Thompson, Thomas Perronet 1783-1869
Archival location guide — where this economist’s surviving papers are held, their notable correspondents, and key published sources.
Born 1783 · died 1869
Thomas Perronet Thompson was a British Army officer, parliamentarian, governor of Sierra Leone and radical reformer. He became prominent in 1830s and 1840s as a leading activist in the Anti-Corn Law League. He specialized in the grass-roots mobilisation of opinion through pamphlets, newspaper articles, correspondence, speeches, and local planning meetings.
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Papers mainly connected with his periods in Sierra Leone and the Persian Gulf, but including some on his political and economic interests. Collections by two descendants for projected biographies contain more of his papers, and copies of material from other sources. Thompson papers, Hull UL
11 letters to various correspondents, 1824-1864. Edinburgh UL
Letters to and from Thompson, 1808-1868, some with family, but also ten to George Pryme, 1811-1866, and one to Joseph Hume, 1838. Some miscellaneous notes by Thompson, and correspondence, etc., of other members of the family, some of which relates to him. T.P. Thompson collection, Brotherton Library, Leeds University.
Correspondents
ANTI-CORN LAW LEAGUE, five letters, 1838-1839. League letter books, Manchester City Library.
JEREMY BENTHAM, three letters, 1830. BL Add. MS. 33546.
THOMAS CHALMERS, four letters, 1832. Chalmers papers, New College, Edinburgh.
RICHARD COBDEN, c. 100 letters, 1841-1861. BL Add. MS. 43663.
GEORGE JACOB HOLYOAKE, four letters, 1854-1865. Holyoake collection, Co-operative Union Ltd, Manchester.
AUGUSTUS DE MORGAN, five items, 1846-1862. London UL, A. L. 337.
H. B. PEACOCK, 208 letters (including some to Peacock's daughters), 1844-1855. Manchester J. R. UL, MS. 1180.
FRANCIS PLACE , c. 20 items, 1829-1845. BL Add. MSS. 35145-35151.
JOHN BENJAMIN SMITH, three letters, 1836-1837. J. B. Smith papers, Manchester City Library.
WILLIAM WHEWELL, five letters, 1829-1840. Whewell papers, Trinity College, Cambridge.
SIR ROBERT JOHN WILMOT-HORTON, four letters, 1830-1831. Catton collection, Derby Borough Library.
GEORGE WILSON, 17 letters, 1843-1847. Wilson papers, Manchester City Library.
Printed Material
LEONARD G. JOHNSON, General T. Perronet Thompson ( London, 1957).
New Palgrave; ODNB; Boase III 942.
Portraits: BL(P); NPG(A); see Johnson (above).