Henry Edward Manning (1808-1892) was a church leader, advocate for social justice, and a famous English convert to Roman Catholicism. As the Archbishop of Westminster, Manning held cultural influence in London and corresponded with many significant people throughout his life. Pitts Theology Library has an extensive collection of Cardinal Manning’s materials, including correspondence, writings, photographs, and other records. The collection at Pitts includes correspondence with famous individuals such as Florence Nightingale and Prime Minister William Gladstone.

Recently Pitts acquired a bound volume of letters, written by Cardinal Manning to Thomas Penyngton Kirkman (1806-1895), the British mathematician and Anglican clergyman. The volume itself is a beautiful example of a gilt-tooled binding by Fazakerley of Liverpool. The cover has an inlaid red Cardinal’s hat, or galero, with ten red tassels on each side. The nineteen letters, written in the hand of Cardinal Manning, are of exceptional research value. They discuss matters of philosophy, theology, Bible, as well as Kirkman’s writings, particularly his book Philosophy without Assumptions, published in 1876.

Acquiring this collection of letters also gave our library an opportunity to collaborate with the National Institute for Newman Studies, who digitized the letters and have included them in their online repository, where they can be viewed by all. 

Written by Brandon Wason, Head of Special Collections