Nature of Source
Records relating to a vast array of government work from the principal secretaries of state. The collection includes public letters, petitions, memoranda and papers originally kept by the State Paper Office.
Many lists of Catholics recusants and Newgate gaol prisoners are amongst the records. The documents can include members of the militia, names of masters and owners of ships, naval matters (including Trinity House certificates), military musters and court proceedings.
The establishment of modern government departments resulted in the demise of state papers. Victorian archivists preserved the papers, putting them in chronological order and compiling indexes by name and place.
Where Found
The National Archives (Series SP, Records assembled by the State Paper Office including detailed calendars and indexes covering 1547-1704)
Indexed and searchable records for government departments include:
FO 1111, Foreign Office: Card Indexes to Correspondence from 1906 to 1920
FO 409, Foreign Office: Indexes to General Correspondence from 1920 to 1959
Society of Genealogists (Some calendars)
British Library (Calendared volumes)
National Library of Scotland
Local Reference Libraries (Some calendars)
Period Covered
1578 – 1872
Genealogical Value
Names, addresses, occupations
Further References
- Calendars of State Papers (200 volumes of calendars of the Domestic, Foreign and Colonial papers, ranging from the early sixteenth to the later eighteenth century have been published. Search WorldCat for the availability and whereabouts of published volumes)
- Thomas, Francis Sheppard. A History Of The State Paper Office: With A View Of The Documents Therein Deposited: London, 1849 (Available to view online at Google Books or to download at the Internet Archive)
A selection of volumes of State Papers can be viewed online at Google Books or downloaded at the Internet Archive.
Websites
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides (The National Archives Research Guides: How to look for records of State Papers. The Papers contain information on every aspect of early modern government. The Guides explain what state papers domestic are and what information they include, how to find state papers at The National Archives and elsewhere and which finding aids and websites can help you search the various state papers domestic)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/letters-papers-henry-viii (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of Letters and papers of Henry VIII)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/state-papers-foreign-1509-1782 (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of State Papers Foreign 1509-1782: government papers on foreign affairs. These Papers were produced or received by the secretaries of state as a result of their conduct of British diplomacy abroad)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/state-papers-ireland-1509-1782 (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of State Papers Ireland 1509-1782: government papers on Irish affairs. The Papers are a key resource at The National Archives for researching the social and religious history of Ireland between 1509 and 1782)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/america-west-indies-calendar-state-papers-colonial-1573-1739 (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of America and the West Indies in the Calendar of State Papers Colonial 1573-1739)
www.nls.uk/family-history/state-papers (National Library of Scotland Guide: State Papers. The State Papers are the published collections of early Scottish government and royal documents)
www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/state-papers (National Records of Scotland Research Guide: State Papers)
www.gale.com/intl/c/state-papers-online-part-i (Gale: State Papers Online, 1509-1714. Project support material includes a brochure, a fact sheet and specially commissioned essays covering all the state paper collections)
www.gale.com/intl/essays/amanda-bevan-state-papers-henry-viii-archives-documents (State Papers of Henry VIII: the Archives and the Documents, by Amanda Bevan)
Online Databases
www.gale.com/intl/primary-sources/state-papers-online (Gale: State Papers Online: Early Modern Government in Britain and Europe. State Papers Online offers original historical materials across the widest range of government concerns including correspondence, reports, memoranda, and parliamentary drafts from ambassadors, civil servants and provincial administrators. Collections include: State Papers Online, 1509-1714; State Papers Online, Eighteenth Century 1714-1782; Stuart and Cumberland papers from the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle)
Royal Archives Online
The site offers a resource for those seeking primary sources on the British monarchy and governance. The catalogue of historical records held by the Archives, includes:
- Georgian Papers Online: Digitised documents from the Georgian era. Personal letters, diaries, household accounts, and official correspondence of Georgian monarchs (George I–IV, William IV), staff records, financial ledgers, and administrative papers detailing royal governance.
- Other Collections: Stuart Papers, Cumberland Papers, Melbourne Papers, Victorian/Edwardian records (official and private), Privy Purse Papers (pre-1910), and Establishment Books.
British History Online (Calendars of State Papers: Searchable transcriptions of State Papers calendars including: State Papers Domestic, State Papers Colonial, State Papers Foreign, State Papers, Scotland, State Papers, Ireland. State Papers Domestic are only available on subscription)
https://uh.edu/waalt/index.php/Elizabethan_State_Papers_Project (WAALT: the Wiki for the Anglo-American Legal Tradition: Elizabethan State Papers Project: Lists and transcriptions of documents from State Papers Domestic Elizabeth extracted from TNA series SP 12. This project continues the work begun by the University of Hull State Papers Project)
Ancient Petitions, Henry III – James I (Details of petitions contained in TNA series SC 8 pursuing grievances which could not be resolved at common law, or requests for a grant of favour. Searches can be made directly in the TNA Discovery Catalogue with the reference for the petition or a general search within the series)
www.theoriginalrecord.com (State Papers)
CD Roms
N/A
