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Miscellaneous papers covering Arthur Ralph Douglas Elliot's political career, with a concentration on the Free Trade movements of the 1890s and 1900s., 1879-1922.

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS.19537-19564

Scope and Contents

From the Series:

Arthur Ralph Douglas Elliot was the second son of the 3rd Earl of Minto. He was educated privately, at Edinburgh University, and at Trinity College, Cambridge. After a brief period of practice on the Northern Circuit, he was elected Liberal M P for Roxburghshire in 1880; in 1886 he opposed Gladstone's Home Rule policy but held his seat as a Liberal Unionist until 1892. After being defeated by a single vote in 1895, Elliot was returned for Durham at a by-election in 1898. He was appointed Financial Secretary to The Treasury in April 1903, but resigned in September at an acute stage of the Free Trade controversy. He lost the Durham seat in 1906, but continued to campaign for Free Trade especially through the Unionist Free Trade Club which he founded. All these activities are well represented here and the collection is thus of considerable value for the British political history of the time. In 1895, Elliot had been made editor of the ‘Edinburgh Review’, a post which he held until 1912.

Although chiefly a politician, Arthur Ralph Douglas Elliot had a wide knowledge of literature and was the author of several works including ‘The Life of George Joachim Goschen, 1st Viscount Goschen’ 2 volumes (London, 1911), and ‘The traditions of British Statesmanship’ (London, 1918). Elliot's correspondence and papers contain much material relating to these publications, his unpublished works, and to his literary interests in general.

Dates

  • Creation: 1879-1922.

Conditions Governing Access

Normal access conditions apply.

Conditions Governing Use

Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.

Extent

28 Volumes

Language of Materials

From the Fonds: Undetermined

Repository Details

Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository

Contact:
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
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Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
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