TEMPERANCE MSS.
The Temperance mss., ca. 1863–1872, consist of over a hundred autograph letters, principally written to Edwin Barton and Robert Whitworth, leading figures in the temperance movement in northwest England. They date predominately from the 1870's, a time when alcohol consumption by the working classes reached a peak and the temperance movement was closely allied to the Liberal Party. The majority of the letters relate to a petition to stop the sale of intoxicating liquors on Sundays. Contained in the volume are letters by W.E. Gladstone, John Bright, C.H. Spurgeon, Arthur Pease, James Nugent, Edmond Beales, George Grossmith, Edward Crawford, Sir John Lubbock, Lord Brassey and many others.
Acquired: 2008
ca. 150 items
NOTE: Access to this collection requires advance notice. Please contact the Curator of Manuscripts for additional information