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University College London

Bentham (Jeremy) / Stanhope Letters


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 0103 STANHOPE

Held at: University College London

Title: Bentham (Jeremy) / Stanhope Letters

Date(s): 1823-1831

Level of description: Collection (fonds)

Extent: 1 volume

Name of creator(s): Bentham | Jeremy | 1748-1832 | philosopher

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

Born, 15 February 1748; learned Latin, Greek and French at a young age; attended Westminster School, 1755; Queen's College Oxford, 1760; awarded BA degree in 1763 and Master's in 1766; called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn, 1817; did not succeed or continue in the law profession; dabbled in chemistry and the physical sciences but the doctrine of utilitarianism and the principle of 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number', law reform, politics, jurisprudence and philosophy, became the occupation of his life; produced a utilitarian justification for democracy; also concerned with prison reform, religion, poor relief, international law, and animal welfare; published many writings on these subjects; died, 6 June 1832.

Publications: Introduction to the principles of morals and legislation (T Payne and Son, London, 1789)
Chrestomathia: being a collection of papers, explanatory of the design of an institution, proposed to be set on foot, under the name of the Chrestomathic Day School (Payne and Foss, London, 1815)
Supply without Burthen; or Escheat vice Taxation (J Debrett, London, 1795)
A Fragment on Government; being an examination of what is delivered on the subject of government in general, in the introduction to Sir W Blackstone's Commentaries (T Payne, London, 1776)
Constitutional Code; for the use of all nations, and all governments professing liberal opinions (printed for the Author, London, 1830)

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Volume of 35 letters from Jeremy Bentham to Leicester Stanhope, 1823-1831, on topics including the transmission of Bentham's 'Constitutional Code' to Greece; Greek deputies sent to London to raise money for the Greek cause; the reform of government in British India; an account of Bentham's foundation of the Law Reform Association and Bentham's involvement with the Westminster Review. The letters include references to Francis Burdett, Daniel O'Connell, John Bowring; Colonel John Young, Ram Mohun Roy and Joseph Hume.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

Bound in a volume.

Conditions governing access:

Open.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Normal copyright restrictions apply.

Finding aids:

Basic list available online.

Detailed catalogue

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Accruals:

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Purchased, 2003.

ALLIED MATERIALS

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Archivist's note: Compiled by Sarah Drewery.
Sources: Oxford DNB.

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: Sep 2008


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
Constitutions | Constitutional law | Public law
Law reform | Law
Government

Personal names
Bentham | Jeremy | 1748-1832 | philosopher
Bowring | Sir | John | 1792-1872 | Knight | linguist, writer and traveller
Burdett | Sir | Francis | 1770-1844 | 5th Baronet | politician
Hume | Joseph | 1777-1855 | radical and politician
O'Connell | Daniel | 1775-1847 | politician
Ram Mohan Roy | 1774-1833 | founder of the Brahma Sabha x Rammohun Roy x Raja Ram Mohun Roy
Stanhope | Leicester Fitzgerald Charles | 1784-1862 | fifth earl of Harrington | army officer

Corporate names
Westminster Review

Places
Greece | Western Europe | Europe
India | South Asia
London | England | UK | Western Europe | Europe