This is a transcription of the paper catalogue prepared by Michael Thompson in 1976 of the papers relating to Pitt-Rivers held by Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum [S&SWM]. This contains information useful for researchers. Please note that if you wish to consult the papers in this collection you will need to contact S&SWM direct.

THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPTS

Catalogue of the correspondence and papers of AUGUSTUS HENRY ALEN FOX PITT-RIVERS (1827-1900) Lieutenant-General, anthropologist and archaeologist 1855-1899 in the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, Wiltshire ... Listed by Dr. M.W. Thompson 1976

ARMY [p. 1]

Pitt-Rivers was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards in 1845. He took part in the testing of new rifles at Woolwich from 1851 and in the following year visited the Continent to study methods of instruction in the use of the new arm. When the School of Musketry was founded at Hythe in the summer of 1853 he was for a few months its first Instructor and was the author of the first army manual on this subject, Instruction of Musketry (1854.) Early in 1854 he embarked for the Mediterranean and undertook musketry instruction for the expeditionary force at Malta. The intention has been to create a school of musketry in that area but this scheme being abandoned he was invited to serve as Deputy Assistant Quarter Master General on the staff of the Second Division commanded by Sir De Lacy Evans. He served in this capacity in Bulgaria and for a month in the Crimea (14th. September to 15th. October), seeing action at the Alma.

Six months after his return to England in the Autumn of 1854 he was sent to Malta where he was Instructor in Musketry 1855-57. He returned to England under a cloud as there had been criticism by Colonel Hay in command of the School of Musketry of his methods of training in Malta. In December, 1861 he was sent on special duties to Canada wehre two batallions of Guards were later sent as a show of force early in the American Civil War, and on his return he was appointed Assistant Quartermaster General at Cork where he was stationed from 1862 to 1866. In 1867 he went on half-pay and was free from military duties until 1873 when he accepted command of the West Surrey Brigade Depot at Guildford. On promotion to Major-General in 1877 he resumed staff duties and retired with the honorary rank of Lieutenant-General in 1882.

Transcribed by AP for the Rethinking Pitt-Rivers project July 2011