Lloyd George Archives by J
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THE BEAVERBOOK liBRARY, A.J.P. TAYLOR AND THE RISE OF llOYD GEORGE STUdiES University of Wales Press, 1995. Most edition of A. J. P. Taylor, Lloyd 29 John Campbell, Lloyd George: the Goat of the essays were first published in George: Twelve Essays, Aldershot, in the Wilderness, Jonathan Cape, 1977. Welsh learned journals. The Welsh Gregg Revivals, 1993. Chris Cook, The Age of Alignment: dimension was further examined by 26 Bentley B. Gilbert, David Lloyd Electoral Politics in Britain 1922–1929, Lloyd George’s nephew, drawing on George: The Architect of Change 1863– Macmillan, 1975. John Turner, his father’s papers – W. R. P. George, 1912, Batsford, 1987, and David Lloyd Lloyd George’s Secretariat, Cambridge The Making of Lloyd George, Faber George: Organiser of Victory 1912–1916, University Press, 1980 and British and Faber, 1976, and Lloyd George: Batsford, 1972. Michael G. Fry, Lloyd Politics and the Great War: Coalition and Backbencher, Llandysul, Gomer, 1983 George and Foreign Policy: the Education Conflict 1915–1918, Yale University – and by J. Graham Jones with a of a Statesman 1890–1916, Montreal, Press, 1992. Chris Wrigley, David series of articles in learned journals McGill-Queens University Press, Lloyd George and the British Labour between 1982 and 2001, collected 1977, and And Fortune Fled: David Lloyd Movement: Peace and War, Hassocks, in his David Lloyd George and Welsh George, the First Democratic Statesman, Harvester Press, 1976, Lloyd George Liberalism, Aberystwyth, National 1916–1922, New York, Peter Lang, and the Challenge of Labour: Post- Library of Wales, 2011. 2011. R. Q. Adams, Arms and the war Coalition 1918–22, Brighton, 21 Kenneth O. Morgan, Lloyd George Wizard: Lloyd George and the Ministry of Harvester-Wheatsheaf, 1990, and Family Letters 1885–1936, Cardiff, Munitions, London, Cassell, 1978. ‘Lloyd George and the Labour Party University of Wales Press and 27 Kenneth O. Morgan, Consensus and after 1922’ in Judith Loades, ed., Oxford University Press, 1973. Disunity: the Lloyd George Coalition Life and Times of David Lloyd George, 22 Robert Blake, The Unknown Prime Government 1918–1922, Oxford Bangor, Headstart Publications, Minister: The Life and Times of Andrew University Press, 1979. Maurice 1991, pp. 49–69. Bonar Law, 1858–1923, Eyre and Cowling, The Impact of Labour, 30 John Maynard Keynes, Essays in Spottiswoode, 1955. Frank Owen, Cambridge University Press, 1971, Biography, Macmillan, 1933, p.36. Tempestuous Journey: Lloyd George, His and The Impact of Hitler: British Politics 31 This sneer was used (without Life and Times, Hutchinson, 1954. and British Policy 1933–1940, Cambridge approval) by Don Cregier for the 23 Beaverbrook Library seminar, 1 July University Press, 1975. Michael title of his study, Bounder from Wales: 1971; author’s notes. Dockrill and J. D. Goold, Peace without Lloyd George’s career before the First 24 15 March 1978; author’s notes. Promise: Britain and the peace conferences World War, Columbia, University of 25 Hamish Hamilton Papers, Bristol 1919–1923, Batsford, 1981. Missouri Press, 1976. University Library; quoted in Chris 28 Peter Rowland, Lloyd George, Barrie Wrigley, ‘Introduction’ to second and Jenkins, 1975. LLOYD GEORGE ARchiVES by J. Graham Jones Parliamentary Archive, House of Lords At his death in March 1945, Lloyd The archive runs to no fewer Class E Secretary of State for George bequeathed to his second than 1041 boxes. They have been War, June – December 1916 (10 wife Frances, Countess Lloyd- listed, divided into nine series, boxes) George of Dwyfor, a substantial each distinguished by a letter of the Class F Prime Minister, 1916–22 archive of both political and per- alphabet; the first seven series cor- (254 boxes) sonal papers, primarily the former. respond to the main divisions in Class G 1922–45 (264 boxes) She then sold the entire archive in Lloyd George’s political career: Class H Press cuttings (390 boxes) 1949 to Lord Beaverbrook. The papers are still owned by the Bea- Political Papers Personal Papers verbrook Foundation, but since Class A Member of Parliament, Class I Personal correspondence 1975 they have been deposited at 1890–1905 (13 boxes) and papers (42 boxes) the House of Lords Record Office Class B President of the Board of (now called the Parliamentary Trade, 1905–08 (5 boxes) Also deposited at the Parliamentary Archive). Substantial numbers of Class C Chancellor of the Archive at the House of Lords is a official papers survive among the Exchequer, 1908–15 (36 boxes) substantial group of the papers of Lloyd George Papers at the House Class D Minister of Munitions, Frances Stevenson, Lloyd George’s of Lords. 1915–16 (27 boxes) secretary, mistress and eventually 68 Journal of Liberal History 77 Winter 2012–13 llOYD GEORGE ARchiVES his second wife. Many of these are disappointingly brief and Sales advertisement relate to Lloyd George. These much less informative. papers include many photo- Other items of interest in graphs, some personal cor- this group include NLW MS respondence, and a draft of 20,443A, a stray diary kept Frances’s autobiography (pub- intermittently by Lloyd George lished as The Years that are Past between January and Novem- (Hutchinson, 1967)). There is ber 1887 when he was already also Frances’s correspondence taking a keen interest in politi- with Lloyd George (extracts cal life. NLW MS 20,444A published as A. J. P. Taylor is a diary containing only (ed.), My Darling Pussy: the Let- two entries for January 1889. ters of Lloyd George and Frances NLW MSS 20,444A–52A, and Stevenson, 1913–41 (Weiden- 20,454–55E are mainly note- feld and Nicolson, 1975)), and books and bound volumes of her diaries for the years 1914 to speech notes prepared between 1944 (extracts published as A. 1885 and the 1930s. The great J. P. Taylor (ed.), Lloyd George: majority of these are in the a Diary by Frances Stevenson hand of David Lloyd George. (Hutchinson, 1971)). NLW MS 20,451A is a note- book kept by Dame Marga- ret Lloyd George and contains National Library of Wales, fairly detailed notes of a family Aberystwyth tour on the Continent during August and September 1929. Brynawelon group (NLW MSS NLW MS 20,455E comprises a 20,403–93) miscellaneous group of politi- The first major Lloyd George cal papers, a few concerning the archive to be purchased by Irish question, 1916–22 (includ- the National Library of Wales ing Asquith’s notes for a speech (in 1969) was the substantial in the House of Commons dur- group of correspondence and ing 1916), and some deriving papers, running to almost from the general election of 3,500 items, which had been October 1922. assembled at the family home NLW MSS 20,462–63C Earl Lloyd-George Papers (NLW Edward as Prince of Wales at at Brynawelon, Criccieth. By comprise a miscellaneous MSS 21,787–92, 22,514–37 and Caernarfon Castle in 1911, and far the most important part of group of 160 letters addressed NLW ex 1069) the First World War. the archive is the long series of to Lloyd George, mainly from The Library was able to just over 2,000 letters or notes politicians and other promi- purchase in 1982 and 1987 two William George Papers from Lloyd George to Dame nent individuals. Many of these groups of correspondence and The largest and perhaps the Margaret, beginning in 1886, correspondents are represented papers from the third Earl most significant of all the just before their marriage, and by only a single letter. These Lloyd-George of Dwyfor Lloyd George archives in the continuing until 1936. These volumes also include a small which he, in turn, had possession of the National have been catalogued as NLW number of drafts and cop- inherited from his father, Library became available for MSS 20,403–42. Until about ies of letters penned by Lloyd Richard Lloyd George, the purchase in September 1989 1917 Lloyd George spent long George, and a handful of let- second earl. Richard had – the magnificent collection and frequent periods away ters which simply refer to him, presumably collected these of correspondence and papers from his family, and wrote perhaps originally enclosures. papers during the course of accumulated by Lloyd George’s home almost daily, occasion- NLW MSS 20,469–71C com- his lifetime. The material only brother William George ally more than once a day. This prise three volumes of more acquired in 1982 now forms (1865–1967). Quite apart from magnificent sequence of letters than 300 letters to Dame Mar- NLW MSS 21,787–90E, the immensely rich runs of casts light on Lloyd George’s garet, mostly relating to her 21,791C and 21,792E. There are correspondence, the Wil- personality and viewpoint in social and public life. The some 200 letters and papers, liam George Papers include a number of ways. They are numerous correspondents most of these addressed to ten pocket diaries kept by the especially full (over 1,000 let- include a wide range of figures Lloyd George, together with young Lloyd George between ters) from the time of his first in English and Welsh public a few notes in his hand. The 1878 (when he was only fifteen election to Westminster in life. NLW MSS 20,475C and bulk of the correspondence years of age) and 1888, together April 1890 until the period of 20,482C are bound volumes of concerns Welsh affairs, mainly with a stray volume bearing the Boer War. From about 1902 letters to Lady Megan Lloyd the Disestablishment and but very brief notes for the onwards they become notably George. The former includes Disendowment question, and year 1892. The very informa- more episodic in character.