Papers of the Cavendish-Talbot family

The Papers of the Cavendish-Talbot family (1333-1705 (bulk 1548-1676)) contains 175 autograph letters signed, as well as various financial documents, warrants, petitions, orders, physician instructions and other miscellaneous documents relating to the Cavendish, Talbot, Wentworth, and Slingsby families as well as to Sir Humphrey Style, and Stanley Gower. The collection call number range is Folger X.d.428 (items 1-203).

The collection is divided into six series:

  • Cavendish and Talbot family papers, 1548-1607
  • Wentworth family papers, [1542?], 1624-1705
  • Slingsby family of Scryven papers, 1586-1634
  • Sir Humphrey Style letter, ca. 1629
  • Stanley Gower papers, 1636-1658
  • Miscellaneous documents, 1500-1548.


Most of the papers are autograph letters, but several are written by an amanuensis and signed by the writer. For a brief collection-level description and access information, see the Hamnet record. For a detailed description and full contents list, see its online Finding Aid.

Transcriptions

Many items from the collection have been transcribed by "Bess of Hardwick's Letters," a project developed by the University of Glasgow and the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Sheffield. 102 transcribed letters from the Cavendish-Talbot papers at the Folger are available at the project site online. To search the Folger items, select "Custom Search" from the top menu and "Folger Shakespeare Library" from the "Archive" drop-down menu.

Items from the collection will be transcribed as part of Early Modern Manuscripts Online (EMMO) at the Folger. Selected items may also be transcribed in Folgerpedia, and will be listed here:

  • Coming soon!

Research and Publications

Rastas, Johanna. "By my Lords comand, I am to acquainte you”: An Edition of the Seventeenth-Century Correspondence of the Wentworth Family in the Folger Shakespeare Library." MA thesis., University of Turku, 2016. Doria (http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2016092324258).