Private Rothschild papers held by The Rothschild Archive London
Members of the English Rothschild family have deposited significant tranches of documents with The Rothschild Archive concerning many aspects of the family's private lives, including letters, diaries, photographs, household and estate papers, papers concerning philanthropy, artefacts, artworks and books. Other family correspondence and estate papers survive in the collections of N M Rothschild & Sons.
The Archive holds two important deposits of papers ('The Lafite papers') relating to the family in France, dating from the late 19th century to the 1930s. These collections record the involvement of family members in areas such as the theatre, philanthropic organisations, the development of Jewish colonies in Palestine and the management of estates and art collections.
Loss of private Rothschild papers
Large quantities of private and personal records are known to have been destroyed, and many of the Rothschilds requested that their personal papers and correspondence be destroyed upon their death. Papers concerning the routine affairs and management of many of the great Rothschild estates and houses have not survived in great quantities.
Access to private Rothschild papers
Researchers should note that Rothschild family papers are subject to the Archive's conditions of access. Although records of the Rothschild business up to the date of 1945 are generally accessible to researchers, access to Rothschild family papers is at the discretion of the Archive, and special permission from donors and depositors may additionally be required to access all, or part, of family collections. All family papers later than 1945 are currently closed to researchers.
In the Guide, descriptions of such collections may be given; the inclusion of such descriptions does not mean that these records are available for consultation. For further information about collections of private papers of the Rothschild family, please contact The Rothschild Archive.
The Archive has created a Guide to its holdings. Go to The Guide to the collections of The Rothschild Archive ».
