Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [1778-1806] (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Charles Middleton entered the navy as a captain's servant in 1741, was promoted a lieutenant in 1745 and post captain in 1758. In 1778 he became Comptroller of the Navy, a position he held until 1790. He was created a baronet in 1781 and, though holding a civil post, a rear-admiral in 1787, being made a vice-admiral in 1793 and admiral in 1795. In 1794-5 he was senior sea lord to Lord Spencer and in 1805-6, First Lord of the Admiralty. Between 1804 and 1807 he headed the Commission for revising and digesting the civil affairs of the navy, being made a peer in May 1805 on accepting the appointment as First Lord.
Repository
Archival history
GB 0064 MID [1778-1806] Collection
Middleton , Charles , 1726-1813 , Admiral , 1st Baron Barham
Charles Middleton entered the navy as a captain's servant in 1741, was promoted a lieutenant in 1745 and post captain in 1758. In 1778 he became Comptroller of the Navy, a position he held until 1790. He was created a baronet in 1781 and, though holding a civil post, a rear-admiral in 1787, being made a vice-admiral in 1793 and admiral in 1795. In 1794-5 he was senior sea lord to Lord Spencer and in 1805-6, First Lord of the Admiralty. Between 1804 and 1807 he headed the Commission for revising and digesting the civil affairs of the navy, being made a peer in May 1805 on accepting the appointment as First Lord.
The papers were purchased form Maggs Bros, Sotheby's. Francis Edwards, Charles B Lee and The Right Honourable the Earl of Gainsborough between 1966 and 1979.
Papers of Charles Middleton. They consist of his private correspondence and his administrative papers. The latter cover the range of Admiralty and Navy Board subjects of business between 1778 and 1806. Originally Middleton arranged them all either by writer or alphabetically by subject; Sir John Knox Laughton may also have contributed to the arrangement. In so far as letters and administrative papers were largely separate, this arrangement has been retained, though extended and carried throughout the collection. Additional letters and papers, obviously added by John Deas Thompson, have been formed into a distinct section. A further group of papers were purchased from Lord Gainsborough via Christie's in 1994. Where possible these have been integrated into the existing catalogue sequence, from MID/1-MID/14. Further correspondence has been added in a new section, MID/15.
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Please contact the Archive for further information.
English
Detailed catalogue online at the: National Maritime Museum website .
Edited by Sarah Drewery, Sep 2011.
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
2010-08-26 Middleton , Charles , 1726-1813 , Admiral , 1st Baron Barham Admiralty Navy Board
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
The papers were purchased form Maggs Bros, Sotheby's. Francis Edwards, Charles B Lee and The Right Honourable the Earl of Gainsborough between 1966 and 1979.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers of Charles Middleton. They consist of his private correspondence and his administrative papers. The latter cover the range of Admiralty and Navy Board subjects of business between 1778 and 1806. Originally Middleton arranged them all either by writer or alphabetically by subject; Sir John Knox Laughton may also have contributed to the arrangement. In so far as letters and administrative papers were largely separate, this arrangement has been retained, though extended and carried throughout the collection. Additional letters and papers, obviously added by John Deas Thompson, have been formed into a distinct section. A further group of papers were purchased from Lord Gainsborough via Christie's in 1994. Where possible these have been integrated into the existing catalogue sequence, from MID/1-MID/14. Further correspondence has been added in a new section, MID/15.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
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Conditions of access and use area
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Please contact the Archive for further information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Detailed catalogue online at the: National Maritime Museum website .
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
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Description control area
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Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English