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Sir Frank Dormay Watney, 1847 - 1962

 File — Box: 39-40

Scope and Contents

A collection of personal and professional materials belonging to Colonel Frank Watney, British military officer, clerk of the Mercers’ Company, and member of the Surrey Territorial Force Association. The materials are dated between 1847 and 1962 and fall generally in 4 parts:

Materials related to Watney’s military career including letters from cabinet ministers and the War and Foreign offices, documents related to his connection with the Territorial Army in Surrey, and a manuscript of a short history of the Volunteers. Materials related to Watney’s involvement with the Mercers’ company, including various dinner menus and speeches as well as documents concerning his election as clerk in 1919. Personal materials including Watney family photographs, a printed pedigree, as well as 2 diaries, 2 visitors’ books of autographs, a travel journal, a birthday book, and a book of household expenditures. Also included are letters to and from Watney’s wife Margaret Watney, as well as materials related to his father Sir John Watney, including an 1847 commonplace book and a book titled “Trusts” with information on a number of wills. Materials related to Winchester College, where Watney was a student. These pertain mostly to the Tug Buns, a musical society founded by Watney and several other old Wykehamists to provide musical entertainment to the poor of London. These include ephemera and a record book of concerts.

Also included is a variety of other miscellaneous ephemera that could not be definitively connected to any of the aforementioned areas, including correspondence, a notebook titled “Portraits in II Master’s Room” and a lengthy manuscript on religious topics potentially written by Watney’s uncle, the Reverend James Watney.

Dates

  • 1847 - 1962

Conditions Governing Access

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 / Historical

Sir Frank Dormay Watney (1870-1965) was a British solicitor, wine merchant, Army colonel, and clerk to the Mercers’ Company.

Extent

From the Collection: 30 Cubic Feet (68 boxes)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

From the Collection: Latin

From the Collection: French

From the Collection: Italian

From the Collection: Welsh

From the Collection: Danish

From the Collection: Swedish

From the Collection: Spanish

From the Collection: German

From the Collection: Norwegian

From the Collection: Persian

From the Collection: Japanese

From the Collection: Russian

From the Collection: Greek, Ancient (to 1453)

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057