GB 0097 SR 0139 - SPENCER, Herbert, 1820-1903, philosopher

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0097 SR 0139

Title

SPENCER, Herbert, 1820-1903, philosopher

Date(s)

  • [1838-1839] (Creation)

Level of description

Extent and medium

1 volume

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Born 1820; educated at Hinton Charterhouse near Bath, 1833-1836; assistant schoolmaster at Derby, 1837; worked as a draftsman and engineer during the building of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, 1837-1841; sub-editor of the Pilot, the organ of the Complete Suffrage Movement, 1844; occupied himself anew with engineering, 1844-1846, and experimented with mechanical inventions, 1846-1847; sub-editor of The Economist in London, 1848-1853; visited house of John Chapman, the advanced publisher, 1849, and became part of a literary circle which included George Eliot, Huxley and Tyndall; published Social Statics (1851), advocating an extreme individualism; contributed articles to the Leader, Westminster Review, and other periodicals, collecting many of these in Essays (1857, 1863, and 1864); published Principles of Psychology (1855), but during the writing of this book his health gave way, and was never fully restored; in 1858 he planned a system of synthetic philosophy, covering metaphysics, biology, psychology, sociology, and ethics, which broke down about 1865, though he published Principles (1862) and Principles of Biology (1864 and 1867); wrote Education (1861), a treatise aiming at a natural development of the child's intelligence, which became a leading textbook; in order to deal with the principles of sociology he employed assistants to collect systematically large masses of facts, of which eight volumes under general title of Descriptive Sociology were issued by 1881, while additional volumes appeared after Spencer's death; he wrote extensively on philosophical and social issues, including Principles of Sociology (1876, 1882, and 1896), Principles of Ethics (1892 and 1893); formed with Frederic Harrison and John Morley and others an Anti-Aggression League, 1882; died 1903.

Archival history

Also known as R 0139.
GB 0097 SR 0139 [1838-1839] Collection (fonds) 1 volume Spencer , Herbert , 1820-1903 , philosopher
Born 1820; educated at Hinton Charterhouse near Bath, 1833-1836; assistant schoolmaster at Derby, 1837; worked as a draftsman and engineer during the building of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway, 1837-1841; sub-editor of the Pilot, the organ of the Complete Suffrage Movement, 1844; occupied himself anew with engineering, 1844-1846, and experimented with mechanical inventions, 1846-1847; sub-editor of The Economist in London, 1848-1853; visited house of John Chapman, the advanced publisher, 1849, and became part of a literary circle which included George Eliot, Huxley and Tyndall; published Social Statics (1851), advocating an extreme individualism; contributed articles to the Leader, Westminster Review, and other periodicals, collecting many of these in Essays (1857, 1863, and 1864); published Principles of Psychology (1855), but during the writing of this book his health gave way, and was never fully restored; in 1858 he planned a system of synthetic philosophy, covering metaphysics, biology, psychology, sociology, and ethics, which broke down about 1865, though he published Principles (1862) and Principles of Biology (1864 and 1867); wrote Education (1861), a treatise aiming at a natural development of the child's intelligence, which became a leading textbook; in order to deal with the principles of sociology he employed assistants to collect systematically large masses of facts, of which eight volumes under general title of Descriptive Sociology were issued by 1881, while additional volumes appeared after Spencer's death; he wrote extensively on philosophical and social issues, including Principles of Sociology (1876, 1882, and 1896), Principles of Ethics (1892 and 1893); formed with Frederic Harrison and John Morley and others an Anti-Aggression League, 1882; died 1903.

Also known as R 0139.

Birmingham and Gloucester Railway time book, filled in by Herbert Spencer with details of his surveying work, [1838-1839].

Chronologically.

Open.

May not be copied.
English

No further list required.

The British Library of Political and Economic Science holds further material relating to Herbert Spencer in the papers of Leonard Henry Courtney (Ref: Courtney 3/117, 7/68 and 30); Frederic Harrison (Ref: Harrison 1/107); Alfred George Gardiner (Ref: Gardiner 1/33); and Beatrice and Sidney Webb (Ref: Passfield 2/1/2/1, 5; 2/4/A, B; 3/1/1/A; 6/79; 7/1/41; 8/1/6).

The University of London Library holds correspondence and papers, 1844-1903 (Ref: Ms 791); the British library, London, has literary manuscripts (Ref: Add Mss 36883-96, 43831), and letters from George Eliot, 1851-1902 (Ref: Add Ms 65530), and William Ewart Gladstone, 1873-1896 (Ref: Add Mss 44441-785); Knox College, Illinois, USA, contains correspondence, 1849-1903; the University of Chicago Library, USA, holds letters to Sir Percy Willliam Bunting, 1882-1903; the Library of Congress Manuscripts Division, Washington DC, USA, has letters to Andrew Carnegie, 1883-1903; the Huntington Library, California, USA, contains letters to John Fiske, 1864-1894; the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, holds letters to Alexander Campbell Fraser, 1853-1881 (Ref: Dep 208), and Sir Patrick Geddes, 1877-1898 (Ref: Mss 10291, 10525-30, 10993); University College London has letters to Sir Francis Dalton, 1888-1897, George Croom Robertson (Ref: Ms Add 88) and James Sully (Ref: Ms Add 158); the Houghton Library, Harvard University, USA, contains letters to Rowland G Hazard, 1869-1886; the Royal Society, London, holds correspondence with Sir John Frederick William Herschel (Ref: HS); the Co-Operative Union Archive, Manchester, has letters to George Jacob Holyoake, 1860-1903 (Ref: MM/96636/1-12); Imperial College London contains letters to Thomas Henry Huxley, 1852-1900 (Ref: B/Huxley); Trinity College Dublin holds correspondence with Elizabeth Lecky, 1875-1903 (Ref: Mss 1827-36, 1931); Exeter University Library has letters to Sir J Norman Lockyer; Northwestern University Library, Illinois, USA, contains correspondence with John Stuart Mill; the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London, holds correspondence.

Sources: Who's Who 1897-1996 (A & C Black, 1996); British Library On-Line Public Access Catalogue 97; Historical Manuscripts Commission National Register of Archives. Compiled by Sarah Aitchison as part of the RSLP AIM25 project. 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. Mar 2001 Avon Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Engineering England Europe Gloucester Gloucestershire Railway transport Spencer , Herbert , 1820-1903 , philosopher Transport Transport infrastructure UK Western Europe London

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Birmingham and Gloucester Railway time book, filled in by Herbert Spencer with details of his surveying work, [1838-1839].

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Chronologically.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open.

Conditions governing reproduction

May not be copied.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

The British Library of Political and Economic Science holds further material relating to Herbert Spencer in the papers of Leonard Henry Courtney (Ref: Courtney 3/117, 7/68 and 30); Frederic Harrison (Ref: Harrison 1/107); Alfred George Gardiner (Ref: Gardiner 1/33); and Beatrice and Sidney Webb (Ref: Passfield 2/1/2/1, 5; 2/4/A, B; 3/1/1/A; 6/79; 7/1/41; 8/1/6).

Finding aids

No further list required.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

The University of London Library holds correspondence and papers, 1844-1903 (Ref: Ms 791); the British library, London, has literary manuscripts (Ref: Add Mss 36883-96, 43831), and letters from George Eliot, 1851-1902 (Ref: Add Ms 65530), and William Ewart Gladstone, 1873-1896 (Ref: Add Mss 44441-785); Knox College, Illinois, USA, contains correspondence, 1849-1903; the University of Chicago Library, USA, holds letters to Sir Percy Willliam Bunting, 1882-1903; the Library of Congress Manuscripts Division, Washington DC, USA, has letters to Andrew Carnegie, 1883-1903; the Huntington Library, California, USA, contains letters to John Fiske, 1864-1894; the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, holds letters to Alexander Campbell Fraser, 1853-1881 (Ref: Dep 208), and Sir Patrick Geddes, 1877-1898 (Ref: Mss 10291, 10525-30, 10993); University College London has letters to Sir Francis Dalton, 1888-1897, George Croom Robertson (Ref: Ms Add 88) and James Sully (Ref: Ms Add 158); the Houghton Library, Harvard University, USA, contains letters to Rowland G Hazard, 1869-1886; the Royal Society, London, holds correspondence with Sir John Frederick William Herschel (Ref: HS); the Co-Operative Union Archive, Manchester, has letters to George Jacob Holyoake, 1860-1903 (Ref: MM/96636/1-12); Imperial College London contains letters to Thomas Henry Huxley, 1852-1900 (Ref: B/Huxley); Trinity College Dublin holds correspondence with Elizabeth Lecky, 1875-1903 (Ref: Mss 1827-36, 1931); Exeter University Library has letters to Sir J Norman Lockyer; Northwestern University Library, Illinois, USA, contains correspondence with John Stuart Mill; the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London, holds correspondence.

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

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Name access points

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Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

British Library of Political and Economic Science

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

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area