This collection consists of pamphlets presented to the first Duke of Wellington, and is a valuable source for contemporary views on the political, social and economic questions facing Great Britain during the first forty years of the nineteenth century.
The emphasis is on political reform but other subjects covered include the reform of the banking and taxation system, the problem of agricultural distress, the Poor Law system and the controversy over the repeal of the Corn Laws. The issues of Catholic Emancipation and Church reform are also well-represented and pamphlets on the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies complement those held in the Oates Collection. There are also pamphlets relating to charities such as the Bath Penitentiary and Lock Hospital and the London Vaccine Institution.
Two sections of pamphlets on France deal with the restoration of the monarchy, the Assembly and financial questions 1814-1818 and with the Revolution of 1830. There are also pamphlets on the Portuguese and Spanish constitutional problems of the 1820s, relations with Holland and Belgium and titles relating to the East India Company.
Extent: 3,155 pamphlets dating from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century.
Location
The Wellington Pamphlets are part of Special Collections on level 4 of the Hartley Library and items are fetched for use in the Archives, Manuscripts and Rare Books Search Room.
Access
The Search Room is open Tuesday-Thursday 1000-1600. All visits are by prior appointment and all visitors will be required to book their visit and to order their material at least 1 working day in advance.
Bookings are made by emailing Archives@soton.ac.uk providing details of name, University ID number (members of the University of Southampton only), permanent residential address and contact details, date of visit and list of items to be consulted.
If you do not have a University I.D. Card, you will need to show photographic I.D. and a form of I.D. which includes your permanent residential address when you enter the Hartley Library and also when you arrive at the Search Room.
Library Search includes records for all Wellington Pamphlets. It enables you to search the Library's printed books, journals and electronic resources at the same time. Access to e-resources is limited to staff and students of the University.
Basic Search
Enter keywords / author surname / significant title words in the search box and then refine the Results List using the filters on the left e.g. by book / date / subject. You can re-sort the Results List to your preferred order using the drop-down menu at the top of the list.
To limit a search to the Wellington Pamphlets, enter your search terms followed by B8: Wellington
Library Search groups print copies, e-books and different editions of the same work under one record in the Results List. To see the separate records, select 'Show all' filter.
Advanced Search
Using Advanced Search, you can undertake a more targeted search by selecting search indexes from drop-down lists and by presetting filters for format and date.
To limit a search to the Wellington Pamphlets, include 'B8: Wellington' as a keyword search.
See Wellington Pamphlets for a list of titles.
For general enquiries about the Wellington Pamphlets contact: Jenny Ruthven email: archives@soton.ac.uk or tel. 023 80593335
Search Room Bookings: email: archive@soton.ac.uk or tel. 023 80592721
Address: Special Collections, Hartley Library, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ
Bound volumes cannot be photocopied but you can request photographic copies, subject to the age and condition of the item.
See Reprographics Service for a list of the types of copy available and charges.
The first Duke of Wellington began his army career as an ensign in 1787, eventually becoming a field marshal in 1813.
After his victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Wellington was made Commander-in-Chief of the allied armies of occupation in France and joint plenipotentiary to the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818. Following his return to England in 1818, he held a number of official positions and political offices, and was Prime Minister in 1828–1830 and again in 1834.
The pamphlets which form the collection deal mainly with the issues confronting Wellington during his political career. The Wellington Pamphlets were deposited at the University Library by the eighth Duke of Wellington in 1975, followed in 1983 by the Wellington Papers.
Rare Books (Well Pamph. 404)
Access to some collections is restricted to members of the University.
