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The Papers of the 1st Viscount Hood of Catherington and of Rear Admiral Horace Hood

 Fonds
Reference Code: GBR/0014/HOOD

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of a small group of papers relating to the first Viscount Hood (1724-1816), a larger, mostly personal, group of the papers of Admiral Horace Hood (1870-1916) and the Pocock sketches.

Dates

  • Creation: 1782 - 1959

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers wishing to publish excerpts from the papers must obtain prior permission from the copyright holders and should seek advice from Archives Centre staff.

Biographical / Historical

Samuel Hood (became the First Viscount Hood) was born 12 December 1724. He entered the Royal Navy in 1841. In 1767 he became Commander in Chief, North America. In 1780 he was made Rear Admiral. In 1784 he was reluctantly elected MP for Westminster. He was then made Vice Admiral and became Commander in Chief Portsmouth. In 1788 he was made a Sea Lord and in 1793 became Commander in Chief, Mediterranean. He was made an Admiral in 1794 and retired the same year. He died in 1816. Horace Lambert Alexander Hood was born in London, 1870, the third son of the fourth Viscount Hood. In the period 1886-1889 he served on H.M.S. Minotaur, H.M.S. Calliope, H.M.S. Trafalgar, and H.M.S. Royal Sovereign. He was made a Flag Lieutenant in 1894 In 1897 Hood was lent to the Egyptian Government for the Sudan Campaign and in 1898 was promoted to Commander before becoming Captain in 1903. In the years 1900-1916 Hood served on the following ships: H.M.S. Ramillies, H.M.S. Hyacinth, H.M.S. Centurion, H.M.S. Berwick, H.M.S. Commonwealth, and H.M.S. Invincible. During the same period he commanded the force at Illig, Somaliland [later Somalia] (1904), was Naval Attaché, Washington (1907), was Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V (1912), became Rear Admiral (1913), was Naval secretary to First Lord and commanded the Dover Flotilla (1914) and commanded the 3rd Battle Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet (1915). Hood was killed in H.M.S. Invincible at Jutland in 1916.

Extent

6 archive box(es)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

The papers have been arranged in three groups: Viscount Hood's papers (HOOD 1); Pocock Drawings (HOOD 2); Admiral Hood's archives (HOOD 3-7).

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

The condition of the papers was generally good on deposit. However some of the paper used by the Hood family about 1900 was highly acid and deterioration (staining and fragility) had already occurred.

Other Finding Aids

A copy of this finding aid and the full catalogue are available in the reading room at Churchill Archives Centre and at the National Register of Archives in London.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

In October 1966 and October 1967 Viscount Hood and his brother, the Hon. Alexander Hood, deposited these papers at Churchill College. The Pocock sketches were bought by the family on 2 April 1913 from Hodgsons, and some of the papers in the first group were either bought or given to the family (see note attached to 1/5). Most of Horace Hood's papers are family archives (the exceptions are 6/5 & 6) which had been kept in a box at the family's home.

General

This collection level and series description was prepared by Louise King at Churchill Archives Centre in February 2005 using information from the original catalogue of the Hood papers.

Originator(s)

Hood, Horace Lambert Alexander, 1870-1916, Rear Admiral and Hood, Samuel, 1724-1816, 1st Viscount Hood of Catherington

Date
2005-01-27 13:09:05+00:00
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Churchill Archives Centre Repository

Contact:
Churchill Archives Centre
Churchill College
Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB3 0DS United Kingdom
+44 (0)1223 336087