George Finlay Papers

The George Finlay Papers contain materials created by and related to the British Historian and Philhellene George Finlay, his father John Finlay, Greek-American Philhellene George Jarvis, and British Philhellene Captain Frank Abney Hastings, dating from 1791 to 1949.

Most of the collection consists of George Finlay’s meticulous records of his travels, personal and official correspondence, his personal expenditures, copious memoranda on strategy and on military and political organisation, journal entries, maps, facetiae, scrapbooks, personal notes on people—Greeks and others—and on revolutionary events, newspaper cuttings mainly on Greece and international affairs, as well as Finlay’s original manuscripts of the History of the Greek Revolution (1861) as well as corrected proofs of Finlay’s other published works.

Also included are the papers of Finlay’s father, John, two journals of Greek American philhellene, George Jarvis, and those of Finlay’s fellow British philhellene, Captain Frank Abney Hastings. The Hastings papers, which Finlay purchased in 1830, include personal and official correspondence, ship’s logs, notes that he took on board or ashore, as well as memoranda on strategy and on the naval organisation of the revolutionary forces.

Collectively, these records reveal a great deal about the character, motivations, ideas, as well as the military and political judgements of these British individuals, as well as of many others, both British and Greek, with whom they interacted during the Greek War of Independence as well as many of Finlay's other interests, such as Classical and Byzantine history, natural history and politics.

Finlay, George. 1861. History of the Greek revolution. 1.

Finlay, George. 1861. History of the Greek revolution. 2.

Finlay, George. 1877. A History of Greece: from its conquest by the Romans to the present time, B.C. 146 to A.D. 1864. Greece under the Romans, B.C. 146-A.D. 716. 1.

Finlay, George. 1877. A history of Greece: from its conquest by the Romans to the present time, B.C. 146 to A.D. 1864. The Byzantine empire, pt. 1, A.D. 716-1057. 2.

Finlay, George. 1877. A history of Greece: from its conquest by the Romans to the present time, B.C. 146 to A.D. 1864. The Byzantine and Greek empires, pt. 2, A.D. 1057-1453. 3.

Finlay, George. 1877. A history of Greece: from its conquest by the Romans to the present time, B.C. 146 to A.D. 1864. Mediaeval Greece and the empire of Trebizond, A.D. 1204-1461. 4.

Finlay, George. 1877. A history of Greece: from its conquest by the Romans to the present time, B.C. 146 to A.D. 1864. Greece under Othoman and Venetian domination, A.D. 1453-1821. 5.

Finlay, George. 1877. A history of Greece: from its conquest by the Romans to the present time, B.C. 146 to A.D. 1864. The Greek revolution, pt. 1: A.D. 1821-1827. 6.

Finlay, George. 1877. A history of Greece: from its conquest by the Romans to the present time, B.C. 146 to A.D. 1864. The Greek revolution, pt. 2: Establishment of the Greek kingdom. 7.

Hussey, Joan M. 1973. The Finlay Papers: a catalogue. 9. 200. Direct link

Hussey, Joan M. 1975. George Finlay in perspective: a centenary reappraisal. BSA 70: 135-144. Direct link

Hussey, Joan M. 1995. The journals and letters of George Finlay. The Journals. 1. 457.

Hussey, Joan M. 1995. The journals and letters of George Finlay. Finlay-Leake and other correspondence. 2. 457.

Miller, William. 1923. The Finlay Library. BSA 26: 46-66. Direct link

Miller, William. 1925. Finlay's History of the Insurrection in Crete. BSA 27: 92-112. Direct link

Nicholson, Malcolm. 1999. George Finlay 1799-1875: Philhellene, liberal, historian, traveller, collector, antiquarian: a celebration of the bi-centenary of his birth. 19.