Papers (Pw 2Hy). Papers of a number of members of the Harley family including Sir Robert Harley (1579-1656), Sir Edward Harley (1624-1700), Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford (1661-1724) and Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton (1648-1716)
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Hans William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, 1649-1709 (Pw A)
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William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, 1738-1809 (Pw F). Related material is also in the Portland (London) Collection (Pl C)
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William Henry Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 4th Duke of Portland, 1768-1854 (Pw H)
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Lord (W.) George (H. Cavendish-)Bentinck, 1802-1848, soldier and politician (Pw L)
JISC (Non Formula Funding) award to catalogue and conserve legal and financial papers in the Portland (London) archive (1995-1999)
The physical state of the Portland (London) archive was so poor that cataloguing could not be undertaken, nor public access allowed, until extensive conservation measures were put in place. The award enabled that to be done, and funded the appraisal, sorting and full listing of the collection, with the catalogue mounted online.
JISC (Non Formula Funding) award to catalogue literary papers in the Portland of Welbeck archive (1995-1996)
The Portland Literary Papers are one of the most heavily used series in the collections. They contain many anonymous works which had very brief entries in the original typescript catalogue. The award supported the detailed listing of the papers, checked attributions when possible, and enabled a detailed examination of the paper evidence, including watermarks. The data was enabled to be searched in the Reading Room, and was later made available online.
A2A (Access to Archives) online access (2001-2002)
With assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the remaining Portland of Welbeck lists were converted to electronic form. In 2002 they became accessible in the national Access to Archives resource, which hosts finding aids for archival collections in English institutions. The records have subsequently become available through our own Manuscripts Online Catalogue, allowing them to be searched alongside all our collections.
The project also enabled a full physical survey of the condition of vulnerable parts of the collection, followed by the repackaging of the extensive collection of parchment and paper deeds and the repair of items requiring urgent attention.
Further details about the project and the collections in question are given on the A2A project page.
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