Library durham. Cross refs reqd. Robert Wharton , his children and other relatives. English Contents Papers belonging to the Revd. Robert Wharton and his children. It consists of the personal correspondence of the Revd.
Robert with family and friends from to his death in , the correspondence of his children - mainly between themselves, some diaries and account books, and miscellaneous items of family interest relating to the Whartons of Old Park near Whitworth, and the Middletons of Offerton, both in the county of Durham, in the eighteenth century. In subject matter the collection is wide ranging, but it is most notable for the substantial quantity of correspondence describing the continental travels of Robert Wharton and his friend Thomas Brand.
Among the more interesting items in the early part of the collection are George Wharton's letters to his father in Durham Nos. They contain detailed accounts from his tutor and the costs of taking his bachelor's degree, as well as information about his studies and activities.
Another significant item of the same period is a letter No. Doyle, Durham Philobiblon vol. The correspondence between Wharton and Brand, which consists of approximately letters written between and , is a rich source of information on a wide range of topics.
Brand's experiences abroad naturally attract the most attention, but the letters also reflect the cultural and intellectual life of the times with comments on Cambridge friends and acquaintances, ecclesiastical politics, public affairs, the French revolution and the wars which followed, as well as containing personal and domestic news of the Wharton and Brand families.
