THE ADAMS FAMILY OF LITCOTT, LANEAST, AND BADHARLICK, EGLOSKERRY

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THE ADAMS FAMILY OF LITCOTT, LANEAST, AND BADHARLICK, EGLOSKERRY

1600 - 1945

Family and estate papers including correspondence and papers of John Couch Adams, astronomer, and William Grylls Adams, mathematician.

DEEDS, LEASES AND ESTATE PAPERS

Altarnun (Trerithick, Trewint, Spettigue), 1869-1900

Altarnun (Trerithick) and Lewannick (Hall Parks), c. 1880

Botus Fleming, St. Ive, Landrake, Saltash, 1660

Callington (shop in borough), 1752

Davidstow (Tremeale), 1612, 1660

Egloskerry (Badharlick), 1886-1902

(Little Skenish tithes), 1667, 1796

(Tregear), 1750-1807

(Estate papers), 1611-1908

Egloskerry (Badharlick) and Laneast (Bodgall), 1609, 1615

Egloskerry (Badharlick) and Tremayne (tithes), 1629

Gwennap (Cusgarne), 1906, 1910

St. Ive (Middle Hill), 1659, 1667

St. Juliot (Beeny), 1877-1900

Landrake (Brightor), 1645-1705

Laneast (Treroose) and St. Clether (Parklands and Underlanes), 1891-1921

Laneast (Bodgalla), 1634

(Trespearne), 1741

Lewannick (Trevell), 1775

Lewannick (Lamalla, Trevadlock) and Altarnun (Newton), 1834-1857

St. Stephen-by-Saltash (Home Park), 1908

Composite: Egloskerry (Badharlick) 1900-1913

St. Juliot (Beeny) 1900-1913

Laneast (Treroose) 1900-1913

Saltash 1900-1913

Out-county: Adams:

Dorset (Broadstone), 1906-1908

London (Notting Hill Square), 1877-1882

Cozens:

London (Whitefriars), 1670-1778

Berkshire (Charlton), 1605

Buckinghamshire (Calshopp), 1676/7

Lincolnshire (Somercotes), 1631

Plans (various), 1789-1882

PROBATE AND TESTAMENTARY

William Adams, 1825

Tabitha Adams, 1866

Grace Couch Adams, 1891

John Couch Adams, 1889-1896

Eliza Adams, 1873-74

George Adams, 1908-1917

William Grylls Adams, 1910

Henry Prynn Andrew, 1913

John Baron, 1624

John Couch, 1805

Grace Couch, 1815

John Couch, 1815

Grace Couch, 1820

Mathew Cozen, 1653

David Cozen, 1673

Gideon Cozens, 1678

Jonathan Cozens, 1691

Margaret Cozens, 1717-1719

Elizabeth Cruse, 1656

Richard Hawke Dingle, 1887-88

Fanny Vickers Dingle, 1922

Thomas Dodson, 1669-1671

John Nicolls, 1884-1896

Eliza Nicolls, 1893

Charles Tilt, 1902-03

Nathaniel Trewbody, 1735

Margaret Trewbody, 1763

Joan Wyvell, 1658

PAPERS OF JOHN COUCH ADAMS

Correspondence:

To his family from school, 1831-38

To his family from Cambridge, 1839-1810

To J. C. A. from mother, 1832-1865

To J. C. A. from his brothers, 1836-1875

To J. C. A., various correspondents, c. 1835-1887

And undated

Scientific papers:

Manuscript notes

Published articles, 1846-1903

Graphs and plans, 1825-1889

Miscellaneous

Personal papers:

Relating to career, 1828-1884

Obituary notices, etc., 1892-1932

Miscellaneous

PAPERS OF WILLIAM GRYLLS ADAMS & FAMILY

Correspondence:

Letters to Wm. Grylls Adams, 1860-1915

From Wm. G. A. to Mary Dingle, 1852, 1865-69

From Mary D. to W. G. A. 1865-1969

From W. G. A. to Mary after mge, 1889-1897

To Mary from parents, cousins and friends, 1855-1894

To W. G. A. and May from Adams family 1881-1906

To Mary, various, 1360-1906

To Mary fr. dau. May 1891-1914

To W. G. A. jun. 1915, n.d.

To Jn. Dingle A., 1902

To May, 1890-1943

Scientific papers

Lecture notes, proofs of articles, letters, graphs

Personal:

Personal papers 1836-1869

Diaries and notebooks 1855-1867

Gen. papers, 1866-1915

Miscellaneous

Papers re his children 1884-1936

Misc. printed papers and circulars

Papers re other members of Adams family

PHOTOGRAPHS, POSTCARDS & PRINTS

Family photographs (identified)

Family photographs (not identified)

Scientific photographs

Postcard views: Great Britain

Postcard views: overseas

Miscellaneous photographs, prints, negatives etc.

English

1288 Files

Accession no. 2370

Adams family papers deposited by Dr. Q. M. F. Adams, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., 9 March, 1978.

Adams's papers were collected up immediately after his death by Donald MacAlister, with the help of Mrs Adams, for the purpose of writing his biography. MacAlister had transcripts made of papers in the files at the Royal Greenwich Observatory and elsewhere, and collected material from Adams's friends and colleagues. In time other commitments, including moving to Scotland, caused MacAlister to abandon the idea of the biography.

What happened to the papers then is not entirely clear. A mass of papers was given to St. John's by Mrs Adams shortly before her death and some rudimentary weeding and sorting was carried out on these. It seems likely that these papers were those that MacAlister had not used, including Mrs Adams's own diaries, and unimportant correspondence of Adams's.

In the 1930s MacAlister's collection of papers were passed on to William Smart, who had taken up the idea of writing Adams's biography. Smart produced a Memoir for the Royal Astronomical Society for the anniversary of the discovery of Neptune in 1946, but never proceeded further. In 1959 he presented all the papers he had to St. John's (correspondence in Box 1).

Subsequently all or most of these papers were unpacked and put into 19 boxes, letters being taken out of their envelopes and clipped to them with a plastic paper clip. No sorting or cataloguing beyond a single card for the collection was carried out. However, the remaining 10 boxes of the papers, probably those that came from Mrs Adams, were sorted and indexed, in some detail although very inaccurately and incompletely. The two sets of boxes were numbered in two different sequences: "Adams" and "Adams Papers". The detailed cataloguing of one part disguised from readers and staff alike the fact that the remainder were untouched.

In 1990 MacAlister's neice, Mrs Horne, presented to the College some more papers which had stayed with the family by accident. These now form boxes 24 - 26.

In 1996 the Royal Aeronautical Sociey offered the College the papers connected with the Newton Mss. Syndicate, which they had had since 1943, though they have no record of why, or where they came from.

In the course of preparing material for the 150th Anniversary of the discovery of Neptune it was discovered that the majority of the papers were not sorted and were uncatalogued. In early 1997 work began, using the present database software, and was completed in February 1999.