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The British Consulate in Jerusalem Collection

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Great Britain. Consulate (Jerusalem), 1839-1914 (Creator of the collection) Yehoshua, Jacob
  • Archive

The British consulate in Jerusalem was founded in 1839 and existed until 1914. When World War I broke out, the consulate was closed soon due to the entry of the Ottoman Empire into the war aside from the German and Austrian Empires. The British consul was instructed to destroy all documents before leaving Jerusalem in October 1914. Therefore, this collection in The National Library, and the remnants in The Israel State Archives, are the only archival traces that are still to be found of the British Consulate in Jerusalem. The NLI collection was purchased in two instalments: The larger part was bought from Jacob Yehushua in 1977, and the second (smaller) part from Yehoshua's widow in 1986. The collection includes letters to the consulate, documents and lists of British subjects in different cities of Palestine (mostly on Jews), and on economic matters. The collection has been catalogued and made available thanks to the generosity of Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust.

Reference Code
ARC. 4* 1513
Dates
1849-1914
Consists of
0.2 meters..
Languages
English;
Description
The collection contains correspondence dated 1849-1914 between the British embassy in Constantinople, the consuls in Jerusalem, Beirut and Damascus and their vice consuls in several places in Israel. A large part of the correspondence deals with the legal status of Jews who had immigrated from Russia and didn't want to become citizens of the Ottoman empire and so applied for British citizenship instead (as foreigners in the Ottoman empire they would fall under the laws of their home country, not the Ottoman laws, and therefore wouldn't have to pay certain taxes or get drafted). Further files contain reports from the vice consuls in Haifa, Jaffa and Gaza and deal with the economic status and the import-export activities of the harbors. Among the vice consuls of Jaffa are two members of the Amzalak family, among the acting consuls for Haifa were Edward Thomas Rogers (the brother of Mary Eliza Rogers) and Johann Schmidt, one of the members of the Templer community in Haifa. Notes on the backs of the letters indicate that they (or copies of them) had been dispatched to the embassy and give the number and date of the dispatch and the topic of the letter.
location
  • The Archives Collection of the National Library of Israel The Archives Collection of the National Library of Israel
Title The British Consulate in Jerusalem Collection.
Additional Titles כותרת בעברית: אוסף הקונסוליה הבריטית בירושלים.
Contributors JacobYehoshua
Notes Israel State Archives
Citation Note ARC. 4* 1513 The British Consulate in Jerusalem Collection, Archives Department, National Library of Israel, Jerusalem
Host Item The British Consulate in Jerusalem Collection
Level of Description Fonds Record
Biographical summary The British consulate in Jerusalem was founded in 1839 and existed until 1914. When World War I broke out, the consulate was closed soon due to the entering of the Ottoman Empire into the war aside the German and Austrian Empires.
Ownership history This collection and the remnants in the Israel State Archvies are the only archival traces that are still to be found, since the British consul was instructed to destroy all documents before leaving Jerusalem in October 1914. This collection was purchased in two instalments: the larger part was bought from Jacob Yehushua in 1977, and the second (smaller) part from Yehoshua's widow in 1986.
Language Note The materials are in English.
Credits אוסף הקונסוליה הבריטית בירושלים נרשם והונגש הודות לתרומה האדיבה של קרן צ'ארלס וולפסון. The British Consulate in Jerusalem Collection has been catalogued and made available thanks to the generosity of Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust.
The British Consulate in Jerusalem Collection, National Library of Israel. This record was made available thanks to the generosity of Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust. אוסף הקונסוליה הבריטית בירושלים, הספרייה הלאומית. רשומה זו נרשמה והונגשה באדיבות קרן צ'ארלס וולפסון.
National Library system number 990033632080205171

When using this material, please acknowledge the source of the material as follows:

אוסף הקונסוליה הבריטית בירושלים נרשם והונגש הודות לתרומה האדיבה של קרן צ'ארלס וולפסון. The British Consulate in Jerusalem Collection has been catalogued and made available thanks to the generosity of Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust.;The British Consulate in Jerusalem Collection, National Library of Israel. This record was made available thanks to the generosity of Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust. אוסף הקונסוליה הבריטית בירושלים, הספרייה הלאומית. רשומה זו נרשמה והונגשה באדיבות קרן צ'ארלס וולפסון.

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