Birrell - Birrell Collection - 1871-1979
The Birrell Collection comprises correspondence between Augustine Birrell, members of his family, and other correspondents, including three letterbooks of autograph letters received by Augustine Birrell or his second wife Emily Tennyson. There is also correspondence between Birrell's step-son Sir Ch...
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| Archive level description: | Fonds |
| Physical Description: | 3 boxes, 3 bound volumes, and 1 oversize folder. |
| Languages: | English |
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| Summary: | The Birrell Collection comprises correspondence between Augustine Birrell, members of his family, and other correspondents, including three letterbooks of autograph letters received by Augustine Birrell or his second wife Emily Tennyson. There is also correspondence between Birrell's step-son Sir Charles Tennyson, who made the initial gift of Birrell material, and members of his family. |
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| Date: | 1871-1979 |
| Reference Number: | Birrell |
| Arrangement: | The Birrell Collection consists of several different deposits. It has been arranged according to provenance, in six series:
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| Biographical/Administrative Information: | Augustine Birrell was a lawyer by occupation but is best remembered for his political and literary careers. He was born, the son of a baptist minister, in Wavertree, Liverpool on 19th January 1850. He was educated at the famous non-conformist school >Amersham Hall and from there progressed to Trinity Hall Cambridge where he read Law. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn and became Quain Professor of Law at University College, London between 1896-1899.His political career began in the 1880s with his efforts to be elected M.P. for Walton, Liverpool in 1885 and Widness, Lancashire in 1886. Both attempts were unsuccessful. He finally became Liberal Member of Parliament for West Fife in 1899, a seat he held until 1900. He failed in 1900 to become M.P. for Manchester but returned to the House of Commons in 1906 as M.P. for North Bristol and held this seat until 1908. Birrell held the offices of President of the Board of Education between 1905 and 1907 and of Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland between 1907 and 1916.In addition to this political career Birrell was a respected essayist and biographer. His first publication Obiter Dicta was published in 1884 and he wrote prolifically throughout his career culminating in a volume of autobiography Things Past Redress. He died on 20th November 1933. |