Joseph Parkes and Edward John Stanley Correspondence 1834-1860, (bulk 1835-1843) MS.2007.010 http://hdl.handle.net/2345/1108 Archives and Manuscripts Department John J. Burns Library Boston College 140 Commonwealth Avenue Chestnut Hill 02467 library.bc.edu/burns/contact URL: http://www.bc.edu/burns
Table of Contents Summary Information... 3 Administrative Information... 4 Related Materials... 4 Biographical Note: Joseph Parkes... 5 Biographical Note: Edward John Stanley... 5 Scope and Contents... 5 Arrangement... 6 Collection Inventory... 7 - Page 2 -
Summary Information Creator: Parkes, Joseph, 1796-1865 Creator: Stanley, Edward John, 1802-1869 Title: ID: Joseph Parkes and Edward John Stanley correspondence MS.2007.010 Date [inclusive]: 1834-1860 Date [bulk]: 1835-1843 Physical Description Language of the Material: Abstract: Preferred Citation 0.5 Linear feet (1 box) English This collection contains correspondence between British election reformer Joseph Parkes and British politician Edward John Stanley. It also includes a small amount of correspondence between Parkes and other correspondents. Identification of item, Box number, Folder number, Joseph Parkes and Edward John Stanley correspondence, MS.2007.010, John J. Burns Library, Boston College. - Page 3 -
Administrative Information Publication Information Processed by Matthew Heitzman, 2007; updated by Miriam Bourke in 2019. This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace. Restrictions on access Collection is open for research. Restrictions on use These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials. Provenance Purchased from the Hilaire Belloc Estate (2007). Related Materials Related Materials Researchers may also be interested in the Burns Library's numerous Hilaire Belloc collections. - Page 4 -
Biographical Note: Joseph Parkes Joseph Parkes (1796-1865) played a critical role in the political reform movements and electoral changes of the mid-nineteenth century in England. Parkes worked as a solicitor specializing in election cases in Birmingham and served as an advisor to several Whig candidates during the height of the reform period in England. Parkes campaigned actively for parliamentary reform, writing frequent articles in national newspapers between 1830 and 1832. After the passage of the Reform Act in 1832, Parkes continued to advise Whig party candidates in general elections and to push for additional election reform. He spearheaded a national registration campaign in the 1840s, and following his retirement from legal and political work in 1847, Parkes continued to publish political pamphlets in papers such as The Times and Birmingham Journal. Parkes was an essential go-between for the moderately dissenting and more radical members of the Whig party, yet he was never entirely comfortable in either political circle. Parkes married Elizabeth Rayner Priestley, the eldest daughter of Joseph Priestley, in 1824, and their daughter, Elizabeth Rayner (Bessie) Parkes became a strong advocate for women's issues in the nineteenth century. Bessie Parkes was also the mother of British writer Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953). Source: Salmon, Philip J. "Parkes, Joseph (1796-1865)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford UP, 2004. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21356, accessed 13 June 2007] Biographical Note: Edward John Stanley British politician Edward John Stanley (1802-1869) entered parliament as a Whig in the last unreformed election of 1831. He served as under-secretary to the colonies from 1833-1834, and was appointed secretary to the Treasury in 1835. As a Whig candidate, Stanley forged a strong relationship with Joseph Parkes; and the two men corresponded frequently during their political careers. In 1836, Stanley joined with Parkes to establish a Reform Club in order to "humanize the Radicals and liberalize the Whigs." (Parkes to Lord Palmerston, 12 Feb. 1836, quoted in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography) Stanley ended his career as postmaster-general, a position he held until 1866. Source: Newbould, Ian. "Stanley, Edward John, second Baron Stanley of Alderley and first Baron Eddisbury (1802-1869)" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford UP, 2004. [http:// www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26267, accessed 13 June 2007] Scope and Contents This collection primarily contains correspondence between political reformer Joseph Parkes and parliamentarian Edward John Stanley. It dates to the period just following the passage of the 1832 Reform Act, when Parkes served as a political advisor to the Whig party. The focus is on parliamentary affairs. Parkes and Stanley frequently discuss the status of their opponents in the Tory party and the - Page 5 -
state of the reform movement in Great Britain. A handful of Parkes-Stanley letters date from the time of Parkes' quasi-retirement during which he and Stanley continued to correspond about politics. This collection also includes some correspondence between Joseph Parkes and other correspondents. These letters also date from the reform period and focus on political and legal matters. Edward John Stanley is mentioned occasionally in these letters, as Parkes comments on parliamentary politics. Arrangement By correspondent, and chronologically thereunder. - Page 6 -
Collection Inventory Parkes with Stanley, 1834-1860, undated box 1 folder 1-6 Parkes with others, A-J, 1836-1843, undated box 1 folder 7 Parkes with others, K-Z and unidentified, 1836-1843, undated box 1 folder 8 - Page 7 -