Sinclair, Sir John 1754-1835
Archival location guide — where this economist’s surviving papers are held, their notable correspondents, and key published sources.
Born 1754 · died 1835
Colonel Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet,, was a British politician, military officer and writer who was one of the first people to use the word "statistics" in the English language in his pioneering work, Statistical Accounts of Scotland, which was published in 21 volumes.
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Correspondence including draft replies, also estate papers, 1778-1835.
Sinclair of Ulbster papers, National Register of Archives (NRA) 10552. The Scottish Record
Office has a microfilm of parts of the Sinclair of Ulbster papers.
Mrs Rosalind Mitchison, Dept. of Economic History, Edinburgh University , has transcripts of some other parts.
Papers on the West Indies, 1815-1824.
Bodleian, MS. Clar. Dep. c376.
A group of letters to various correspondents, 1789-1811. National Library of Scotland (NLS), MS. 641.
Some juvenile poems, begun in 1770. NLS, MS. 2253.
A small group of letters, some connected with his work at the Board of Agriculture, 1791-1807. Reading UL
The letter books of the Board of Agriculture, 1793-1798, include many letters sent out in Sinclair's name. Royal Agricultural Society of England, Kenilworth.
Correspondents
WILLIAM ADAM, about ten letters, 1794-1819. Adam papers, NRA 9954.
SIR JOSEPH BANKS, 13 letters, 1785-1814. BL Add. MSS. 33978-33982.
SIR JOSEPH BANKS, 13 letters, 1789-1809. Banks papers, California State Library, Sutro Branch.
HENRY PETER BROUGHAM, 1 st Baron Brougham and Vaux, 18 letters, 1825-1835. Brougham papers, University College London (UCL)
GEORGE CANNING, several letters, 1822-1827. Canning papers, Leeds City Library, Archives Dept.
THOMAS CHALMERS, eight letters, 1832. Chalmers papers, New College, Edinburgh.
ROBERT DOUGLAS, nine letters, 1795-1797. NLS, MSS. 3116-3117.
HENRY DUNDAS, 1st Viscount Melville, and Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount, six letters, 1793-1828. NLS, MS. 9370.
HENRY DUNDAS, and ROBERT DUNDAS, 22 letters, 1784-1825. Melville Castle Muniments, Scottish RO
JOHN FOSTER, 1 st Baron Oriel, 30 items, 1807-1823. Foster/ Massereene papers, PRONI
ROBERT FULKE GREVILLE, five letters, 1794-1808. BL Add. MS. 42072.
CHARLES GREY , 2nd Earl Grey, four letters, 1806-1833. Grey of Howick papers, Durham DP
WARREN HASTINGS, 11 items, 1790-1810. BL Add. MS. 29172.
JOHN JAY, c. 20 items, 1794-1816. Jay papers, Columbia UL, New York.
CHARLES JENKINSON, 1st Earl of Liverpool, 19 items, 1781-1800. BL Add. MSS. 38219-38421.
ROBERT BANKS JENKINSON, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, 27 items, 1807-1823. BL Add. MSS. 38243-38572.
SIR ROBERT MURRAY KEITH, four letters, 1786-1787. BL Add. MSS. 35537-35538.
SIR ROBERT LISTON, 21 letters, 1821-1830. NLS, MS. 5665.
SIR ROBERT PEEL, 36 letters, 1816-1834. BL Add. MSS. 40261–40407.
WILLIAM PITT the Younger, 50 letters, n.d. Chatham papers, Public Record Office (PRO)
DAVID RICARDO, two letters, 1814. Ricardo papers, Cambridge UL, MS. 7510.
ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS, ten letters, 1794-1819. Royal Society of Arts Library, London.
SIR WALTER SCOTT, nine letters, 1809-1831. NLS, MS. 3878 et seq.
GRIM JONSSON THORKELlN, 18 letters, 1786-1824. Edinburgh UL
SAMUEL WHITBREAD, nine letters, 1810-1813. Whitbread papers, Bedfordshire RO
SIR ROBERT JOHN WILMOT-HORTON, two letters, 1827. Catton collection, Derby Borough Library.
PHILIP YORKE, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke, 18 letters, 1794-1820.
BL Add. MSS. 33642-35735,
ARTHUR YOUNG, c. 50 items, 1787-1816.
BL Add. MSS. 33126-33133.
Printed Material
The Correspondence of Sir John Sinclair , 2 vols. ( Edinburgh, 1831).
ROSALIND MITCHISON, Agricultural Sir John ( London, 1962).
JOHN SINCLAIR, Memoirs of the Life of Sir John Sinclair ( Edinburgh, 1837).
Palgrave III 402; ODNB; ESS XVI 62.
Portraits: BL (P); NPG; see Mitchison (above).