Whewell, William 1794-1866
Archival location guide — where this economist’s surviving papers are held, their notable correspondents, and key published sources.
Born 1794 · died 1866
William Whewell was an English polymath. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. In his time as a student there, he achieved distinction in both poetry and mathematics.
Read more on Wikipedia — summary CC BY-SA
Notes, lectures and manuscripts of published and unpublished works on mathematical, scientific, philosophic, economic and other topics. Correspondence of several thousand items on the above topics as well as college, university and personal matters. Some of his own letters (including 285 to Richard Jones, 1817-1854) have been returned and added to these papers. Whewell papers, Trinity College, Cambridge.
Letters, reports on papers, and manuscripts of papers. Royal Society Library, London.
Letters and accounts on university business. Cambridge University Archives.
17 letters between Whewell and different correspondents, 1838-1856. Houghton Library, Harvard University.
Correspondents
CHARLES BABBAGE, ten letters, 1820-1847. BL Add. MSS. 37182-37201.
HENRY PETER BROUGHAM, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, three items, 1834-1849. Brougham papers, University College London (UCL)
WILLIAM BUCKLAND (and Mrs Buckland), eight letters, 18311848. Buckland papers, Royal Society Library, London.
EDWARD GEORGE EARLE LYTTON BULWER-LYTTON, Baron Lytton, four letters, 1865-1866. Bulwer-Lytton papers, Hertfordshire RO
JAMES DAVID FORBES, c. 140 letters, 1831-1865. Forbes correspondence, St Andrews UL
EDWARD HAWKINS, 30 letters, 1842-1865. Hawkins papers, Oriel College, Oxford.
SIR JOHN FREDERICK WILLIAM HERSCHEL, 65 letters, 1817-1866. Herschel papers, Royal Society Library, London.
JOHN GIBSON MCVICAR, five letters, 1852-1864. Library of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
AUGUSTUS DE MORGAN, three letters, 1849-1861. De Morgan papers, London UL, MSS. 775, 776.
SIR ROBERT PEEL, six items, 1841-1845. BL Add. MSS. 40492–4057G.
ADOLPHE QUÉTELET, 34 letters, 1832-1861. Quetélet papers, Bibliothéque Royale de Belgique, Brussels.
HENRY CRABB ROBINSON, two letters, 1840-1847. Crabb Robinson papers, Dr Williams' Library, London.
WILLIAM SOMERVILLE, seven letters, 1831-1833 (and six to Mary Somerville , 1832-1839). Somerville papers, Bodleian.
THOMAS SPRING-RICE, 1st Baron Monteagle, 26 items, 1850- 1854. NLI, MS. 13401.
SAMUEL WILBERFORCE, seven letters, 1845-1869. Bodleian, MSS. Wilberforce.
Printed Material
JANET M. DOUGLAS, The Life and Selections from the Correspondence of William Whewell ( London, 1882).
ISAAC TODHUNTER, William Whewell: An Account of his Writings with Selections from his Literary and Scientific Correspondence ( London, 1876).
New Palgrave; ODNB; Boase III 1301; IESS xv I 531.
Portraits: Bl (P) ; NPG ; Trinity College, Cambridge.