British Parliamentary Papers

The British Parliamentary Papers are a complex and important source for the history of Britain and the world. Princeton University Library holds original printed volumes and microform editions that fill in the gaps of the printed volumes. We also have access to the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers in a digital edition. And there are many guides and indexes that can help the researcher navigate the Parliamentary Papers and find material on a specific topic. But please ask for help if you have trouble finding what you need; the Parliamentary Papers are notoriously confusing, especially to the inexperienced researcher.

This guide does not cover the records of Parliament in the medieval period, for which see the guide to Britain to 1800.

The most lucid guide to Parliamentary papers is that of:
Ford, P. (Percy) and Ford, G. (Grace). A guide to parliamentary papers: what they are, how to find them, how to use them. 3d ed. Shannon: Irish University Press, 1972. General and Humanities Reference (DR): J301 .M5 1972

Also useful is:
Bond, Maurice Francis. Guide to the records of Parliament. London, H. M. Stationery Off., 1971. General and Humanities Reference (DR) CD1063.B63

Table of Contents

• Parliamentary Papers
  • Journals are the record of what was done in Parliament
  • Debates are the record of what was said in Parliament
  • Papers are the documents and reports requested, presented to or produced by Parliament (also known as Sessional Papers, Command Papers, and Blue Books; includes Bills)
  • Acts
• Reprints, indexes and guides

The House of Commons Parliamentary Papers have been digitized. Coverage is 1688 to 2004; new material is being added routinely. See the table below for details about coverage. The House of Lords papers are for the most part not available online. For current material, see Parliament's web site at http://www.parliament.uk/publications/index.cfm.

When searching House of Commons Parliamentary Papers: it is far easier to identify relevent papers by using an index or checking the references and bibliography in a book on your topic than it is to find material in this very large digital collection. If you have a Command Paper number (beginning with C., Cd., or Cmd.), you can search by that number.

Reprints, indexes and guides

A selection of Parliamentary papers have been reprinted by the Irish University Press. There are two sets, the first comprising one thousand volumes and the second two hundred. They are arranged by topic, e.g. Fisheries, Colonies, Civil Disorder; or in the case of the area studies series, by region, e.g. China, West Indies, New Zealand. If there is a set on your topic, it may speed your research. Most are in Firestone, dispersed through the stacks, but some have been sent to RECAP. To find them all, do a keyword search in the Main Catalog for "irish university press" and parliament? There is an 8-volume index to the series at:

• Irish University Press series of British parliamentary papers. [General] index. Shannon, Irish University Press [1968]. General and Humanities Reference (DR) Oversize J301 .I67q
• Catalogue of British parliamentary papers in the Irish University Press 1000-volume series and area studies series, 1801-1900. Dublin: Irish University Press, 1977. General and Humanities Reference (DR) Oversize J301 .I69q

House of Commons sessional papers of the eighteenth century: introduction and list. Ed. Sheila Lambert. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources, 1975-1976. General and Humanities Reference (DR) Oversize J301.K631q
This accompanies a 145-volume set of reprints at Firestone Library (F) Oversize J301.xK63q

Besides House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, there are two other online indexes to the parliamentary papers: BOPCRIS (British Official Publications Collaborative Reader Information Service) and the Index of British Parliamentary Papers. BOPCRIS covers publications from 1688-1995, and includes some full text. The Index of British Parliamentary Papers covers 1801 to 1922 (Lords) and 1944/45 (Commons). It has been installed on all "Library Web Computers." (This does not include the computers in the clusters.) Both have been largely superseded by the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers digital collection.

In addition, there are a number of published indexes to various parts of the Parliamentary papers:

• Di Roma, Edward. A numerical finding list of British command papers published 1833-1961/62. [New York] New York Public Library, 1967. General and Humanities Reference (DR) J301 .M53 1967
• Adam, Margaret Isabella. Guide to the principal parliamentary papers relating to the dominions, 1812-1911. Edinburgh, Oliver and Boyd, 1913. General and Humanities Reference (DR) Z2021.C7A3
• Cockton, Peter. Subject catalogue of the House of Commons Parliamentary papers, 1801-1900. Cambridge, England; Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, 1988. General and Humanities Reference (DR) J301 .M52 Note: Cockton is also in the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers digital edition.
• A general index to the Sessional papers: printed by order of the House of Lords, or presented by special command.
  Dobbs Ferry, N. Y: Oceana Publications, Inc., 1976-
  General and Humanities Reference (DR) Oversize J301.J621q
• A general index to the Sessional papers printed by order of the House of Lords or presented by special command. 1801-1859.
  London, H. M. Stationery off. [printed by P. Lund, Humphries & co., ltd.] 1938.
  General and Humanities Reference (DR) Oversize J301.J6q
• General index to the Accounts and papers, Reports of commissioners, Estimates, &c.,&c. Printed by order of the House of commons or presented by command. 1801-1852. London, H. M. Stationery off. [printed by P. Lund, Humphries & co., ltd.] 1938.
  General and Humanities Reference (DR) Oversize J301.xM3 1938q