And so we reach the second letter L in our W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N series of blogs, which is L for legislation.
Throughout his long career in politics, which stretched back to the 1790s when he held the seat of Member of Parliament for Trim, the Duke of Wellington had witnessed the passing of a range of legislative measures as well as acting as the advocate of important legislation.
Volume of parliamentary bills from the Wellington Deposit of parliamentary papers formerly owned by the first Duke
His first government of 1828-30 was to be the advocate of important measures that would begin the process of transforming the Anglican settlement, a settlement that dated back to the Restoration of Charles II in 1660.
The first of these two pieces of legislation was the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts in 1828, which Rory Muir in his biography of Wellington suggests could claim to be one of the more important events in the first months of the Duke’s government. The Corporation Act of 1661 excluded membership of town corporations to those who would not take the sacrament according to the rites of the Anglican church. The Test Act of 1673 imposed the same test on those who held civil or military office. This is effect excluded Catholics, Jews and Protestants who were not members of the Church of England (such as Unitarians, Methodists or Society of Friends) from holding public office. Lord John Russell had introduced the bill to repeal this act in 1827 but withdrew it June vowing to introduce it again in 1828 which he did in February. Robert Peel supported it on the government’s behalf in the House of Commons, whilst Wellington acted in the House of Lords.
Part of Wellington’s speech in the House of Lords at the second reading of the act 17 April 1828:
Can you suppose, my Lords, that the repeal of laws so inoperative as these can afford any serious obstacle to the perfect security of the Church, and the permanent union of that establishment with the State? The fact is, the existing laws have not only failed completely in answering their intended purpose, but are anomalous and absurd; anomalous in their origin, absurd in their operation. If a man were asked the question, at his election to any corporate office, whether he had received the sacrament of the Church of England, and if he said ‘No,’ he lost every vote that had been tendered on his behalf, and there was an end of his election; but if, on the contrary, by accident or design, he got in without the question relative to the sacrament being put to him, then the votes tendered for him were held good, and his election valid, so that no power could remove him from the office which he held.
[The Speeches of the Duke of Wellington in Parliament collected and arranged by the late Colonel Gurwood (London, 1854)]
Wellington Pamphlet 946/7
There is relatively little material in the Wellington Archive on this subject, which is something that cannot be said for the other piece of major legislation that Peel and Wellington introduced the following year – the Roman Catholic Relief Act, also known as the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. Passing this act was a hard-won victory achieved in the face of considerable opposition, not least from George IV who only acceded with reluctance as a last option. Both Peel and Wellington were criticised by those most vehemently opposed to the bill, none more so than Lord Winchilsea, whose criticisms so stung the Duke that he challenged him to a duel.
Alongside considerable correspondence relating to the issue of Catholic emancipation, as politicians and others shared their opinion with Wellington, are the drafts of the bill drawn up by Wellington and Peel as they steered the measure through Parliament.
First page of a draft of a memorandum by the Duke of Wellington on the arrangements proposed for the introduction of Roman Catholic emancipation, 7 August 1828 [MS61/WP1/983/4/3]
Amongst the Duke’s collections of pamphlets, there are over two hundred on the subject of Catholic emancipation. Pamphlets were one of the important print media sources that shaped public opinion. And the historian Peter Jupp noted that Catholic emancipation was one of “five topics that generated significant pamphlet skirmishes”.
Handwritten list at the front of a volume of 20 pamphlets sent to the Duke of Wellington and bound together into the volume relating to Catholic emancipation [Wellington Pamphlet 946]
Parliamentary reform was another issue that created a great deal of debate and discussion and for which there is considerable material both within the Wellington Archive and the Duke’s pamphlet collection. By the end of 1830 Wellington was out of government and was in opposition both in parliament and to the measure of reform being put forward by Lord Grey’s government.
Wellington Pamphlet 992/3 relating to the reform debate and presented to Wellington by the author
The Representation of the People Act 1832, also known as the first Reform Act, was given royal assent in June 1832. It had first been introduced into the House of Commons in March 1831 where it passed, but then failed to pass in the House of Lords. This happened again when an amended version was passed from the Commons to the House of Lords in October 1831. Wellington was one of the resolute opponents of reform, which he felt would “destroy the country”. Certainly Wellington’s stance led to the destruction of windows at Apsley House as angry mobs attacking his London home.
First page of MS61/WP1/1207/15/1 a draft paper setting out Wellington’s opposition to parliamentary reform
The Wellington Archive and the Duke’s pamphlet collection contain material on a range of other legislation, including correspondence about a Licence Amendment Bill in 1807, combating smoke nuisance and the Smoke Prohibition Bill, 1849, the preparation of the Slave Abolition Act 1833 and the Corn Laws. To explore the Wellington Archive further go to the Archive Catalogue.
And so to L; the first of two in our W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N series of blogs. This week we’ll be looking at literature. But were works of prose and poetry significant in the life of the victor of Waterloo?
Christopher Hibbert comments that the young Arthur had a serious side and “read a great deal.” This view is supported by the fact that when the young Colonel Arthur Wellesley travelled to India in 1796 he took with him a trunk-load of volumes including Voltaire, Rousseau and Jonathan Swift. Elizabeth Longford, in her 1967 article “The Duke of Wellington’s Books”, comments that the 27 year old Colonel had spent £50 – not an insignificant amount at that time – on books. Longford also notes, however that Wellington knew little Latin and less Greek. He revealed this information when he was ask to be Chancellor for Oxford University in 1833 and suggested they should try and find someone suitable with a university education.
Whether or not the Duke enjoyed literature, many people wrote to him unsolicited, sending their poems, or asking to dedicate their works to him. They include some well-known names including Sir Walter Scott who sent a copy of his Life of Bonaparte in 1827. Not literature – Scott was a historian as well as novelist, poet and playwright – but it was still an influential biography for the period.
Letter from Sir Walter Scott to Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington, sending a copy of his life of Bonaparte, 24 June 1827 [MS61/WP1/891/14]
Another familiar name will be Benjamin Disraeli, at this point more author than politician, who wished to dedicate his epic poem The Revolutionary Epick to the Duke in 1834.
Letter from B.Disraeli to Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington, asking if he can dedicate his epic poem to Wellington, 3 March 1834 [MS61/WP2/9/7]
The Duke replied, as he always did, that he was very flattered by Disraeli’s request but had decided many years ago that he would never give formal permission for any work to be dedicated to him.
It’s hard to know for certain how much the Duke appreciated the varied literary efforts that were sent to him. Sir Gilbert Flesher, a song writer and artist of Towcester, Northamptonshire, claimed to have distributed 800,00 “loyal songs” in his life including “Of Triumph” to celebrate the Battle of Waterloo. Flesher had complained he’d had to pay the postal charge to receive his most recent reply; the Duke’s response implies he did not hold poetry in high regard:
He has the power of franking only a limited number of letters. He franks what it is necessary that he should write. Those upon poetry, and which it necessary that he should write only from motives of courtesy, he does not frank.
MS61/WP1/1193/12
But maybe the Duke was having an off-day. At the time of their correspondence, August 1831, he was likely distracted by the state if near-insurrection in Britain following Tory opposition to the Reform Act, the windows of Aspley House smashed just a couple of months later.
And not all works Wellington received were complimentary! William Augustus Kentish, for example, sends his efforts in 1831 stating that the Duke’s position makes him the legitimate subject of criticism. He appears to be slighted by the fact that when he approached the Duke for employment he chose instead to appoint those known to him.
Wellington’s horsemanship
Our mighty Captain on the ground!
The ridicule of all around!
How humbled thy high vanity, & pride
Was it a drunken freak, or worse?
Or had thou not yet learn’d to sit a horse?
A Jackass-boy could greatly better ride.
What! The great conqueror at Waterloo,
The laugh + crack-a-joke at a review!…
For god’s sake, never get again astraddle,
Or else get strapped securely in the saddle!
MS61/WP1/1205/13
The Duke docketed this letter “More impudence.”
On a related theme, the English novelist and historical writer George Payne Rainsford James, The Shubbery, Walmer: draws attention to foreign piracy of English literature, and the largescale import of pirated editions into England.
Docket in the hand of Arthur Wellesley, first Duke of Wellington [MS61/WP1/1193/12]
He had served for a short period in the army and was wounded in a small action following the Battle of Waterloo. He also lived, at the time of writing at “The Shrubbery”, Walmer, and was a sometime guest of the Duke’s.
But a system of Foreign piracy has been organised against which we have no defence. Within three days or four at the most after the work of a popular author has reached Paris, it is printed verbatim and sold at one sixth of the price… The loss to British authors in enourmous.
MS61/WP2/80/59-61
The letter is docketed with another stock reply: Duke is not in office and so declines to help.
And so we conclude our little jaunt spotlighting literature in the life of the Duke of Wellington. While the jury is still out on the significance of literature in his life we’ve had fun looking at the examples. Do join us next week when our second ‘L’ will focus on legislature.
This week, we are on the letter E of Wellington, and for this we are going to focus on elections.
The Wellington Papers hold a variety of papers in relation to elections, such as poll results, updates on the state of general elections, and congratulatory letters on general election progress like the one below. We will begin this blog by taking you through Wellington’s elections journey as a political figure, and will then discuss the types of sources we hold on elections within the Wellington Papers.
Letter from the Duke of Rutland to Wellington congratulating him on the progress of the general election, 2 Jul 1841 [MS61/WP2/77/63]
As a result of Wellington’s political positions as Chief Secretary of Ireland, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary under Robert Peel, minister without portfolio, and Tory Leader in the House of Lords, Wellington had seen significant election events take place, such as the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Bill, opposition to the Reform Bill in the 1830s, and elections that signified the last flicker of Wellington’s previous unpopularity.
Wellington becomes an MP
Shortly before the 1789 general election, Wellington was set on his first political task. He was asked to make a political speech in support of Henry Grattan to avoid him being made a freeman. Following the election of 30 April 1790, Wellington was duly elected, even though he was underage at the time. He spoke in parliament sending the address from the throne, criticising the imprisonment of Louis XVI and the French Invasion of the Netherlands and congratulating the government on its liberal attitude to Catholics. He continued to represent the constituency until 1797 when he left to go to India.
In 1807 Wellington found himself elected as MP for Mitchell in Cornwall, Newport on the Isle of Wight and for Tralee in County Kerry. He chose Newport. Concurrently he was appointed as Chief Secretary for Ireland by the Duke of Portland and worked with Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond, who was the Lord-Lieutenant.
Wellington becomes Prime Minister
After Lord Liverpool became seriously ill in 1827; Canning’s death; and Goderich being forced to resign after, amongst many disasters, the failing to steer reform of the Corn Laws through the Lords in the face of opposition; Wellington was invited to form a government in January 1828. This invitation by King George IV was accompanied by the strict instruction that Catholic emancipation be excluded from his programme. Given that Daniel O’Connell, founder of the Catholic Association, was inevitably going to stand for election, and that Ireland was on the brink of war, Wellington had no choice but to guide the emancipation bill into the Commons with Home Secretary, Robert Peel. The passing of the Roman Catholic Relief Act on 13 April 1829 meant that Catholics were able to take a seat in the Parliament at Westminster, and that Daniel O’Connell, who had won the by-election in Clare in 1828, was now able to take his seat as MP. Wellington had therefore helped create a monumental change in the elections process for Members of Parliament as Prime Minister.
Wellington’s opposition towards the 1832 Reform Bill
Despite changing his opinion on Catholic emancipation, Wellington’s views on the 1832 Reform Bill remained heavily opposed. This bill included significant changes to the electoral system of England and Wales, such as giving representation to cities and abolishing small districts; giving the vote to small landowners, shopkeepers, tenant farmers and householders who paid a yearly rental of £10 or more, and some lodgers.
Wellington reveals his thoughts on the 1832 Reform Bill in a letter to Ernest Augustus, first Duke of Cumberland, dated 24 September 1832 [MS61/WP1/1234/7]:
“I believe that from Scotland and Ireland principally, in proportion to the amount of representation, and from England, there will be on the whole so many radicals returned to the next Parliament as to render the government of the country nearly impracticable. This, and the enormous expense of the elections, which will very soon drive the [f.1v] gentry of the country out of Parliament, are the principal changes effected at present by the reform acts.”
Copy of a letter from Wellington to the Duke of Cumberland discussing the effect of the reform act on the parliamentary elections, 24 September 1832 [MS61/WP1/1234/7]
Wellington’s anti-reform position led to a high degree of personal and political unpopularity. The same year saw the Swing Riots, centred in many areas on the economic difficulties of agricultural labourers, with machine-breaking and rural unrest. The fictitious Captain Swing also expressed general discontent with the Wellington government and lack of progress with the popular cause of reform. The Wellington papers contain a series of letters attributed to Swing in which the Duke is threatened.
On 15 November 1830, Wellington was forced to resign after he was defeated in a motion of no confidence. He was replaced by Earl Grey, leading a Whig government, and continued to fight reform in opposition before finally consenting to the Great Reform Bill in 1832.
Although it took time for Wellington’s role in the resistance to the 1832 Act to be forgiven, in 1834 he was summoned by King William IV to form an administration. The government only last 23 days, but it contributed to the restoration of the Duke’s authority.
Elections correspondence
Perusing Wellington’s correspondence that relates to elections reveals how Wellington often received updates about the progress of general elections. In one letter from the Earl of Roden, Wellington is updated on the 1837 election results in Ireland, of which the Earl comments “our defeat in Belfast was very unexpected but I am told that we shall recover it by petition”.
Letter from Earl of Roden, Glenarm Castle to Wellington, commenting on election results in Ireland. 12 Aug 1837 [MS61/WP2/47/40]
Wellington even received details of polls in some cases:
State of polls for the 1830 general election as part of letter from J.Planta to Wellington, reporting on the general election, 12 August 1830 [MS61/WP1/1134/6]
Wellington also received letters from correspondents reassuring him that they would support his government, as well as proposals for schemes of voting, such as by proportional representation in Irish Municipal Elections:
“The object of my proposition is to secure to the municipal constituencies about to be formed in Ireland, a positive and certain means of preventing an exclusive election of the Town Council by one party. The mode by which I propose to do this, recommends itself by being a most liberal extension of the Franchise as it is at present proposed to be conceded. I propose to relieve them from the obligation of voting for so many persons [list of 12-16/20 candidates] and to confer upon them the privilege of distributing their 12 – 16 – or -20 votes to 6 – 3 – or 4 of the candidates – or all their votes to the candidate”
Letter from Lord Burghersh: a proposed scheme of voting by proportional representation in Irish Municipal Elections, n.d. [endorsed May 1840] [MS61/WP2/68/135-6]
Letter from Lord Burghersh: a proposed scheme of voting by proportional representation in Irish Municipal Elections, n.d. [endorsed May 1840] MS61/WP2/68/135
As well as sending lists of candidates for the Scottish representative peerage as one of his duties, Wellington was also requested to provide military assistance to address threats of violence in parliamentary elections:
“Mr. Hawthorne called on Major Swan and asked him why he came to town, or something to this effect. Swan said, not to interfere in the election, but to preserve peace. Mr. Hawthorne then said, did Swan intend to patrol the town with the military force ? Swan replied, by no means, unless outrages should require that interference, and that the force would then be used indiscriminately for public protection…On the whole, this appears to Croker the most dangerous bullying he ever saw, but it will fail with him. But he owns that he thinks the government should enquire into this circumstance, where a placeman dares to tell a magistrate, especially sent to preserve the peace, that he will call out the King’s volunteers against the King’s soldiers…He supposes that Major Swan will have written, but at all events he begs that either extraordinary powers or a troop of dragoons be immediately ordered to Swan…The violence of the disappointed and, he hopes, defeated party would surprise Wellesley”
Letter from J.W.Croker to Wellington, reporting the threat of violence in the parliamentary election in Downpatrick, and requesting military assistance, 18 May 1807 [MS61/WP1/168/5]
Letter from J.W.Croker to Wellington, reporting the threat of violence in the parliamentary election in Downpatrick, and requesting military assistance, 18 May 1807 [MS61/WP1/168/5]
Look out for next Wellington 40 blog post, where we will be on the first letter L in Wellington!
The first in our new series of blogs on ‘W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N’ begins with ‘W’ for ‘Waterloo’. But what exactly happened at the Battle of Waterloo and why is it regarded as so important?
Waterloo marked the culmination of more than twenty years of intense warfare between the major powers of Europe. The French Revolutionary Wars were fought from 1792-1802 in the wake of the French Revolution and France’s ambitions beyond its borders. The Napoleonic Wars followed on from this; they were fought from 1803-1815, their namesake being Napoleon Bonaparte, who had become Emperor of the French. After many years of successful conquest, Napoleon’s armies suffered significant losses after its failed invasion of Russia in 1812. By April 1814 the tide had turned so drastically against Napoleon that he abdicated and France surrendered to the coalition forces led by Austria, Prussia, Russia and the United Kingdom in May of that year.
The Congress of Vienna commenced in September 1814 in order to settle the future balance of power in Europe. In March 1815, however, Napoleon escaped from his exile on the island of Elba to reach Paris and reclaim his imperial title; there then followed a period known as ‘The Hundred Days’ when Napoleon gathered around him a new French army and the Seventh Coalition was formed to oppose him yet again. Meanwhile, deliberations at the Congress of Vienna continued and its final act was signed, with Napoleon still at large, on 9th June 1815.
This was the context within which the Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday, 18th June 1815. The first Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte faced each other on the battlefield for the first and only time.
A French army under Napoleon’s command was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition: a British-led coalition consisting of units from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick, and Nassau, commanded by the Duke of Wellington (referred to as the Anglo-allied army or Wellington’s army). The other army fighting Napoleon was composed of three corps of the Prussian army, commanded by Field Marshal von Blücher.
There were a few smaller battles or skirmishes subsequent to Waterloo, but the French fighting forces were not able to keep the allies from moving towards Paris, which was surrendered in early July 1815. Meanwhile, Napoleon abdicated for the second and final time on 24th June 1815.
The Battle of Waterloo, therefore, effectively marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and brought to a close more than twenty years of high-stakes warfare amongst the European powers.
The Battle of Waterloo was contemporaneously known as the Battle of Mont Saint-Jean (by the French) or La Belle Alliance, “the Beautiful Alliance”, (by the Prussians).
Detail from a print of “The Duke of Wellington returning from inspecting the field of Waterloo”, printed by Thomas Kelly, London, n.d. [MS351/6/6]
Wellington’s papers, as one might expect, include key documents from this momentous moment in European history.
Wellington’s own thoughts and feelings on the battle were expressed in the correspondence written immediately after the battle had been fought, as demonstrated by this letter from Wellington to the Earl of Aberdeen, informing him of the death of his brother the day before:
“You will readily give credit to the existence of the extreme grief with which I announce to you the death of your gallant brother, in consequence of a wound received in our great battle of yesterday.
He had served me most zealously and usefully for many years, and on many trying occasions; but he had never rendered himself more useful, and had never distinguished himself more, than in our late actions.
He received the wound which occasioned his death, when rallying one of the Brunswick battalions which was shaking a little; and he lived long enough to be informed by myself, of the glorious result of our actions, to which he had so much contributed by his active and zealous assistance.
I cannot express to you the regret and sorrow with which I look round me, and contemplate the loss which I have sustained, particularly in your brother. The glory resulting from such actions, so dearly bought, is no consolation to me; and I cannot suggest it as any to you and his friends; but I hope that it may be expected that this last one has been so decisive, as that no doubt remains, that our exertions and our individual losses will be rewarded by the early attainment of our just object. It is then that the glory of the actions in which our friends and relations have fallen will be some consolation for their loss.”
MS61/WP1/471/4
In a copy of another letter written to Lady Frances W. Webster the day after the battle, Wellington wrote the following lines:
“[…] I yesterday after a most severe and bloody contest gained a complete victory, and pursued the French till after dark. They are in complete confusion and I have, I believe, 150 pieces of cannon; and Blucher who continued to the pursuit all night, my soldiers being tired to death, sent me word this morning that he had got 60 more. My loss is immense. Lord Uxbridge, Lord FitzRoy Somerset, General Cooke, General Barnes, and Colonel Berkeley are wounded: Colonel De Lancey, Canning, Gordon, General Picton killed. The finger of Providence was upon me and I escaped unhurt.”
MS61/WP1/471/6
The significance of Waterloo was understood immediately, as demonstrated in a letter sent to Wellington from the Duke of York, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, on 23rd June 1815:
“My official acknowledgement of your dispatch will be conveyed to you by the return of L[ieutenan]t Col[onel] Percy; but I cannot allow the mail of this evening to go without privately expressing my hearty congratulations upon your brilliant and most important achievement. The victory of the 18th is an event, which in itself and its probable consequences, assumes an importance equal, if not beyond any thing in European history, and tho[ugh] the firmness of the troops is beyond all praise, yet the success must even be, in justice, acknowledged to proceed from your own personal conduct and presence of mind.”
MS61/WP1/469/3
In his correspondence with the Duke of York, Wellington requested that new honours for the Order of the Bath ought to be granted to lower ranks of officers and on a wider basis than originally suggested by the Duke of York. Wellington also supported the issue of the Waterloo Medal to soldiers of all ranks in the British Army who’d fought at Waterloo, as seen in his letter of 28th June 1815 to the Duke of York:
“I would likewise beg leave to suggest to your Royal Highness the expediency of giving to the non-commissioned officers and soldiers engaged in the battle of Waterloo a medal. I am convinced it would have the best effect in the army; and if that battle should settle our concerns they will well deserve it.”
MS61/WP1/471/59
It wasn’t just the Duke of York who thought that Waterloo’s importance was ‘equal to or beyond anything in European history’. In a previous blog-post we explored the influence that the Battle of Waterloo had and the way in which it captured the public imagination in Britain:
“The battle was to exert a powerful influence on the public imagination and commemorations and celebrations ranged from the worthy, such as providing support for those wounded or the families of those killed at the battle, to the frivolous, such as souvenir engravings and maps.”
Especially popular with the public were exhibitions of paintings and artefacts connected with the battle. Fascination with Napoleon became even more intense after Waterloo and he was to feature in a number of exhibitions around London: an estimated 10,000 people daily visited a display of his battlefield carriage.
The Waterloo Museum was based at 97 Pall Mall, London in the former Star and Garter Tavern and it opened in November 1815. It was one of a number of establishments set up to meet the insatiable public demand for Waterloo related memorabilia. Staffed by retired soldiers or those ‘gallant young men who were actually deprived of their limbs in that ever-memorable conflict’, this created a sense of authenticity for the Museum and its collection. The Museum housed an assortment of armour and weaponry and other military items collected from the battlefield, together with paintings, objects and mementoes of the Bonaparte family.
Catalogue of the Waterloo Museum, London, 1816 [Rare Books DC241 CAT]
Waterloo became synonymous with Wellington of course, whose legacy became intimately tied to the battle fought on 18th June 1815. Wellington appeared in many caricatures (up to 5% of the collection at the British Museum in London) 300 paintings and drawings and 180 published engravings. He also appeared on a range of merchandise, everything from tea sets to snuff boxes.
The influence and fame of the Battle of Waterloo is also seen in the frequency with which the name appears throughout the street and place names of Britain today, including a certain London train station. Its entrance into the popular imagination is even demonstrated in the namesake song by Swedish pop quartet Abba!
The Wellington Arms Free House, Southampton
Beyond the immediate mania for all things Waterloo amongst the British public of the early nineteenth century, many historians also regard the Congress of Vienna (and the Battle of Waterloo that reinforced it), as the beginning of the relatively peaceful international system known as the ‘Concert of Europe’; a balance of power was maintained with recognised spheres of influence for the great powers of the day. The European powers would not engage each other in a major war until the Crimean War of 1853-6. The balance of power in Europe was, however, largely founded upon Russia, Austria, and Prussia (the so-called ‘Holy Alliance’) crushing liberal political dissent within their respective nations.
Waterloo and its conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars also symbolised the emergence of Britain as the world’s preeminent colonial power, above France. The remainder of the nineteenth century and the period until the First World War (1914-18) is sometimes referred to as the ‘Pax Britannica’; a balance of power in Europe and imperial ambitions abroad enabled Britain to construct the largest empire in history, the legacy of which is still highly contested today.
Poster for a 200th anniversary concert for the Battle of Waterloo held at the University of Southampton in 2015
‘Waterloo’ emerges in a few unexpected places in our archives, in entirely unrelated collections including a river data archive; postcards of Romsey; ‘The Waterloo Dance’ in one of our musical collections; as well as A Story of Waterloo, by A. Conan Doyle, and Madame Sans-Gene, performed at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in July 1897.
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University of Southampton Special Collections 