A letter from Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1769–1852)
Letter to F. W. Pollock
London, 19 April 1834
MS Add. 4251/1473
© Stratfield Saye Preservation Trust
The respect commanded by Wellington in later life is illustrated by this letter to William Pollock of Trinity College, in which he assented, cordially but conditionally, to present to the House of Lords a petition from the undergraduates of the University of Cambridge. The Duke drew on his experience of political life to suggest a tactful way forward, given the circulation of a parallel petition from the Chancellor and Members of the Senate. In the same year, Wellington was elected Chancellor of the University of Oxford, even though he could boast no significant academic qualification. Perhaps this generous response to an undergraduate reflects what the Duke’s biographer, Norman Gash, called his ‘compulsive urge’ to reply to letters.
For a transcript of the letter click on ‘Extended Captions’, and for further images of this item click on ‘Open Digital Library’.