Papers of George Charles Montagu, Earl of Sandwich, Tate Trustee (1934-1941)

The Earl of Sandwich was a trustee of the Tate between 1934 and 1941, although he remained interested and involved in its business after his retirement from the Board. The collection consists of correspondence, mainly between the Earl and senior Tate staff, including J B Manson, John Rothenstein, Evan Charteris and David Fincham. The letters relate to Tate acquisitions, acquisition policy, the Chantry Bequest and the relationship between the Tate and the National Gallery. The collection also includes correspondence regarding the Earl's invitation to join the Board of Trustees and his retirement.

George Charles Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich, Viscount Hinchingbrooke and Baron Montagu of St Neots, was born in December 1874. He was educated at Winchester and then Magdalen College, Oxford, from whom he received an MA. From 1898 to 1900, he was the assistant private secretary to the President of the Board of Agriculture, and from 1900 to 1903 he was the private secretary to the President of the Local Government Board. Between 1900 and 1906, he was the conservative MP for South Huntingdonshire. In 1902, he became a Director of the Exchange Telegraph Company, a post he held until 1961. Sandwich married his first wife, Alberta, in 1905, with whom he had three children. Between 1917 and 1918, he was the Chairman of the Central Prisoners of War Committee. Between 1922 and 1946, he acted as Lord Lieutenant and custos rotulorum of Huntingdonshire, and Chairman of the county's Territorial Army Association. Between 1931 and 1946 the Earl was the Chairman of the Bishop's Advisory Committee and between 1933 and 1946, he was a JP Alderman and Chairman. In 1934 he was invited to become a Trustee of the Tate, a post he held until 1941. In 1937, he became a Trustee of the National Maritime Museum, a post he held until 1946. From 1946, the Earl acted as a member of the Committee of the British Council (Art Section) and of the Contemporary Art Society. After the death of Alberta in 1951, he married his second wife, Ella in 1952. The Earl of Sandwich died in June 1962. Throughout his life, the Earl published nine books including an autobiography and a catalogue of British and Foreign Naval Medals.

The papers are arranged chronologically.

OPEN

Paper list available

The collection is available on microfiche and is stored under 'Montagu, George'.

Copyright held by Victor Montagu.

Presented to Tate Archive by Lord Hinchingbrooke, 1970.