John Walkinshaw Craufurd Papers, 1746-1831

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Summary

Abstract:
This collection contains letters, memoranda, bills and notes retained by John Walkinshaw Craufurd, a Scottish landowner and army officer, between 1746 and his death in 1793. Also included are letters regarding the disposition of Craufurdland Estate after his death.
Extent:
0.42 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], John Walkinshaw Craufurd Papers, MS.1994.003, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains letters, memoranda, bills and notes retained by John Craufurd, a Scottish landowner and army officer, between 1746 and his death in 1793. The letters refer to local politics, elections, his finances, and the management of his estate.

Also included in this collection are posthumous letters regarding the Craufurdland Cause, the legal process that reversed Craufurd's settlement of his estate upon his friend Thomas Coutts.

The collection is organized into the following series:

  • Series 1. Craufurd Correspondence, 1746-1793. 16 folders, 118 items
  • Series 2. Posthumous Correspondence Regarding Craufurdland Estate, 1793-1831. 8 folders, 39 items

Biographical / historical:

John Walkinshaw Craufurd of Craufurdland was born in 1720/21 at Craufurdland Castle, near Kilmarnock, Scotland. He entered the army at an early age and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel over the course of his career, distinguishing himself at the battles of Dettingen in 1743 and Fontenoy in 1745. In 1761 he was appointed falconer to the King and in 1762 he received the freedom of the city of Perth. He occasionally appears in Boswell's Journals, often as a dinner companion.

Craufurd died, unmarried, on February 19, 1793 in Edinburgh, leaving Craufurdland Estate to his friend Thomas Coutts, an eminent banker. The will was contested by his aunt, Elizabeth Craufurd, and her daughter, also Elizabeth. The elder Elizabeth died in 1802, but the legal battle waged on until 1806 when the matter was decided in favor of her daughter, Elizabeth Houison Craufurd of Craufurdland and Braehead. The younger Elizabeth was married to Reverend James Moody, who assumed the name James Houison Moody Craufurd. He appears in this collection as the primary correspondent regarding this matter.

Acquisition information:
Clark Library purchase, 1994 (accession number MS.1994.003).
Processing information:

Processed by Katie Duvall, November 2010

Physical location:
Clark Library
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The Clark Library owns the property rights to its collections but does not hold the copyright to these materials and therefore cannot grant or deny permission to use them. Researchers are responsible for determining the copyright status of any materials they may wish to use, investigating the owner of the copyright, and obtaining permission for their intended publication or other use. In all cases, you must cite the Clark Library as the source with the following credit line: The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], John Walkinshaw Craufurd Papers, MS.1994.003, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles, CA 90018, US
Contact:
(310) 794-5155
clark@humnet.ucla.edu
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