Catalogue description William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl Midleton: Papers

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Details of PRO 30/67
Reference: PRO 30/67
Title: William St John Fremantle Brodrick, 1st Earl Midleton: Papers
Description:

Papers of St. John Brodrick, later ninth Viscount and first Earl of Midleton, Secretary of State for War, 1900 to 1903, and Secretary of State for India, 1903 to 1905. Also included are papers relating to Irish affairs during the time of the 'troubles', which illustrate the role played by the Earl, as leader of the Southern Irish Loyalists and a bitter opponent of partition in Ireland. These documents were deposited in the Public Record Office by his daughter, Lady Moira Loyd, in January 1967.

Date: 1885-1941
Arrangement:

The papers fall into two divisions; the first (pieces 1-26) deals with Brodrick's parliamentary career and its aftermath; the second (pieces 27-57) is devoted to Irish affairs.

Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Not Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

William St John Freemantle Brodrick, 9th Viscount and 1st Earl Midleton, 1856-1942

Physical description: 57 file(s)
Immediate source of acquisition:

in 1967

Lady Moira Lloyd, 1967-1967 in 1967

Unpublished finding aids:

An alphabetical key to the correspondents, or the subjects of correspondence whose names appear in the papers is available on open access. Brief notes on the status, rank or office of these people are included.

Administrative / biographical background:

William St John Fremantle Brodrick became successively Under Secretary of State for War (1895-1898), Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1898-1900), Secretary of State for War (1900-1903) and Secretary of State for India (1903-1905), the last office he held. In 1906 he lost his seat in the general election and in 1907 succeeded his father as the 9th Viscount Midleton.

He then turned his attention to commerce (he acquired 9 directorships between 1905 and 1920) and to Ireland (he had extensive estates in County Cork) where he became the acknowledged leader of the Southern Unionists. He was a leading member of the abortive Irish Convention of 1917-18 and was instrumental in arranging the discussions which led to the 1921 truce between Sinn Fein and the British in Ireland.

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