Edward Hugh Boscawen letter

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

This collection is minimally processed and open for research.

Terms of access:

The Library believes that all or nearly all material in this collection is likely to be in the public domain, free of copyright restrictions. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials.

Preferred citation:

MSS 16904, Edward Hugh Boscawen letter, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
.03 Cubic Feet 1 letter folder
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

MSS 16904, Edward Hugh Boscawen letter, Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains a letter from Edward Hugh Boscawen (1744-1774), eldest son of Admiral Edward Boscawen, to John Nichols (1745-1826), an English printer and author. Boscawen writes to the Nichols about a forthcoming edition of John Evelyn's Sylva, the first of several to be edited by the Scottish physician, Alexander Hunter, then resident in York. Boscawen is soliciting Nichols' help in finding qualified engravers to work on the plates for the volumes. He notes that he has tried calling at Nichols' house several times but has not found him at home. It is believed that the author of this letter is Edward Hugh Boscawen, as he is writing from Audley Street, and it appears that Admiral Edward Boscawen and his family were the only members of that family to live on Audley Street.

Biographical / historical:

Edward Hugh Boscawen was born September 13, 1744, the eldest son of Admiral Edward Boscawen and Frances Evelyn Glanville. He was educated at Eton from 1753 to 1761 and Christ Church Oxford, 1761. He was elected representative in Parliament for the borough of Truro, a parliamentary constituency in Cornwall, twice from 1767 to 1774. In 1774, he became ill and went to a spa in Germany, where he died July 17, 1774, at the age of twenty-nine.

Sources

Drummond, Mary M. "Member Biographies BOSCAWEN, Edward Hugh (1744-74)." The History of Parliament. Last Accessed June 11, 2025https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/boscawen-edward-hugh-1744-74#footnoteref2_hp2xwhp.

Retanna. "Edward Hugh Boscawen (1744-1774)." Find a Grave..." Accessed June 11, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/154671956/edward_hugh-boscawen.

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased from Franklin Gilliam Rare Books by the Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia on May 8, 2025.
Physical description:
Good. British letter size, on unwatermarked laid paper; gutter shows evidence of previous pamphlet binding.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard