Andrews Papers

Repository: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Identity Statement

TitleAndrews Papers
Archive ReferenceGB 0255 PRONI/D3655
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/andrews-papers
Creation Dates1796-1956
Level of DescriptionFonds (The whole of the records, regardless of form or medium, organically created and/or accumulated and used by a particular person, family, or corporate body in the course of that creator's activities and functions). (Often, but not always, contiguous with an archives ‘collection’ ).
Extent Mediumc 500 documents, mainly correspondence, photographs + newspaper cuttings

Context

Creator(s): Andrews, family, of Comber, County DownAndrews, Sir James, 1877-1951, Baronet Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland

  • Administrative History ↴

    The Andrews family rose to prominence in Comber during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. WILLIAM DRENNAN ANDREWS: William Drennan Andrews, was the second eldest son of John Andrews of Comber and his wife, Sarah, daughter of Dr William Drennan, of Cabin Hill, Co. Down. He was born on 24 January 1832, and was subsequently educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI) and Trinity College, Dublin. He pursued a legal career which culminated in his appointment as Judge of Exchequer, in the Division of the High Court of Justice in Ireland in 1882. He was sworn of the Privy Council of Ireland in 1897. He married Eliza, daughter of John Galloway, of Monkstown, Co. Dublin, in 1857 and lived in the city of Dublin. His correspondence mainly comprises a regular exchange of information with his uncles, William Lenox Drennan and John Swanwick Drennan during the period 1845-1857. These letters are not only full of family information but contain a regular budget of news on local and national politics. There is also correspondence with his future wife, Eliza Galloway. SIR JAMES ANDREWS: James Andrews was the son of Thomas Andrews (elder brother of William Drennan) of Comber, and his wife, Eliza, only daughter of James Alexander Pirrie, of Little Clandeboye, Co. Down, and sister of first and last Viscount Pirrie. He was born 3 January 1877 and like his uncle was educated at RBAI and Trinity College, Dublin. He also pursued a career in the law and ultimately served as Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland from 1937-1950. THOMAS ANDREWS: Thomas Andrews, father of the foregoing James, and the brother of William Drennan, was born on 26 February 1823. He was a partner and later chairman of John Andrews & Co., flaxspinners (See D4189). He was also a prominent public figure. He was chairman of the Belfast & Co. Down Railway Company, 1895-1916, President of the Ulster Liberal Unionist Association, 1892-1916, and one of the promoters of the Ulster Convention of 1892. THOMAS ANDREWS JNR: Thomas Andrews was born 7 February 1873, the second son of Thomas Andrews. He pursued a career in shipbuilding and achieved international fame as chief designer and managing director of Harland & Wolff. He is of course best known as designer of the ill-fated RMS Titanic, on which he lost his life in 1912. -Extracted from a full account of the Andrews Papers in the PRONI catalogue: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni

  • Archival History ↴

    Gifted to PRONI in 1983 by Mr & Mrs. Bryson

  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Bequest

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Andrews, family, of Comber, County DownAndrews, Sir James, 1877-1951, Baronet Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland ↴

    This archive relates to the Andrews family of Ardara and Maxwell Court, Comber, Co. Down. The material mainly consists of correspondence, photographs and newspaper cuttings. The bulk of the archive consists of correspondence of various members of the Andrews family. The two most significant in terms of quantity relate to Sir James Andrews, and his uncle, William Drennan Andrews.
    Sir James Andrew’s early papers dated 1902-1903 relate to his position as auditor of The Historical Society at Trinity College, Dublin. The correspondence mainly comprises replies from invited speakers such as Winston Churchill and other office holders such as Lord Ashbourne. The later material includes various warrants such as his appointment to the Privy Council of Northern Ireland in 1924.
    The archive contains several photographs of Thomas Andrews with his family and also includes a portrait of him in 1914. However, there is relatively little relating to his leading role in public life. Although the section does contain commemorative programmes, etc., relating to Thomas Andrews’s invitation to the coronation of King George V.
    The archive is rich in photographic material and especially significant is that it can all be confidently attributed. There are photographs of virtually everyone represented in the archive. Aside from those already mentioned there are photographs of William Drennan Andrews, the wedding of Sir James Andrews and the wedding of Eliza Montgomery, daughter of the Rt Hon. Thomas Andrews, to Lt Col L.A. Hind. There are also photographs of the interior and exterior of Ardara House and one early photograph of Maxwell Court.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention

  • Arrangement ↴

    The archive is made up of two deposits, which explains the somewhat unusual structure of the collection and the classification scheme. The first deposit comprised the papers of Sir James Andrews, later Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, whilst the second deposit contained papers of various members of the Andrews family but also a few additional papers of Sir James Andrews.

    Thus originally the archive was arranged numerically into subsections for the material relating to Sir James Andrews as Auditor of the Historical Society at Trinity College, Dublin. The second larger deposit was given the prefix A and a sub-classification scheme was created for the material. This was primarily arranged according to individual members of the Andrews family and their relatives. However, as might be expected there are varying degrees of overlap between the different sections. These divisions have been maintained and where necessary appropriate cross-referencing has been included.

    D3655/1 Correspondence of James Andrews as editor of the Historical Society at Trinity College, Dublin
    D3655/2 Printed papers of James Andrews
    D3655/3 Telegrams of James Andrews
    D3655/4 Accounts of Thomas Andrews
    D3655/5 Newspaper cuttings of James Andrews as editor of the Historical Society at Trinity College, Dublin

    D3655/A Additional Andrews family papers
    D3655/A/1 Letters to William Drennan Andrews QC
    D3655/A/2 Correspondence and papers relating to James Andrews JP
    D3655/A/3 Correspondence and papers relating to Thomas Andrews DL
    D3655/A/4 Papers relating to Sir James Andrews, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
    D3655/A/5 Papers relating to Viscount Pirrie
    D3655/A/6 Papers relating to Thomas Andrews (Junior)
    D3655/A/7 Papers relating to John Miller Andrews CH, DL, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
    D3655/A/8 Papers relating to Eliza Montgomery Hind (nee Andrews)
    D3655/A/9 Papers relating to Lt. Col. L.A. Hind
    D3655/A/10 Photographs
    D3655/A/11 Genealogical material relating to the Andrews family
    D3655/A/12 Miscellaneous papers
    D3655/A/13 Papers relating to Eliza Andrews

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions The collection can be consulted in the reading room in PRONI in accordance with PRONI guidelines.
Conditions Governing ReproductionItems may be copied for personal research use only. If a researcher wishes to publish any documents from this collection, a request must be submitted in writing to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
Creation Dates1796-1956
Level of DescriptionFonds (The whole of the records, regardless of form or medium, organically created and/or accumulated and used by a particular person, family, or corporate body in the course of that creator's activities and functions). (Often, but not always, contiguous with an archives ‘collection’ ).
Extent Mediumc 500 documents, mainly correspondence, photographs + newspaper cuttings
Material Language ScriptEnglish
Finding Aids A full descriptive list is available to search online at: http://www.proni.gov.uk/ Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Related MaterialFurther papers relating to the Andrews family is held at PRONI:GB 0255 PRONI D654/N/2/24 Photocopies of 62 letters from John Andrews, Comber, Co. Down, agent to the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, discussing estate affairs, 1847-1848. (Copied from the Durham County Record Office.)D4189 Andrews Mills papersD4209 Andrews papersT3124 Andrews of Comber business papersT3405 WD Andrews/Lord Castlereagh election papers

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NotePRONI Archivist
Rules/ConventionsISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000.National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names. Chippenham: National Council on Archives, 1997.UK Archival Thesaurus (UKAT)
Date of Descriptions41699