National Trust wants family archive after ‘racist ideology’ row
THE National Trust is trying to make an aristocratic family’s archive more publicly accessible after a row over “racist ideology” at their country pile.
The Kedleston Hall estate was the seat of the Curzon family for centuries before being handed over to the trust, and the charity provoked anger when it published an online article criticising their distinguished ancestor, the 19thcentury Viceroy of India Lord Curzon.
The charity was forced to remove the article that suggested Lord Curzon was driven by a “racist ideology”, but could risk a fresh row with the Curzon family after attempting to make their family archive publicly accessible.
The archive at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire, holds an array of deeds and correspondence relating to the Curzon’s estate, which the trust has inquired about moving away from the site to the Derbyshire Record Office in nearby Matlock.
The trust has said that the majority of the collection was transferred to its care in the 1980s, but it has been reported that the family – some of whom still live at Kedleston – are disputing the proposed transfer of the archive.
The future of the collection will be hashed out between the National Trust and the trustees of the Kedleston Estate.
The potential wrangle follows the publication of an article on the national Trust-administered website of Kedleston Hall following Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, which was critical of ancestors of the modern-day Curzons
The article stated that Viceroy of India George Nathaniel Curzon (Lord Curzon) had a notion of an imperial “civilisation mission” in the subcontinent that was a “euphemistic and racist ideology used to justify colonial supremacy”.
The article was removed following a backlash from historians, and reported discontent among the Curzon family.
The trust said that it has only made tentative inquiries about moving the Kedleston archive, having approached Derbyshire Council to house the records, but that any move would allow easier public access to the documents.
A spokesman said: “We receive a growing number of requests to access the archive and it is difficult to support these, alongside our core responsibility which is to care for the house and its collections.
“Many National Trust archives are deposited on loan with county records offices and other archival institutions, where there are dedicated teams who can make them readily available to the public.” The statement added: “A 1986 deed transferred the majority of the archive from the Kedleston trustees to the National Trust.
“Any decision regarding the archive would be subject to further consultation with the trustees of Kedleston Estate trust and in line with museum accreditation.”
The collection is understood to contain documents relating to the Kedleston estate including deeds, correspondence, land records, ledgers and other documents concerning the administration of the house and the Curzon lands.
The area of Kedleston has been home to the family since the 13th century, and the grand neoclassical house which now stands there has been their country seat since 1765.
The property was given to the National Trust in 1986, on the condition that some family members remain in a 23-room wing of the house.
It is the home of Richard Curzon, whose father 3rd Viscount Curzon left the property to the heritage trust.