Creator(s): MacDonnell, Sir, Schomberg, 1861-1915, Viscount DunluceMacDonnell, Louisa, 1855-1949, née Grey, Countess of AntrimStuart, family, of Dalness
Administrative History ↴
Schomberg MacDonnell was the fifth son of the 5th Earl of Antrim and was born at Glenarm Castle on 22 March 1861. He has been called the only successful MacDonnell and his career as principal private secretary of Lord Salisbury marks him out as a man of ability. Lord Salisbury wrote in 1888 asking him to become his private secretary: '... I think the employment is not a bad one. The work is interesting and not too hard ...' [see D4091/A/3/1/]. MacDonnell accepted and a close relationship developed between himself and Lord Salisbury. MacDonnell served in the Office of Works from 1902 to 1912, and as a result this archive contains much interesting material and memorabilia pertaining to the funeral of King Edward VII and the coronation of George V [see D4091/A/6/]. He retired from the Office of Works in 1912 due to failing health.
Louisa Countess of Antrim was the daughter of General Charles Grey who had been appointed Prince Albert's private secretary in 1849 and, after the Prince's death, Queen Victoria's. Her grandfather was the Prime Minister Earl Grey of the 1832 Reform Bill. The collection contains some papers relating to both Louisa's father and grandfather.
- Extracted from a full account of the collectionin the PRONI catalogue: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni
Archival History ↴
This was found in a bedroom and the attics of Glenarm Castle, seat of the Earls of Antrim, and thus a quite separate location from the main Antrim family estate archive (D2977), which came to PRONI via the Estate Office in the early 1970s. These locational differences explain the variance in the nature of the two collections. D2977 Is a huge landed estate archive with little in the way of personal family papers, whilst this new deposit consists almost exclusively of private family material.
Immediate Source Acquisition ↴
Donation
Content & Structure
Scope & Content: MacDonnell, Sir, Schomberg, 1861-1915, Viscount DunluceMacDonnell, Louisa, 1855-1949, née Grey, Countess of AntrimStuart, family, of Dalness ↴
This archive incorporating the papers of Sir Schomberg MacDonnell, Louisa Countess of Antrim, Sir John Stuart and the Stuart family of Dalness, comprises c.2000 documents. It brings together a range of interesting and important personality from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and provides valuable insights into political and court life. Most of it relates to Schomberg MacDonnell, fifth son of the 5th Earl of Antrim, and covers virtually all of his life (1861-1915) in varying detail.
The papers relating to Sir John Stuart and his family are perhaps the most surprising appearance in the archive. They derive from the friendly relationship between the widowed daughter-in-law of Sir John, Mrs MacDonald Stuart and Sir Schomberg MacDonnell. The papers do not show exactly how their friendship began but does contain correspondence in which Mrs MacDonald Stuart tells of her desire to leave her estate at Dalness in the Scottish Highlands to Schomberg MacDonnell. Unsurprisingly, he gladly accepted. It was presumably after his death in 1915 that his papers and the Stuart family papers were uplifted together and brought to Glenarm. Thus, this collection includes letters from the young Disraeli to Sir John Stuart.
The collection falls more or less neatly into three main sections, the Schomberg MacDonnell papers making up section A, the Louisa Countess of Antrim papers comprising section B and the papers of Sir John Stuart and his family section C. Section D is a catch-all for various Antrim family members and relatives who do not fit any of the previous sections. It is mainly composed of material relating to the Hon. Arthur Schomberg Kerr, fourth son of Charlotte Countess of Antrim and younger brother of the 4th and 5th Earls, and to Kerr’s wife and their daughter.
– Extracted from a full account of the collection in the PRONI catalogue: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni
Appraisal Destruction ↴
Permanent Retention
Arrangement ↴
D4091/A Schomberg MacDonnell papers
D4091/B Louisa Countess of Antrim papers
D4091/C Sir John Stuart and Stuart of Dalness family papers
D4091/D Papers of miscellaneous Antrim family relatives
D4091/E Miscellaneous
Conditions of Access & Use
Access Conditions
The collection can be consulted in the reading room in PRONI in accordance with PRONI's rules and regulations.http://www.proni.gov.uk/proni_rules_and_regulations_2011
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Items 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 Dates
1807-1980
Extent Medium
c 2000 documents
Material Language Script
English
Finding Aids
A descriptive list is available to search online at: http://www.proni.gov.uk/
Archive Web Link →
Allied Materials
Related Material
PRONI/D2977: Antrim family estate archive
Descriptive Control Area
Archivist Note
PRONI Archivist
Rules/Conventions
ISAD(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)
