MenuInventory of the Cochrane Family Papers, 1777-1957 and undated bulk 1850-1905
Abstract
Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane served in the British Navy from 1839-1886, where he fought in the Anglo-Chinese war and rose to the rank of admiral. He was also instrumental in administering the Trinidad Lake Asphalt Company during its early years. His brother, Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane was also active in the Royal Navy from 1847-1873, participating in the British campaign to suppress the slave trade in West Africa during the 1860s. He was also a landowner and landlord of the Redcastle Estate in County Donegal, Ireland, and served in his later years as High Sheriff for County Donegal.
The collection contains correspondence, legal and financial documents, notes and writings, notebooks and diaries, clippings, printed books and pamphlets, photographs, maps, charts, diagrams and technical drawings pertaining to the lives and careers of Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro and Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane, and to the Trinidad Lake Asphalt Company. The papers span the years 1777-1957, with the bulk of the collection being dated from 1850-1905, and document the naval careers of Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane and Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane, the role of the Cochrane family as landlords in Western Ulster, and the development of the colonial asphalt industry in Trinidad during the 19th century.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- Cochrane family
- Title
- Cochrane Family Papers, 1777-1957 and undated, bulk 1850-1905
- Language of Material
- English, , Spanish, , and French
- Extent
- 5.5 Linear Feet, 4125 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
The Cochrane Family Papers span the years 1777-1957, with the bulk of the papers being dated between 1850 and 1905. The collection consists of correspondence; legal and financial documents; personal, naval, and technical notes and other writings; notebooks, diaries, and almanacs; clippings and other saved print material; and photographs, maps, charts, drawings, diagrams, and other visual materials preserved by the Cochranes. The majority of these documents pertain to two members of the Cochrane family: the brothers Admiral Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane and Admiral Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane. The bulk of the papers deal with three principal subject areas: the naval careers of the brothers; family matters and finances, particularly the finances of their Redcastle Estate in County Donegal, Ireland; and business papers and correspondence relating to the family estates and the Trinidad Lake Asphalt Company, established by Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, and continued by his son Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane. The collection is particularly rich in documenting the beginnings of the asphalt industry in Trinidad and land-use issues in Ireland during the 19th century. In addition, Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane was stationed off the coast of West Africa during much of the 1850s and 1860s, and the collection contains a number of documents relating to the British attempts during that time to suppress the African slave trade, an effort in which Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane was active. The collection is divided into three series, the Family Papers Series, the Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane Series, and the Trinidad Lake Asphalt Series, each of which are divided into subseries by format. This division retains the original division of the collection, but researchers should be aware that there is significant crossover between the subject areas of the Family Papers Series and the Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane Series, and those interested in one of these series should be aware that there may be pertinent material in the other.
The Family Papers Series, the largest of the three, documents two main subject areas: the naval careers of Ernest Grey Lambton and Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, and the family finances relating to the Redcastle estate. The former of these is documented primarily in the Correspondence subseries and the Notes and Writings Subseries, while the latter is most heavily represented in the Legal and Financial Documents Subseries, which contains a number of rental and account books pertaining to the Cochrane and Doherty family estates in Ireland. The Cochranes were all active inventors, and the Legal and Financial Documents Subseries also includes patent forms for a number of inventions, including means of laying telegraph wire and ships' boilers and propulsion. The Notebooks and Diaries Subseries is comprised primarily of bound volumes of writings by Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, documenting his daily activity and travels, although it does contain two notebooks used by Thomas Cochrane for surveying during his travels in the 1850s and an Irish Land Commission notebook belonging to Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane as well. The two remaining subseries, Print Materials and Visual Materials and Artifacts, are much smaller in size, and contain materials pertaining to both brothers, and to the family more generally.
The Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane Series contains material accessioned separately from the rest of the collection, which documents Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane's naval life and activities off the Western coast of Africa; his correspondence with Richard Doherty (whose daughter he later married) about financial and estate matters in County Donegal; and his time spent as a landlord in County Donegal, where he became High Sheriff and a member of the Grand Jury after retiring from the navy. The Correspondence Subseries contains Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane's correspondence with Samuel W. Blackwall of Sierra Leone; Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane; Thomas Barnes Cochrane; Richard Doherty; and others. Of the other subseries, the Legal and Financial Documents and Visual Materials subseries relate primarily to his life in County Donegal, while the Notebooks and Diaries and Notes and Writings subseries deal more extensively with his earlier naval career and time in West Africa. This series was kept separate from the Family Papers Series to preserve the original order of the documents. As should be clear from this description, however, many of the subject areas of this series overlap with those of the Family Papers Series, and researchers interested in the naval career of Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane or the Cochranes' role as landlords in Northern Ireland should also consult that series.
Finally, the Trinidad Lake Asphalt Series documents the Cochrane family's involvement in the early asphalt industry in Trinidad. The vast majority of the papers included here are those of Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, who took over the job of overseeing the Cochrane properties and interests in Trinidad after he was invalided during the China wars. However, there are also materials of Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, pertaining to the company. To be found here are business correspondence pertaining to the export of asphalt and bitumen from Trinidad, shipping arrangements, experiments conducted on the potential uses of bitumen from Pitch Lake, and other matters related to the establishment and operation of the business; notes relating to experiments conducted, and to the climate and area; legal documents establishing the company and documenting the extent of the Belle Vue, Mon Plaisir and Esperance Estates in Trinidad; maps and plans of these estates and of Pitch Lake; and two printed volumes and other miscellaneous items pertaining to Trinidad. The material contained in this series should be of interest to those researching the development and early stages of the asphalt industry, and to those interested in colonial business, finance, and resource use during the 19th century.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllOrganized into the following subseries: Correspondence, Legal and Financial Documents, Notebooks and Diaries, Notes and Writings, Print Materials, and Visual Materials and Artifacts. Materials relate to the family, their Redcastle estate in County Donegal, relations between the Doherty and Cochrane families, and the naval careers of brothers Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane and Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane. Detailed subseries descriptions follow below.
Contains the correspondence of the Cochrane family, primarily correspondence sent to Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane and Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane, but also including a few letters written by them. The majority of the material pertains to their naval careers, but personal and family letters are also included. This subseries also includes four folders of letter drafts by Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane. All correspondence is arranged chronologically by date.
Contains legal papers pertaining to the naval careers of Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane and Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, including the letter appointing Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane commander in the navy, and several letters of certification; letters patent to Sir Thomas Cochrane, James Parker, Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, and Walter Burnham, for ship propulsion systems, a method for laying telegraph wire, and a means of heating and evaporating liquids to be used in ships' boilers; court documents from multiple legal cases with which the Cochrane family was involved, including a book and a pamphlet of transcripts of testimony given, as well as a legal brief for the suit brought against Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane by James Moore Doherty over the letting of family land in County Donegal; loose sales slips and receipts; a number of rental and account books for the Doherty and Cochrane family estates, and farm account books for same; a Land Commission notebook of Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane; and legal documents pertaining to land laws and use in Ireland. Loose documents are arranged chronologically by date; logbooks and account books are arranged chronologically by year.
[Some items removed to Oversize Materials.]
Folders house navigation logs and personal diaries of Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane. The personal diaries document his health, activities (both business and personal), and diet from day to day. Also included are a surveying notebook and Nova Scotia travel diary of Thomas Cochrane from the 1850s, a Barbados almanac from 1873 (author unidentified), and a scrapbook. Items are arranged chronologically.
Notes and Writings Subseries, 1839-1899
Contains personal and nautical notes (lists of ship complements, written drafts of official documents, blank forms for recording readings, invalid reports and leave application forms, and a meteorological register) by Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane and Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane, as well as results of various experiments conducted by the Cochranes. Since they are mostly for personal or ship use, most of these are unsigned and many are undated. Those that are dated are arranged chronologically by date, while the others remain unsorted.
Print Materials Subseries, 1847-1911
Contains a pamphlet in Spanish on the province of Carabaya, Peru from 1847; clippings relating to the Cochrane family, the naval careers of members of the family, issues of naval safety and laws, the proposals for the establishment of canals in the Americas (including the Panama Canal), and the death notices for both Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane and Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane; a printed letter by Santiago González, the President of El Salvador, regarding the fall of Amapala in 1873; a service guide for Lent, 1897 in the parish of Bray; broadsheets relating to the deaths of several members of the Doherty family in a boating accident, and to the Ulster Fisheries and Biology Association; a booklet detailing Lethwaite's system of constructing breakwaters; an undated pamphlet on cargo regulations and customs laws in Lisbon; and various calling cards. Items are arranged chronologically by date.
[Some items removed to Oversize Materials.]
Visual Materials and Artifacts Subseries, 1868-1930
Comprises drawings, charts, maps, and photographs relating to the Cochranes' naval careers and estate in Ireland. Also includes an envelope of fish hooks from Nova Scotia, and a large map of Louise Mines in Pennsylvania. Arranged chronologically.
[Some items removed to Oversize Materials.]
Contains material relating to the life of Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane and his children, as well as his dealings with the Doherty family in County Donegal. Arranged into the following subseries: Correspondence, Legal and Financial Documents, Notebooks and Diaries, Notes and Writings, Print Materials, and Visual Materials. Subseries descriptions follow below.
Consists of correspondence sent to and from Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane. Correspondents include Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, Thomas Cochrane, Francis E. Hubbard, and Samuel W. Blackwall. This subseries also contains significant correspondence between Richard Doherty, Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane, and others regarding the Redcastle Estate in County Donegal and proposed plans to build a railway across the land, and some letters sent to Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane by others. Arranged chronologically by date.
Apart from folders housing the legal and financial papers of Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane and his children, the subseries also contains a packet of letters certifying Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane's naval service, and a folder of marks and report cards for the children of Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane. Arranged chronologically.
[Some items removed to Oversize Materials.]
Contains notebooks, diaries, pocket almanacs, and letter copybooks of Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane. Arranged chronologically.
Notes and Writings Subseries, 1843-1900
Comprises notes and other miscellaneous writings and sketches by Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane. Since they are mostly for personal or ship use, most of these are unsigned and many are undated. Those that are dated are arranged chronologically by date, while the others remain unsorted.
Print Materials Subseries, 1811-1957
Contents include a pamphlet by William Allman, M.D. on the makeup of vegetables; a prospectus for the London, Hollyhead, and Liverpool Steam Coach and Road Company; an unsigned engagement form for the abolition of the traffic in slaves; a trial report from the case of Gesner v. Halifax Gas Company in 1852; a notification letter of treaty with Russia from 1856; an estate auction form; a printed letter from the royal navy regarding the distribution of prize or salvage monies; a letter patent to Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane for the invention of shields for protection from musketry; copies of two newspapers from Sierra Leone; clippings pertaining to the Cochrane family, including the obituaries for Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane, Lady Francis Higginson, and Thomas Studdert; a racing booklet; a printed volume of poetry by Adelaide Cochrane entitled Sunshine and Shadow; an advertising brochure from the Mineral Asphalte Company; a petition from the Land League and a poem from a Ladies Land League meeting; and several print advertisements. Items are arranged chronologically by date.
[Some items removed to Oversize Materials.]
Visual Materials Subseries, 1879
Folders house nine photographs, and one postcard. Four drawings (one by Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, the others unsigned) have been removed to Oversize Materials. Items are unsorted.
[Drawings removed to Oversize Materials.]
Trinidad Lake Asphalt Series, 1851-1912
Contains many folders of documents pertaining to Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane and the Trinidad Lake Asphalt Company, as well as the Union Estate. Divided into the following subseries: Correspondence, Legal and Financial Documents, Notes and Writings, Print Materials, and Visual Materials. Subseries descriptions follow below.
Subseries contains primarily business correspondence sent to Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane pertaining to the Trinidad Lake Asphalt Company and the Cochrane Pitch Lake properties in Trinidad. Also contains some personal correspondence of Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, as well as some correspondence written by him to others regarding the properties and business in Trinidad, including one letter copybook from 1865-1866 and a folder containing correspondence and press clippings regarding a "bullet-proof shield" invented by Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane. Arranged chronologically by date.
Contents include: letters patent made out to Lord Thomas Cochrane, Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane, and J. Francis Puls regarding innovations in the processing of bitumen and its use in burners and for propulsion; registration forms establishing the Trinidad Bituminous Fuel Company and granting Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane and Henry Mitchell exclusive right in Trinidad to use certain procedures for manufacturing fuel; bills and receipts for the ward of La Brea and Guapo in Trinidad; a prospectus of the West Indian Petroleum Company from 1865; reports concerning tests made of petroleum fuel in steam boilers; assessment rolls of the La Brea and Guapo Ward; incorporation forms for the Hydrocarbon Company; bills pertaining to the purchase of Union Estate in Trinidad and of shares in Trinidad Pitch Lake; a bill of sale of the Mon Plaisir, Belle Vue, and Esperance Estates; a list of payments to be made in the court case of Cochrane v. Dundonald; a Memorandum of Association for the West India Shipping Company; and various financial notes relating to the properties, asphalt and shipping companies, and other financial prospects in Trinidad. Items are arranged chronologically.
Notes and Writings Subseries, 1861-1904
Comprises personal notes, business notes, letter drafts, results of experiments, and other miscellaneous writings by Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane pertaining to the Trinidad properties and companies. Also includes one diary by Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane documenting his daily health and activities. Since these papers are mostly for personal or unofficial use, most of them are unsigned and many are undated. Those that are dated are arranged chronologically by date, while the others remain unsorted.
Print Materials Subseries, 1860-1903
Contains a pamphlet with copies of documents about fitting steam ferry and tug boats as auxiliary gun boats, a page from The Engineer with an entry by James Elliott about Captain Cochrane's advocacy of the testing of bitumen as a cement for sea walls, a report on the uses of bitumen for illumination and cementing sea walls, a regulation sheet for the use and removal of pitch, a copy of the Chilean News (English) from 1871, an advertisement for Harrison's patent gas light improver, clippings pertaining to the Cochrane family and the use of bitumen, and a copy of a supplement to The Financial News from 1899 describing the "Colt automatic quick firing gun." Also included are two bound volumes pertaining to Trinidad. Items are arranged chronologically by date.
[Some items removed to Oversize Materials.]
[Some items from book removed to Oversize Materials.]
Visual Materials Subseries, 1851, 1872, 1878
Subseries comprised of visual materials relevant to the Pitch Lake area in Trinidad. Items are arranged chronologically.
[Some items removed to Oversize Materials.]
Oversize Materials
Historical Note
Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald
| Date | Event(s) |
|---|---|
| 1775 Dec. 14 | Born to Archibald Cochrane, 9th Earl of Dundonald, and Anne (Gilchrist) Cochrane |
| 1793 | Joined crew of H.M.S. Hind, of which his uncle, Sir Alexander Cochrane, was then captain |
| 1796 | Appointed lieutenant |
| 1796-1798 | Served on the North American station |
| 1798-1800 | Served on the French and Spanish coasts during the early years of the Napoleonic wars |
| 1800-1801 | Commander of H.M.S. Speedy |
| 1801 | Made captain Captured by a French squadron and exchanged |
| 1802-1803 | Studied at Edinburgh University |
| 1805 | Cruised off the Azores |
| 1806 | Cruised in the Bay of Biscay Failed bid at the House of Commons for Honiton |
| 1807 | Entered Parliament as a Whig for the constituency of Westminster |
| 1808-1809 | Cruised the French and Spanish coasts |
| 1812 Aug. 8 | Married Katherine Corbett Frances Barnes ( Kitty Barnes) in secret at Annan, County Dumfries |
| 1813 | Appointed flag-captain to his uncle, Sir Alexander Cochrane |
| 1814 | Tried for stock-market fraud and conspiracy Expelled from Royal Navy, Parliament, and Order of the Bath |
| 1814-1816 | Paid fines through penny subscriptions |
| 1817 | Accepted command of the Chilean navy |
| 1818 June 22 | Publicly married Katherine Corbett Frances Barnes, daughter of Thomas Barnes of Romford, Essex |
| 1819-1822 | Fought for independence for Chile and Peru against the Spanish forces |
| 1823-1825 | Fought for independence for Brazil as admiral of the Brazilian fleet |
| 1827-1828 | Admiral of the Greek navy |
| 1831 | Succeeded to Earldom after the death of Archibald Cochrane |
| 1832 | Reinstated in the British navy and promoted to rear-admiral |
| 1847 | Reinstated as Knight Grand Cross in Order of the Bath |
| 1848 | Returned to command at sea as Commander-in-Chief of the H.M.S. Wellesley |
| 1848-1852 | Served on the Wellesley in North America and the West Indies, where he surveyed Pitch Lake, Trinidad, and became involved in the early use of the lake as a source of asphalt |
| 1851 | Promoted to admiral |
| 1860 Oct. 31 | Died in London |
Thomas Barnes Cochrane, 11th Earl of Dundonald
| Date | Event(s) |
|---|---|
| 1814 Apr. 18 | Born to Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, and Katherine Corbett Frances Cochrane |
| 1847 Dec. 1 | Married Louisa Harriet Mackinnon |
| 1885 Jan. 15 | Died, succeeded by his son, Douglas Mackinnon Baillie Hamilton Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald |
Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro Cochrane
| Date | Event(s) |
|---|---|
| 1824 Sept. 24 | Born to Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, and Katherine Corbett Frances Cochrane |
| 1839 Apr. | Entered Royal Navy |
| 1854 | Participated in the capture of Bomarsund during the Crimean War Promoted to rank of captain |
| 1855 Feb. 7-1856 May 12 | Captain of H.M.S. Horatio, a guard ship at Sheerness |
| 1856 May 14-1858 Sept. 8 | Captain of H.M.S. Niger in the East Indies and China, where he served in the Anglo-Chinese war |
| 1858 Sept. 8 | Invalided |
| 1869 Apr.-1870 May | Superintendent of Sheerness dockyard |
| 1870 | Made rear-admiral |
| 1873 June 6-1876 Apr. 15 | Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Squadron |
| 1876 | Made vice-admiral |
| 1881 | Promoted to admiral |
| 1886 | Retired from navy |
| 1889 | Knighted |
| 1905 Aug. 20 | Died |
Ernest Grey Lambton Cochrane
| Date | Event(s) |
|---|---|
| 1834 June 4 | Born to Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, and Katherine Corbett Frances Cochrane |
| 1847 | Entered Royal Navy |
| 1847-1855 | Served on board the ships Victory, Hibernian, and Trafalgar |
| 1854 Aug. 13 | Participated in the capture of Bomarsund during the Crimean War aboard H.M.S. Wellesley |
| 1854 Aug. 29 | Made lieutenant of the Edinburgh |
| 1856 | Served as lieutenant-commander of H.M.S. Chub |
| 1864 Sept. 15 | Married Adelaide Blackwall, daughter of Samuel W. Blackwall, Governor of Sierra Leone |
| 1864 Oct. 3 | Death of wife Adelaide |
| 1866 Oct. 16 | Married Elizabeth Frances Maria Katherine Doherty, only child of Richard Doherty of Redcastle |
| 1868 Apr. 16-1870 Apr. 7 | Commander of H.M.S. Petrel off the Cape of Good Hope and West coast of Africa Participated in the suppression of the slave trade |
| 1873 | Retired as captain |
| 1879 | High Sheriff of County Donegal |
| 1911 Feb. 2 | Died at his Redcastle estate, Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland |
Subject Headings
- Cochran family.
- Cochrane family.
- Dundonald, Thomas Cochrane, Earl of, 1775-1860.
- Cochrane, Ernest Grey Lambton, 1834-1911.
- Dundonald, Thomas Cochrane, Earl of, 1814-1885.
- Cochrane, Arthur Auckland Leopold Pedro, 1824-1905.
- Great Britain--History, Naval--19th century.
- Admirals--Great Britain.
- Antislavery movements--Great Britain--History--19th century.
- Land use--Ireland.
- Donegal (Ireland : County)--History.
- Trinidad--Commerce--History.
- Trinidad Lake Asphalt Company.
- Asphalt industry--History--19th century.
- Watercolors (paintings).
- Diagrams.
- Black-and-white photographs.
- Diaries.
- Nautical charts.
- Maps.
- Clippings.
- Diagrams.
- Technical drawings.
- Account books.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Cochrane Family Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Provenance
The Cochrane Family Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a purchase in 1985-1988.
Processing Information
Processed by Alex Ruch and Loren Crippin, November 2006
Encoded by Alex Ruch
Completed November 2006
Accessions 09/18/1985, 1988-020 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.