Collection: Russell of Swallowfield Archives | Georgetown University Archival Resources

Scope and Contents note

The Russell of Swallowfield Archives consists of documents and correspondence regarding the personal and financial affairs relating to the marriage trust of Fanny Russell Hole, eldest daughter of the Rev. Whitworth Russell. The papers include material dating from 1848, when Fanny Russell married the Rev. William Brassey Hole, Vicar of Bray (?-1887) to the early 1890's, when assets from her marriage trust were being transferred to their children. The collection comprises .5 linear feet of material, and is organized chronologically in one box with a total of twenty-two folders.

The Russell of Swallowfield Archives consist mostly of family correspondence addressed to solicitor Henshaw Russell. There are letters from Rev. Hole, Fanny Hole, Fanny Russell and Sir Charles Russell, who was a member of the marriage trust of Fanny and William Brassey Hole. Also, there are letters from the other three trustees of the Russell-Hole marriage settlement: Fanny's uncles George Lake Russell and Dawson Greene; Rev. Hole's brother Nathaniel J.B. Hole, and George Henry Kempe. In addition, there are several letters from the children of Rev. William Brassey Hole and Fanny Hole, especially from their son-in-law Greville Horsely Palmer, who had married Mary Frances Hole, and whose marriage settlement agreement is also discussed in the correspondence.

This collection is an important supplement to the Russell of Swallowfield archives at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It is of interest to biographers of any of its noted correspondents, as well as historians of Victorian life and society. Indeed, The Russell of Swallowfield Archives contain a wealth of information about Victorian marriage legalities, Victorian religious practices and nineteenth century British economics.

Dates

1848 - 1896

Conditions Governing Access note

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Biographical note

The Rev. Whitworth Russell (1792-1847) was the fourth son of the first Baronet Russell of Swallowfield, Sir Henry Russell (1751-1836), who was Chief Justice of Bengal and owner of the Swallowfield Park estate near Reading, England. Rev. Russell's brother, the second Baronet Sir Henry Russell, was also distinguished in colonial life, sitting on the court of Hyderbad, East India. The latter's son, Rev. Russell's nephew, was the third Baronet Sir Charles Russell (1826-1883), noted for his heroic actions in the Crimea, and later M.P. for Berkshire. A full account of the lives of the first and third Baronet is found in the Dictionary of National Biography. Equally famous was the family of Rev. Russell's wife, Fanny Carpenter Russell, who was the daughter of the noted Admiral James Carpenter. (1760-1845; see DNB)