| Description | Manuscript letters; arranged chronologically and including envelopes; from Mary Carnegie [nee Endicott, Chamberlain; step-mother of Austen Chamberlain] mainly to Mrs. Ellen Endicott [nee Peabody; mother of Mary Carnegie]; includes correspondence of various family members and others; some dictation and typescript letters; miscellanea including: press cuttings, menu cards, seating plans, sketches, telegraphic correspondence, fabric samples, orders of service, calling cards, etc.; relating to travels, including: U.S., England, Scotland, Europe, Egypt, S. Africa, etc.; domestic matters including: marriage to Joseph Chamberlain [Rt. Hon. Joseph Austin; father of Austen Chamberlain], wedding and honeymoon, 1888, Chamberlain family, Highbury, presentation at Court, 1889, marriage of William Crowninshield Endicott Jr. [brother of Mary Carnegie], 1889, presentations of Ida and Hilda Chamberlain, 1891, and Ethel Richards [nee Chamberlain] [ half-sisters of Austen Chamberlain] at Court, illnesses and deaths of various family members including grandparents, 1892, William Crowninshield Endicott [father of Mary Carnegie], 1900, Neville Chamberlain's [Rt. Hon. Arthur Neville; half-brother of Austen Chamberlain] business in Bahamas, 1891-1896, engagement and marriage of Ethel Chamberlain to Lionel Richards, 1900, birth of Hilda Mary Richards [daughter of Ethel [nee Chamberlain] and Lionel Richards; niece of Austen Chamberlain], 1901, death of Ethel Richards, 1905, Austen Chamberlain's marriage to Ivy Dundas [Ivy Chamberlain; wife of Austen Chamberlain], drawing room with Ivy Chamberlain and birth of Joseph Chamberlain [son of Austen Chamberlain], 1907, death of Colonel Lawrence Dundas [father-in-law of Austen Chamberlain], re-marriage of Lionel Richards [brother-in-law of Austen Chamberlain], 1908, Neville Chamberlain's engagement, 1910, and marriage to Anne de Vere Cole, and birth of Dorothy Ethel Chamberlain [daughter of Neville and Annie Chamberlain; niece of Austen Chamberlain], 1911, birth of Diane [Beatrice Diane Maxwell [nee Chamberlain], daughter of Austen Chamberlain], 1912, Joseph and Mary Chamberlain's silver wedding anniversary, 1913, birth of Francis Neville [nephew of Austen Chamberlain], death of Joseph Chamberlain, 1914, dispersal of family and dismantling of Highbury, marriage to Canon Carnegie, and dismantling of Prince's Gardens, 1916, birth of Lawrence Endicott Chamberlain [son of Austen Chamberlain], 1917, death of Norman Chamberlain [paternal cousin of Austen Chamberlain], Highbury as hospital, death of Beatrice Chamberlain [sister of Austen Chamberlain], 1918, marriage of Frances Peto [nee Carnegie; step-daughter of Mary Carnegie], 1920, presentation of Jocosa Carnegie [step-daughter of Mary Carnegie] at Court, 1920, engagement of May Carnegie [step-daughter of Mary Carnegie], 1921, death of Mrs. Carnegie [mother-in-law of Mary Carnegie], 1923, wedding of May Slade [nee Carnegie; step-daughter of Mary Carnegie], 1923, birth of daughter of May Slade [nee Carnegie], 1924, etc.; political offices of family including: Austen Chamberlain elected as MP, 1892, appointed as Civil Lord of the Admiralty, 1895, appointment and speeches as Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1903-1905, assumption of Joseph Chamberlain's constituency, 1914, in War Cabinet, 1918, Austen Chamberlain as Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1919-1921, Leader of the House and Lord Privy Seal, 1921-1922, Foreign Secretary, 1924-1929, Order of the Garter, 1925, etc.; Neville Chamberlain elected Lord Mayor of Birmingham, 1915, Neville Chamberlain as Director of National Service, 1917, Neville Chamberlain as MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Minister of Health, 1920's, etc.; Joseph Chamberlain's speeches, appointment as Secretary of State for the Colonies, 1895, and political activities; political topics including: Venezuelan dispute, and South African issues, such as the Transvaal difficulty, the Jameson Raid, Fashoda, Spanish-American War, Commonwealth Bill, Liberal Unionist Association, opening of Parliament by Edward VII, 1901, Colonial vote, Appropriation Bill, Guildhall dinners, trip to S. Africa, 1902-1903, Tariff Reform, Alien's Bill, 1906, Canadian Reciprocity Agreement, 1911, coal strikes, Women's Suffrage movement, 1912, Corn Tax, 1913, political situation in Europe, esp. before and during First World War, and in Ireland [Ulster Crisis, 1914], Christian Nurses Association and Red Cross Sub-Committee meetings [Mary Chamberlain on committee], Joseph Chamberlain's retirement from Parliament, 1913, First World War, 1914-1918, Russian Revolution, 1917, general strike, 1921, Irish situation, 1920-1921, General election results, 1922, strikes, 1924, Locarno Conference and Treaty, 1925, etc.; political figures, including prime ministers, death of Rt. Hon. William Ewart Gladstone [Prime Minister 1869; 1880-1885; 1886; 1892-1894; various other political offices], resignation of Arthur James Balfour [1st Earl of Balfour; Prime Minister, 1902-1905, and various other political offices], 1911, Rt. Hon. Andrew Bonar Law [MP; Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, 1922–1923; various political offices], 1923, etc.; various contemporary and family events, including: wedding of Duke of York, 1893, birth of Prince Edward, 1894, death of Prince Henry of Battenberg, 1896, Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, 1897, and death, 1901, coronation of Edward VII, 1902, wedding of Princess Patricia, 1919, wedding of [Princess Mary], 1922, wedding of Duke of York, 1923, death of Queen Alexandra, 1925, visits to Windsor, meetings with contemporary political figures, authors, artists, etc., portraits painted by [ Sir John Everett] Millais and Sargent, Joseph Chamberlain's portraits painted by [John Singer] Sargent [Artist; exhibited at the Salon and Academy] and [Charles Wellington] Furse [Artist], Joseph Chamberlain's bust placed in Westminster Abbey, theatre, museums and gallery exhibitions, Joseph Chamberlain elected as Lord Rector of Glasgow University, given city honours, foundation of Birmingham University, statue of Joseph Chamberlain placed in the lobby of the H. of C., Austen Chamberlain elected rector of Glasgow University, and many contemporary events, such as the sinking of the Titanic, the dedication of the tomb of the unknown soldier in London, the findings of the tomb of Tutankhamen, bicycle riding, aeroplane travel, underground travel, etc.
Various newspaper and publication cuttings; relating to marriage to Joseph Chamberlain and presentation at Court, social, royal, and political events, etc.
Includes: /1165-/1182 trip to S. Africa, /1604 Neville Chamberlain's wedding, /2081 Royal name change to Windsor, /2224 death of Beatrice Chamberlain, /2331-/2332 statue of Joseph Chamberlain in House of Commons, /2417 Canon Carnegie, /2467 visit of William Howard Taft, /2559 land for subsidy housing offered by Ida and Hilda Chamberlain, /2588 wedding of May Slade, and /2735 Austen Chamberlain and Order of the Garter, etc. |
| Physical Description | /780-789 were duplicated and so the duplicates have been re-numbered /780a-789a; /105, /107, /121-22, /124, /394, /1165 have stamps torn from envelopes;
/2210 is out of sequence [dated Oct 18, 1920]; there appears to be no
number /2402;
/114, /132, /137, /183, /199, /216, /220, /449, /846, /1194, /2287 including fabric
patterns in envelopes;
/385 including a separate scrap of paper with note; /1573 including calling card w/envelope;
/1649 including separate note in envelope; /2327 including small separate envelope; /2536
including calling card;
/707 and /709 including sketches and seating plans from Diamond Jubilee; /726 refers to
Diamond Jubilee coin; /1107 including a crepe paper banner and menu from Town Hall
dinner in honour of Joseph Chamberlain;
/841 including 2 photographs of Mary and Joseph Chamberlain; /1643a-i are
photographs of Austen and Ivy Chamberlain travelling in Europe; /2259 including
photograph of Carnegie group;
/525, /534, /551, /888 have pages missing;
/652 has a page torn off at the bottom;
/2386, /2485, /2519, /2657 have pages detached;
/2607 including 8 picture postcards
/40-4, /58-71, /76-79, /81-82, /115, /136, /196, /228-242, /259, /326, /329, /347, /390,
/392, /458, /466, /958, /987-988, /1123, /1139, /1165-82, /1185, /1195, /1257, /1297,
/1334, /1410, /1437, /1466, /1468, /1487-88, /1602 and /1604, /1723-25, /1727, /1745,
/1868, /1870-72, /1886-87, /1913, /1935, /1941-43, /1993, /2000, /2049, /2081, /2088-89,
/2114, /2205, /2212, /2224, /2243, /2245, /2327, /2331-32, /2363, /2417 , /2425, /2467,
/2520, /2559, /2588, /2647, /2653, /2735 are newspaper and publication cuttings |