Dawkins-Long Papers, 1784-1995

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Summary

Abstract:
This collection contains papers of the families of British diplomat Richard Dawkins (1768-1848) and Jane Catherine Long (1764-1826). The collection provides a resource for studying an English military and diplomatic family in the 19th century; specifically the period covering the Napoleonic Wars and British diplomatic influence in Europe and Central America.
Extent:
202 pieces in 7 boxes
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection is an excellent research resource for an English military and diplomatic family in the 19th century; specifically the period covering the Napoleonic Wars and British diplomatic influence in Europe and Central America. Though there is a strong family connection to Jamaica, there is no material in the collection related to Jamaica, slavery or Edward Long's belief in polygenism. The collection includes correspondence, documents and manuscripts; the majority of the letters are between Long and Dawkins family members, mainly Edward Long, Robert Ballard Long, Jane Catherine Dawkins, Edward James Dawkins, Charles Beckford Long, Robert Dawkins, Elizabeth Molyneux-Howard (Lady Howard), and Caroline Dawkins. Also included are three letter books, a small number of letters and documents relating to the Treasury appointment and diplomatic careers of Richard Dawkins and Edward James Dawkins and letters to and from George Hamilton Gordon (Earl of Aberdeen), George Canning, Robert Stewart (Viscount Castlereagh), Treasury Commissioners, and Henry John Temple (Viscount Palmerston). This material also includes letters and documents relating to Eaton College and John Keate, Sir John Moore, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Duke of Wellington. The manuscripts include a family history written by Robert Mowbray Howard in the 1920s, as well as research material used for this history, and the notes and Summary Report of an earlier cataloger of the collection, historian Paul H. Hardace. There is one folder of ephemera.

Biographical / historical:

The Long family, originally from Wiltshire, England, was for many years associated with Jamaica and was part of the governing planter elite of the island. A notable member of the family, Edward Long (1734-1813), was a colonial administrator, judge and historian, who wrote "The History of Jamaica" (1774). The Dawkins family was another British planter-ruling family in Jamaica, and the two families were united through the marriage of Richard Dawkins (1768-1848) and Jane Catherine Long (1764-1826). Dawkins held a Treasury appointment (1813) as Auditor of the British forces' accounts in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular Wars. Other notable family members include Robert Ballard Long (1771-1825), a British cavalry officer, popular with his troops but considered too abrasive toward his superiors and, at the instigation of the Prince Regent, sent home to England in 1814. Edward James Dawkins became a British diplomat who served in Europe, Greece and Central America.

Dawkins-Long Family Tree

Edward Long (1734-1813)=Mary Ballard Beckford (1736-1797)
Children:

  • Edward Beeston (1763-1825)
  • Jane Catherine (1764-1826)
  • Charlotte Mary (1765-1846)
  • Elizabeth (1769-1834)
  • Robert Ballard (1771-1825)
  • Charles Beckford (1771-1836)

Richard Dawkins (1768-1848) = Jane Catherine Long (1764-1826)
Children:

  • Edward James (1792-1865)
  • Juliana (1794-1809)
  • Amelia (1796-?)
  • Caroline (179?-?)
  • Catherine Maria Susannah (1806-1886)
  • Maria Louisa (1803-1882)
  • Charles (1804-?)

Notes:

  • 1. Elizabeth Long (1769-1834), married Henry Molyneux-Howard, Lord Howard, on September 12, 1801, and became Elizabeth Molyneux-Howard, Lady Howard.
  • 2. Robert Ballard Long (1771-1825), childhood name “Bobus,” became a British cavalry officer who served in the Peninsular Wars before being sent home to England in 1814.
  • 3. Richard Dawkins (1768-1848) married Jane Catherine Long (1764-1826) on Dec. 24, 1791.
  • 4. Edward James Dawkins (1792-1865) became a British diplomat and married Mary Petre in 1836.
  • 5. The Dawkins daughters were often referred to and addressed by their childhood names: Juliana “Julia,” Amelia “Emily,” Caroline “Quiz,” and Maria Louisa “Loo.”

Acquisition information:
Acquired from Maggs Bros., London, Phillips sale, Lot 31, June 11, 1992.
Arrangement:

Organized in the following manner: Correspondence & Documents (Boxes 1-4); 2. Manuscripts (Boxes 5-6); 3. Research Material & Ephemera (Box 7); arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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