Correspondence of John Stuart Mill; correspondence of Helen Taylor concerning the publication and translation of John Stuart Mill's works and correspondence, the Moral Reform Union, women's suffrage, the social position and education of women, the London School Board and education, literary work, the land question, political questions, Irish affairs, miscellaneous public interests, and private correspondence; letters of appreciation and criticism of John Stuart Mill's work and character, and of sympathy on his death; other miscellaneous letters concerning John Stuart Mill; additional correspondence of John Stuart Mill; correspondence of Harriet Taylor and other members of the Taylor family; material relating to honorary degrees, society memberships, etc. conferred on John Stuart Mill; note books, etc. of John Stuart Mill, including botanical notebooks; writings by Helen Taylor, including 'Limits of Local Government', 'Municipal Vote etc', and her diaries; letters, speeches and articles by and concerning John Stuart Mill, extracted from newspapers and periodicals; miscellaneous papers of John Stuart Mill, Helen Taylor, Harriet Taylor, and others; and photographs and press cuttings.
James Mill, 1773-1836, was educated in Edinburgh by Sir John Stuart of Fettercain, and was licensed to preach in 1798. He moved to London in 1802 and supported his family by writing. He became editor of the 'Literary Journal' in 1803 and the 'St James Chronicle' in 1805, and also wrote for the 'Edinburgh Review' from 1808 to 1813. In 1808, Mill met Jeremy Bentham, was converted to his utilitarian philosophy, and abandoned theology. Thereafter, Mill took an active part in the Bell and Lancaster educational controversy and formed an association to set up a Chrestomathic school in 1814, the outcome of this being the formation of the London University in 1825. He also contributed articles to the 'Westminster Review', which was established as the official Benthamite paper. He was also connected with David Ricardo and took part in meetings at Ricardo's house which resulted in the Political Economy Club being founded in 1820.
John Stuart Mill, 1806-1873, was educated by his father, James Mill, to a very high level at an early age. Like his father he was a staunch utilitarian and he was also active in radical causes. In 1823, he formed the Utilitarian Society, which met to read and discuss essays, in 1825, he edited Bentham's 'Rationale of Judicial Evidence' and in 1826, he assisted in the formation of the Speculative Society. By the 1830's, John Stuart Mill had become interested in the work of romantic writers such as Wordsworth and also in the French Revolution. The 1832 Reform Bill seemed to give an opportunity for the Radicals to gain influence in Parliament and much of his energy at this time was given over to this. In 1835 he founded the 'London Review' which merged with the 'Westminster Review' in 1836. As proprietor from 1837-1840 he tried to use the paper to promote the philosophical radicals and their cause in Parliament. However by 1840 he had been unable to achieve his end and so gave up proprietership of the paper. The 1840s were devoted to writing his great works on logic and economics. In 1851, he married Harriet Taylor, who died in 1858. He was elected MP for Westminster in 1865 and served as a radical. He was a supporter of the 1867 Reform Bill and was active in support of the Labour Movement, the extension of the franchise to women, cumulative voting, Irish land reforms, municipal government for London and became embroiled in the Eyre controversy. He also proposed the Hare plan as an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill but failed in an attempt to obtain the vote for women. After he lost his seat in 1868, he continued to write articles and books and completed a revision of his autobiography before his death.
Harriet Taylor (nee Hardy), 1807-1858, was the daughter of a London surgeon. At the age of eighteen, she married John Taylor, a wealthy businessman. She and her husband were both active in the Unitarian Church and held radical political views. Harriet Taylor first met John Stuart Mill in 1830. During their association she worked closely with him contributing suggestions and revisions to his work. She was particularly influential in forming his ideas on women's rights, making him aware of the hardship suffered by women. In 1833, Harriet Taylor separated from her husband. He died of cancer in 1849, and two years later, she married John Stuart Mill.
Helen Taylor, 1831-1907, the daughter of Harriet Taylor, became companion to John Stuart Mill on the death of her mother in 1858. She assisted him in his work and helped to keep alive his interest in women's rights. She also campaigned in her own right on women's suffrage, the social position and education of women. She was a member of the Moral Reform Union and a leading light in the fight to abolish school fees and provide school meals.
John Stuart Mill died in 1873, leaving his estate to his stepdaughter Helen Taylor. She died in 1907, and their papers passed to her niece, Mary Taylor. On her death the National Provincial Bank became the sole executor of her estate and, in due course, the papers were sold at auction. The papers were sold in two lots, the first in 1922 and the second in 1927. The first lot of papers sold were bought by Messrs Maggs who resold them to the firm of Trout, from whom the British Library of Political and Economic Science bought them in 1926. Of the rest of the material, nearly 270 letters, mainly between Mill's wife Harriet and her daughter Helen Taylor, came into the possession of Lord Keynes; the remainder seem to have been dispersed. A fuller account of this purchase and of the events that led up to it are given in the Bulletin of the British Library of Political and Economic Science, November 1926, and the preface to the Bibliography of the Published Writing of John Stuart Mill, published 1945. Since 1926, the original purchase has been augmented to form the collection as it now stands. In addition to the many small groups of letters and single letters that have been added there were three substantial additions. In 1943, the National Provincial Bank presented a miscellaneous collection of letters, documents and photographs which had remained in its custody. Also in 1943, Miss Philippa Fawcett presented 41 letters written by Mill to her father, Henry Fawcett. On the death of Lord Keynes, the letters in his possession passed to Kings College Cambridge, and in 1947 the Provost and Fellows of the College, in accordance with his known intentions, generously presented them to the library in order that they might be added to this collection.
Output from CAIRS using template 14 and checked by hand on May 29, 2002
This collection is arranged in 59 volumes, 10 boxes and several additions:
Vols. 1-2. Correspondence of John Stuart Mill, 1822-1870.
Vol. 3. Copies of letters addressed by John Stuart Mill to Henry Fawcett, 1860-1870.
Vols. 4-5. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: publication of John Stuart Mill's works,
1867-1898.
Vol. 6. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: translation of John Stuart Mill's works, 1873-1905.
Vol. 7. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: John Stuart Mill's letters and their publication,
1873-1898.
Vol. 8. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: a) letters of appreciation and criticism of
John Stuart Mill's work and character, 1868-1897, b) letters of sympathy on the death
of John Stuart Mill, 1873-1876, c) miscellaneous letters concerning John Stuart Mill,
1873-1894.
Vol. 9. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: additional correspondence of John Stuart Mill,
1832-1870.
Vols. 10-11. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: Moral Reform Union, 1885-1897.
Vols. 12-13. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: women's suffrage, 1866-1895.
Vol. 14. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: social position and education of women, 1865-1895.
Vols. 15-16. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: London School Board and education, 1867-1889.
Vol. 17. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: a) literary work, 1867-1872, b) land question,
1882-1900.
Vol. 18. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: a) political questions, 1868-1895, b) Irish
affairs, 1881-1889, c) miscellaneous public interests, 1869-1895.
Vols. 19-26. Correspondence of Helen Taylor: private correspondence, 1856-1905.
Vols. 27-29. Correspondence of Mrs Taylor, other members of the Taylor family and
miscellaneous correspondence, 1827-1918.
Vol. 30. Honorary degrees, society memberships, etc., conferred on John Stuart Mill,
1858-1870.
Vols. 31-40. Note books, etc. of John Stuart Mill, c1858-1873.
Vol. 41. Miscellaneous papers of John Stuart Mill and Helen Taylor, c1857-1873.
Vol. 42. 'Limits of Local Government' by Helen Taylor, 1877.
Vol. 43. 'Municipal vote, etc.' by Helen Taylor, 1881.
Vol. 44. Diaries of Helen Taylor, 1842-1847.
Vol. 45. Letters, speeches, articles, etc. by and concerning John Stuart Mill, extracted
from newspapers and periodicals, 1864-1907.
Vol. 46. Descriptive lists and indexes (the catalogue to vols. 1-45 and boxes 1-8),
1950.
Vol. 47. Family letters, 1817-1871.
Vol. 48. Professional correspondence from and to John Stuart Mill, 1828-1872.
Vol. 49. a) Letters from James Mill and John Stuart Mill to Albany Fonblanque and
Edward Barrington Fonblanque, 1831-1873, b) notes in John Stuart Mill's hand and a
letter from John Elliott Cairnes to N [William Nesbitt?] concerning John Stuart Mill,
1859, c) concerning John Chapman and the 'Westminster Review', 1858-1867.
Vols. 50-54. Correspondence concerning the personal affairs of John Stuart Mill and
Harriet Mill, and the early career of Helen Taylor, c1830-1873.
Vols. 55-56. Correspondence between John Stuart Mill and John Elliott Cairnes, 1858-1873.
Vol. 57. a) Letters from John Stuart Mill and William Thomas Thornton to Henry Fawcett,
c1860-1872, b) letter from friends to members of John Stuart Mill's family, 1860-1896.
Vol. 58. a) Papers connected with the estate of Algernon Taylor, 1902-1918, b) Diary
of Mary Taylor, 1904-1906, c) Papers connected with Helen Taylor and the family of
Algernon Taylor, 1905-1916, d) Press cuttings and other printed matter, 1850-1910.
Vol. 59. Manuscript notes by James Mill, c1806-1825.
Boxes 1-3. Miscellaneous papers of John Stuart Mill, Helen Taylor, Harriet Taylor,
etc, c1831-1905.
Box 4. Photographs, nd.
Box 5-8. Press cuttings, etc, 1865-1885.
Box 9. i) Passport to Sardinia for John Stuart Mill, Harriet Taylor Mill and Helen
Taylor, 1853, ii) John Stuart Mill's account book, 1866-1870, iii) Household notes
and notes connected with her will by Mary Taylor, 1914.
Box 10. Family portraits, etc, nd.
Additional 1. Speeches and other papers by JS Mill, 1823-1870.
Additional 2. Correspondence by or concerning the Mill and Taylor families, 1832-1869
Additional 3. Miscellaneous papers, mainly copies and printed material, relating to
JS Mill, 1905-1960.
Additional 4. Correspondence between J S Mill and Sir William Molesworth on subjects
including articles by Mill and others, and the editing of the 'London Review', 1836-1840.
Additional 5. Letters from JS Mill to George Howell and Edmond Beales, 1865-1868.
OPEN
APPLY TO ARCHIVIST
Printed handlist available
Mill, James, 1773-1836, philosopher
Taylor, Helen, 1831-1907, suffragist
Mill, John Stuart, 1806-1873, philosopher MP
Mill, Harriet Taylor, 1807-1858, nee Hardy, philosopher
British Library of Political and Economic Science
Was this content helpful? Let Archives Portal Europe and the archival institution know what you think.
Feedback is sent directly to the institution holding this material and should preferably be submitted in English or in the language of the institution, if possible. The institution will aim at getting back to you as soon as possible to help you with your request, though you might need to allow between two and four weeks for this depending on the current workload at the institution.
Please select amongst the relevant tips we can help with. If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
Starting your search here will include all content available in Archives Portal Europe. Simply enter your keyword(s) and hit the search button. Wrap fixed expressions in quotation marks, e.g. “French Revolution”. Check the box to “Search each term separately” in case you are looking for documents containing at least one word, but not necessarily all keywords; this will also allow you to search for the same term in multiple languages at the same time (e.g. “French Revolution” “Révolution Française”). You can also use wildcards - find more about Research Tools here. If you would like to use more specific settings, try our Advanced search
The additional advanced search options give you the possibility to focus your search in:
When searching with multiple terms at the same time, wrap fixed expressions in quotation marks (e.g. "French Revolution"), or check the box "Search each term separately" in case you are looking for either one term of the other. This will also allow you to search for the same term in multiple languages (e.g. "French Revolution" "Révolution française"). You can also choose one of the suggestions matching your search term once you start typing.
This will only show results that include documents that have been digitised and are available online
Use this option to search only one or more keywords, rather than all of them
Select where your search terms should appear specifically inside the archival description:
You can filter results by selecting where your search terms appears specifically inside the archival description:
You can filter results by selecting where your search terms appears specifically inside the description of the archive:
Please note that this filter will only include institutions, for which a type has been provided as part of their descriptions:
Enter a start and/or end date in the format DD-MM-YYYY, i.e. 01-01-1900 for 1 January 1900. This will allow you to focus your search on a specific period of time. You can use the calendar function or type directly in the text field. The checkbox "Exact date search" concentrates the search on one specific date.
Check "View in context" to view the results in the hierarchical structure of archives.
For more details see Research Tools
Please sign in to save your searches.
A holdings guide is an overview of the collections and fonds of one archival institution.
A finding aid is a structured description of archival materials per collection or fonds up to item level.
You can filter results by selecting one or more countries of interest. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by one or more holding archival institutions. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can select to view results from a specific Finding Aid, i.e., a structured description of archival materials per collection or fonds up to item level. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter by type of descriptive document:
You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by selecting "Fonds description" for a general overview or "Other descriptions" for item level. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter
selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results
matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by selecting only those containing digital objects, i.e. the link to the digitised version of the archival material you are looking for. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by type of digital object you are interested in:
You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your filter selection will appear above. Click "Clear filters" to see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results based on the date of creation of the archival material (which may differ from the time period you are interested in - e.g., philosophers from the Enlightenment period reflecting on classic thinkers)
Please note that not all documents contain a machine-readable date. More information here
You can filter results based on the date of creation of the archival material (which may differ from the time period you are interested in - e.g., philosophers from the Enlightenment period reflecting on classic thinkers). This filter will only include materials with "Full dates", i.e. those that include date information available for date-based searches. You can either search for a specific date of interest or focus step by step on the time span of a century, decade, year or month. When searching for a specific date, enter the date in the format DD-MM-YYYY, i.e. 01/01/1900 for 1 January 1900, via the calendar function or by typing directly in the text field.
This filter concentrates on the earliest dates mentioned in the materials.
You can filter results based on the date of creation of the archival material (which may differ from the time period you are interested in - e.g., philosophers from the Enlightenment period reflecting on classic thinkers). This filter will only include materials with "Full dates", i.e. those that include date information available for date-based searches. You can either search for a specific date of interest or focus step by step on the time span of a century, decade, year or month. When searching for a specific date, enter the date in the format DD-MM-YYYY, i.e. 01/01/1900 for 1 January 1900, via the calendar function or by typing directly in the text field.
This filter concentrates on the latest dates mentioned in the materials.
You can filter results based on the language in which the material is written. Please note that this filter will only include materials where specific language information has been provided by the institution and is therefore in a machine-readable format. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your selection will then be displayed above the search results (see "Search filters"). Clicking "Clear filters" will remove your selection and you will see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by selecting one or more topics of interest. Please note that this filter will only include materials where the topic has been assigned and is therefore in a machine-readable format. Read how to assign a topic to documents on the Topics page. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your selection will then be displayed above the search results (see "Search filters"). Clicking "Clear filters" will remove your selection and you will see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by selecting where your search terms appears specifically inside the archival description:
You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your selection will then be displayed above the search results (see "Search filters"). Clicking "Clear filters" will remove your selection and you will see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results by type of entities:
You can filter results based on the language in which the material is written. Please note that this filter will only include materials where specific language information has been provided by the institution and is therefore in a machine-readable format. You can also combine this filter with other filters. Your selection will then be displayed above the search results (see "Search filters"). Clicking "Clear filters" will remove your selection and you will see all results matching your initial search request again.
You can filter results based on the type of holding institution. Please note that this filter will only include institutions, for which a type has been provided as part of their descriptions.
Write your message in your own language and use this drop-down menu to have your message translated into English or in the language of the institution for a swifter response. By checking this box and selecting a language you will send your original message along with the translated version
What kind of suggestion would you like to make?
This is a test area to fill out all the copyright details for Attribution Creative Commons Licence
This object is not or no longer protected by copyright and has been labelled with the Public Domain Mark. It can be used by anyone without any restrictions.
This object is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. All possible existing rights in the content are waived, and the object can be used by anyone without any restrictions.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution (BY) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the licensed object, even
commercially, as long as you attribute the rights holder as described
in the licence.
This is a test area to fill out all the copyright details for Attribution Creative Commons Share Alike Licence
This is a test area to fill out all the copyright details for NoDerivs
This is a test area to fill out all the copyright details for NonCommercial
This object is in the public domain, but has been digitised as the outcome of a public-private partnership, where the terms of the contractual agreement limit commercial use for a certain period of time. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the object for non-commercial use only.
This object has been
identified as an Orphan Work in the country of first publication and in
line with the requirements of the national law implementing Directive
2012/28/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October
2012 on certain permitted uses of orphan works.
You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy or moral rights.
This object is in the public domain, but is subject to known legal restrictions other than copyright which prevent its free re-use. Please contact the providing institution for more information.
This object is currently in copyright. Please contact the providing institution for more information and in order to acquire additional permissions for re-use.
The copyright status of this object has not been evaluated yet. Please contact the providing institution for more information.
You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the
copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy, or moral rights.
This object is currently in copyright and the rights holder(s) have allowed re-use for educational purposes only. You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy or moral rights.
Please contact the providing institution for more information and in order to acquire additional permissions for any other uses.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, ShareAlike (BY-SA) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak and build upon the licensed object, even for commercial purposes, as long as you attribute the rights holder as described in the licence, and you license your adaptations of the object under the same terms.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, ShareAlike (BY-SA) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak and build upon the licensed object, even for commercial purposes, as long as you attribute the rights holder as described in the licence, and you license your adaptations of the object under the same terms.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, No Derivates (BY-ND) licence. You can copy and redistribute the object, even
commercially, as long as no alteration is made to the object and you attribute the rights holder as described in the licence.
If you remix, transform or build upon the object, you may not distribute the modified material.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, Non-Commercial (BY-NC) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the licensed object for non-commercial use only and as long as you attribute the rights holder as described in the licence.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, Non-Commercial, ShareAlike (BY-NC-SA) licence. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the licensed object for non-commercial use only, as long as you attribute the rights
holder as described in
the licence, and as long as you license your adaptations of the object under the same
terms.
This object is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons - Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivates (BY-NC-ND) licence. You can copy and redistribute the object for non-commercial use only, as long as no alteration is made to the object and as long as you attribute the rights
holder as described in
the licence.
If you remix, transform or build upon the object, you may not distribute the modified material.
This object is in the public domain, but has been digitised as the outcome of a public-private partnership, where the terms of the contractual agreement limit commercial use for a certain period of time. You can copy, redistribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the object for non-commercial use only.
This object has been
identified as an Orphan Work in the country of first publication and in
line with the requirements of the national law implementing Directive
2012/28/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October
2012 on certain permitted uses of orphan works.
You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy or moral rights.
This object is in the public domain, but is subject to known legal restrictions other than copyright which prevent its free re-use. Please contact the providing institution for more information.
This object is currently in copyright. Please contact the providing institution for more information and in order to acquire additional permissions for re-use.
The copyright status of this object has not been evaluated yet. Please contact the providing institution for more information.
You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the
copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy, or moral rights.
This object is currently in copyright and the rights holder(s) have allowed re-use for educational purposes only. You are free to use this object in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. Please note that you are responsible for your own use, including the need to obtain other permissions e.g. with regard to publicity, privacy or moral rights.
Please contact the providing institution for more information and in order to acquire additional permissions for any other uses.