Correspondence of Thomas Perronet Thompson (1783-1869) & Members of his Family, & Related Material
| Archival history |
The collection forms Leeds University MS.277. It was used by L.G. Johnson, senior lecturer in economics in the University, for his biography, "General T. Perronet Thompson", London, 1957, and was presented to the Brotherton Library by his widow in 1970.
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| Creators |
Thompson, Thomas Perronet, 1783-1869, politician
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| Arrangement |
MS277/1 Letters by Thomas Perronet Thompson
MS277/2 Letters by other members of the Thompson family
MS277/3 Letters by other persons (including distant relations of the Thompson family who bear other surnames)
MS277/4 Other manuscript material
MS277/5 Printed material
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| Related information |
The John Rylands Library, Manchester, possesses a collection of Thomas Perronet Thompson's letters to H.B. Peacock (Rylands English MS.1180). The bulk of his papers are in the library of the University of Hull. A copy of the schedule of the Hull collection may be consulted in the Brotherton Library, on request.
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Administrative history:
General Thomas Perronet Thompson (1783-1869) was well-known in his day as a politician and reformer. His father was Thomas Thompson, a merchant and banker, of Hull. Through his mother, Philothea Perronet Briggs, he was related to Vincent Perronet, a Methodist and close friend of John Wesley.
Thomas Perronet Thompson served both in the navy and the army, and was the first governor of Sierra Leone to be appointed by the Crown (in 1808). On his return to England from active service in 1822, he turned to politics. He was most active on behalf of the Anti-Corn-Law League, and wrote many articles and pamphlets in support of free trade. But his interests were extremely wide, and included natural history, geometry, and music, as well as politics and economics. For seven years he owned the "Westminster review", and used it for the causes which were dear to him. At the Great Exhibition of 1851, he showed an enharmonic organ which had been constructed according to his musical theories. In June 1836, he entered Parliament as the member for Hull, and finally gave up his seat in 1859. During this period he was sometimes defeated at the polls, but always continued to fight for his policies whether in or out of Parliament.
Thomas Perronet Thompson married Anne Elizabeth [Nancy] Barker, from York. They had three sons: Thomas Perronet Edward, Charles William, and John Wycliffe. The first was a lawyer, and became Recorder of Bradford; the other two were both soldiers, who served in India and elsewhere. Thomas Perronet Edward Thompson's daughter was Edith Thompson, who did much work in connection with the "Oxford English dictionary".
Contents:
The letters in this collection are divided into three sections. First, listed in chronological order, are Thomas Perronet Thompson's own letters. They are followed by those of his family, in alphabetical order of the writers. The third section consists of letters written by other people, either to members of the Thompson family or to third parties on matters connected with the Thompsons. This section includes letters by distant relations of the Thompson family who do not bear that surname. Finally, there are sections listing other manuscript material, and printed material.
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Leeds University, Brotherton Library
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