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Modern Britain
This guide lists important collections of primary sources on Britain after 1800 held by the Princeton University Library. It covers microform, print and digital collections. Microforms listed in this guide are housed in Firestone Library Microforms Service on C floor. Printed guides to these collections are usually also housed in Microforms Service and have call numbers beginning "FilmB." A few collections held by Princeton Theological Seminary or by the Center for Research Libraries are also listed in this guide; for additional collections at CRL, see the guide to Great Britain on CRL's web site. Please consult a librarian for help if you would like to use these collections. For further information, please see Guides to primary sources for historical research: introduction.
Table of Contents
| Home Office class HO 42 [microform]: George III, correspondence, 1782-1820 |
| Available through interlibrary loan from the Center for Research Libraries. See Borrowing Microforms from the Center for Research Libraries for more information. |
| Originals held by the Public Record Office as Home Office class HO 42. Consists of letters and papers relating to government affairs, 1782-1820. |
| Papers of the Prime Ministers of Great Britain |
| Available through interlibrary loan from the Center for Research Libraries. See Borrowing Microforms from the Center for Research Libraries for more information. |
| Includes the papers of Lord Liverpool, Lord North, Spencer Perceval, William Pitt the Younger, Robert Peel, and the Duke of Newscastle. |
| Prime Minister’s correspondence: Sir Robert Peel, 1841-1846 |
| 1447.704 |
6 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| Reproduced from the original manuscripts in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle. See http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21764 |
| Papers of William Ewart Gladstone [microform] |
| Microfilm 10297 |
195 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms DA563 .G522 |
| Gladstone was Prime Minister 4 times in the second half of the 18th century. See http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/10787 |
| Cabinet Papers 1915-1978 |
| Selections from the 20th century Cabinet Papers on the web site of the UK National Archives. Arranged by topic; searchable. |
| Cabinet reports by Prime Ministers to the Crown, 1868-1916 |
| Microfilm 01708 |
13 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| Microfilm reproduction of "the series of manuscript letters preserved in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle." Cabinet letters at Windsor, 1868-1916, an index to the reports issued by the List and Index Society in 1965, filmed preceding the manuscripts. |
| Cabinet letters in Royal Archives, 1868-1916 [microform] |
| 1426.406.02 |
12 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| Microfilm of CAB 41/1-37. "This series consists of prints made from microfilm of letters in the Royal Archives at Windsor, written by Prime Ministers to the Sovereign to report proceedings at Cabinet meetings. The letters vary from brief statements of subjects discussed to more detailed accounts of arguments made and decisions reached. Most letters appear to have been written on the same day as the Cabinet meeting; but when a letter refers to a meeting on a previous day the series list shows the date of the meeting in square brackets" |
| Cabinet papers, 1880-1916 [microform] |
| 1426.406 |
48 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| Microfilm of CAB 37/1-162. " This series consists of a collection of photographic copies of memoranda circulated to the Cabinet to the end of 1916 compiled from various official and private sources." |
| Cabinet papers [microform]: complete classes from the CAB & PREM series in the Public Record Office. Series three, CAB 128 & CAB 129, Cabinet conclusions & cabinet memoranda, 1945 and following. |
| Microfilm 10679 |
100 reels |
Printed guide: CD1052.5 .A5 |
| Covers the governments of Attlee, 1945-1951; Churchill & Eden, 1951-1957; Macmillan & Douglas-Home, 1957-1964; Wilson 1964-1970; Heath, 1970-1974. Online guides: http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/c.aspx |
And see also the area studies guides for collections focused on particular countries or regions.
| Documents on British Policy Overseas |
| Digital edition of material from Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, documenting British foreign policy from the mid-19th century to the 1970's. Based on the printed editions. |
| British and foreign state papers |
| 1011.406 |
| This print series documents British foreign policy for 1812/14 to 1977. Includes treaties. For diplomatic correspondence, see the Parliamentary sessional papers (for items presented to Parliament) or microfilm editions. |
| Empire and commonwealth [microform]: archives of the Royal Commonwealth Society from Cambridge University Library |
| Microfilm 11808 |
43 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| The Royal Commonwealth Society was founded in 1896 "to provide a meeting place for gentlemen interested in colonial and Indian affairs." This collection has two parts: The colour question in imperial policy, 1830-1939 (reel 1-25) and Imperial & Commonwealth Conferences, c1887-1955 [i. e., 1870-1957] (reel 26-43). See http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/
empire_and_commonwealth_parts_1_and_2/Contents.aspx |
| Oriental question, 1840-1900 [microform]: files from the Royal Archives, Windsor Castle. |
| Microfilm 05589 |
38 reels |
Printed guide: DA550.L47 |
| "The history of British foreign relations in the 19th century is a record of shifting strategies, policies, and alignments....One issue of great importance for the direction of British policy in these years was the Eastern, or Oriental, Question-the problems brought about by the decline of the Ottoman Empire. With the balance of power in Europe at stake, the Eastern Question was a continuing diplomatic concern, and its significance is clearly seen in the correspondence, memoranda, and policy analyses found in the Royal Archives." |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part I, From the mid-nineteenth century to the First World War. Series C, North America, 1837-1914 |
| Pitney Oversize JX632 .B746 1986 |
| The Foreign Office "Confidential Print" series consists of reports, memos and correspondence printed for circulation within the Foreign Office. It is therefore of great value in understanding the inner workings of British foreign relations |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part I, From the mid-nineteenth century to the First World War. Series F, Europe, 1848-1914 |
| Oversize JX632 .B75 1987q |
| See above. |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part II, From the First to the Second World War. Series H, The First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Pitney Oversize D621.G7 B75 1989q |
|
|
| See above. |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part II, From the First to the Second World War. Series I, the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 |
| Pitney Oversize D645 .B73 1989q |
| See above. |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part II, From the First to the Second World War. Series F, Europe, 1919-1939 |
| Oversize JZ632 .B756 1990q |
| See above. |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part II, From the First to the Second World War. Series K, Economic affairs, cultural propaganda, and the reform of the Foreign Office, 1910-1939 |
| Pitney Oversize JX632 .B774 1997q |
| See above. |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part III, From 1940 through 1945. Series L, World War II and general |
| Pitney Oversize JZ632 .B7694 1998q |
| See above. |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part II. From the First to the Second World War. Series J. The League of Nations, 1918-1941 |
| Pitney JX632 .B773 1992q |
| See above. |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part III, From 1940 through 1945. Series F, Europe |
| Oversize JZ632 .B766 1997q |
| See above. |
| British documents on foreign affairs--reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part IV, From 1945 through 1950. Series F, Europe 1946 |
| Oversize JZ632 .B776 1999q |
| See above. |
| British documents on foreign affairs: reports and papers from the Foreign Office confidential print. Part IV, From 1946 through 1950. Series M, International organizations, commonwealth affairs, and general, 1946 |
| Pitney Collection (PITN). Firestone Oversize JZ632 .B7795 2000 |
| See above. |
| Confidential print Australia [microform] |
| 1456.136.41 |
14 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| The Foreign Office "Confidential Print" series consists of reports, memos and correspondence printed for circulation within the Foreign Office. It is therefore of great value in understanding the inner workings of British foreign relations. For more information on this class, search the UK National Archives Catalogue for CO881. Covers Australia, 1833-1923. |
| Confidential print: Mediterranean [Microform] |
| 1456.627.41 |
5 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| The Foreign Office "Confidential Print" series consists of reports, memos and correspondence printed for circulation within the Foreign Office. It is therefore of great value in understanding the inner workings of British foreign relations. For more information on this class, search the UK National Archives Catalogue for CO 883. Covers Malta, Cyprus, Gibraltar, and the Ionian Islands, 1848-1915. |
| Confidential print: West Indies [Microform] |
| 1456.967.41 |
5 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| The Foreign Office "Confidential Print" series consists of reports, memos and correspondence printed for circulation within the Foreign Office. It is therefore of great value in understanding the inner workings of British foreign relations. For more information on this class, search the UK National Archives Catalogue for CO 884. Covers the West Indies, 1787-1915. |
| Confidential print: miscellaneous [Microform] |
| 1456.406.2 |
19 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| The Foreign Office "Confidential Print" series consists of reports, memos and correspondence printed for circulation within the Foreign Office. It is therefore of great value in understanding the inner workings of British foreign relations. For more information on this class, search the UK National Archives Catalogue for CO 885. Covers colonies generally, 1839-1918. |
| Confidential print: Dominions [Microform] |
| 1456.406.3 |
6 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| The Foreign Office "Confidential Print" series consists of reports, memos and correspondence printed for circulation within the Foreign Office. It is therefore of great value in understanding the inner workings of British foreign relations. For more information on this class, search the UK National Archives Catalogue for CO 886. Covers the Dominions, 1907-1925. |
| Records of the British Legation in the United States for 1903-[microform] |
| RECAP 1457.404 |
1240 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| Consists of Foreign Office records from FO 115. "This series contains general correspondence from the British embassy and consulates in the United States of America." The series covers 1791-1967. |
| Records of the Department of State Relating to Political Relations between the United States and Great Britain, 1910-29 |
| 1096.406.92.13 |
15 reels |
Printed guide: 1096.406.92.13. |
Originals held by U.S. National Archives as part of Record Group 59, General Records of the Dept. of State. See http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/059.html.
|
| British Foreign Office United States correspondence, 1946-1948 [microform] |
| MICROFILM 05364 |
56 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms E183.8.G7B74 |
| "These files contain the dispatches, instructions, reports, memoranda, and other communications that flowed between the Foreign Office and the British embassy and consulates in the United States. The documents give a detailed view of British diplomacy at work and offer much information, gathered by a highly trained diplomatic corps, on internal political, economic, and social affairs in the United States. This microfilm edition, published through exclusive arrangement with the British Public Record Office, faithfully reproduces the organization and content of the Foreign Office Files."
|
| Archives of the British Liberal Party [microform] |
| Available through interlibrary loan from the Center for Research Libraries. See Borrowing Microforms from the Center for Research Libraries for more information. |
| The Liberal Party was a major force in British politics from the mid-19th century through the mid-20th century; it merged with the Social Democrats in 1988. This collection consists of publications: leaflets, printed reports, and the Liberal Magazine, 1893-1950. |
| Archives of the British Conservative Party [microform] |
| Available through interlibrary loan from the Center for Research Libraries. See Borrowing Microforms from the Center for Research Libraries for more information. |
| The Conservative Party has been a major force in British politics from the early 19th century through the present. The collection includes pamphlets, minutes, campaign guides, and other materials."Conservative policy and attitudes to all major political issues and developments since 1868 are clearly charted. Constant concerns such as unemployment, housing, industry, agriculture, foreign affairs and education receive extensive coverage in all parts of this collection. Two World Wars, the rise of the Labour Party, the Depression--all major world events--are seen through the eyes of the Conservative Party machine. "
|
| Pamphlets and leaflets of the Social Democratic Federation and the British Socialist Party, 1883-1931 |
| Microfiche 509 |
173 fiche |
Printed guide: none |
| "This comprehensive collection includes the pamphlets and leaflets of the Social Democratic Federation and the British Socialist Party, 1883-1931. The Social Democratic Federation was the first Marxist political organization founded in Britain. Includes individual collections at the Marx Memorial Library, London, and the International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam." |
| Archives of the British Labour Party [microform] |
| Available through interlibrary loan from the Center for Research Libraries. See Borrowing Microforms from the Center for Research Libraries for more information. |
| The Labour Party was founded in the late 19th century and continues to be a force in contemporary British politics. The collection consists of general correspondence and political records. |
| Archives of the Independent Labour Party, series one: pamphlets and leaflets |
| Microfiche 445 |
512 fiche |
Printed guide: (SF) JN1129.I52A723 1990. |
| "The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was founded in 1893 by J. Keir Hardie, John Trevor and Robert Blatchford. Its principal purpose was the promotion of a direct labor representation in Parliament. It became the largest and most influential of British social organizations, and its history is, to a large degree, the story of the early growth of working-class political power. These pamphlets and leaflets [1893-1975] trace the development of labor thought and deal with the central political and social issues of the period: unemployment, trade unions, strike action, labor law, commercialism and child labor, education, poverty, women's suffrage, war, Parliamentary representation, conscription, disarmament and the nature of the "Labour" Party" |
| National Executive Committee minutes of the Labour Representation Committee, 1900-06 and Labour Party since 1906 [microform] |
| Microfiche 131 |
889 fiches |
Printed guide: Firestone JN1129.L32 A723 1990 |
| See above. This is a part of the larger "Archives of the British Labour Party" set. |
| British Labour Party Research Department memoranda and information papers, 1941-1979 [microform] |
| Microfiche 1631 |
340 fiches |
Printed guide: JN1129.L32 B747 |
| "Part 1 of this microfiche project covers the Research Department Memoranda for the period July 1941 through to December 1961. The Memoranda are internal discussion papers. The Information Papers which were first produced by the Information Unit and its precursors from 1960 onwards, provide summaries on particular issues for public, party and media information purposes. Parts Two through to Five of this microfiche project will cover both the Research Department Memoranda from 1961 and the Information Papers from 1960 through to the General Election of 1979." We have parts 1 and 2, and the Center for Research Libraries holds part 4. See http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/collections_az/Labour-1-1/description.aspx |
| Papers of the Committee of Imperial Defence |
| 1426.406.2 |
9 reels |
Printed guide: See below |
| Microfilm of CAB 38/1-CAB 38/28.11; 1888-1914. "A collection of photocopies of the numbered series of minutes and the memoranda (A to D series: Home Defence, Miscellaneous, Colonial Defence and the Defence of India) of the Committee of Imperial Defence up to 1914, together with some unnumbered papers, all arranged in a single chronological order. The original documents can be found in CAB 2, CAB 3, CAB 4, CAB 5 and CAB 6." See List of the Papers of the Committee of Imperial Defence to 1914 (HMSO 1964), General and Humanities Reference (DR). Firestone CD1047 .C6 1964 |
| War Cabinet papers [Minutes, 1916-1922] [microform] |
| 14094.12.406 |
16 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| Microfilm of material from CAB 23 in the UK National Archives. "This series consists of the minutes and conclusions of the War Cabinet, December 1916 to October 1919, and of the Cabinet, from November 1919 to September 1939 including the conclusions noted in the Secretary's File. The series contains also: the A minutes of the War Cabinet, including the more secret matters not entered in the ordinary minutes; the X minutes, which note conversations on military affairs between May and November 1918; conclusions of Conferences of Ministers, from November 1919 to September 1922; and minutes of the Imperial War Cabinet, 1917 to 1918." |
| Home intelligence reports on opinion and morale, 1940-1944 [microform] |
| Available through interlibrary loan from the Center for Research Libraries. See Borrowing Microforms from the Center for Research Libraries for more information. |
| "This set contains reports compiled from a variety of independent sources, including regional headquarters of the Ministry and panels of civilians and officials, on reactions to the presentation of the war in the media and by politicians. Reports are about evacuation, housing, rationing, strikes, and morale." Reel guide online through CRL. |
| Records of the Worshipful Company of Stationers, 1554-1920 [microform] |
| Microfilm 05633 |
115 reels |
Printed guide: Firestone Microforms Oversize Z325.S73 R43q |
| The Stationers' Company archives constitute an important source for the history of the English book trade. |
| Minute books of the Owenite societies, 1838-1845 |
| RECAP: Microfilm 01594 |
1 reel |
Printed guide: none |
| "The Universal Community Society of Rational Religionists (Rational Society) was established in 1839, with the amalgamation of the Association of All Classes of All Nations, established in 1835 by Robert Owen, and the National Community Friendly Society established by Owenites in 1837; initial aim, promoted through the journal New Moral World founded by Owen in 1834, was to prepare public opinion for the `secular millennium'." The originals are held by the Archives of the International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam. |
| Archives of the Trades Union Congress. Series 3, Periodicals and serials |
| Microfilm 05197 |
16 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| "The British Trades Union Congress (TUC) began in 1868 as a permanent association of trade unions, and it now holds a major place in international labor affairs. The collection includes the organization's meeting records, pamphlets and periodicals, with some materials dating to 1887, along with financial reports, proceedings of summer schools, notes for speakers, recruiting advice and other documents. Many of the materials are unobtainable in their original form, making this collection an important source for the study of modern industrial relations and the labor movement, national and international political affairs and the government of modern Britain." We have only one part, Periodicals and serials, 1918-1977. |
| British trade union history collection [microform]: major works on the trade unions and their leaders, from their inception to the present day |
| Available through interlibrary loan from the Center for Research Libraries. See Borrowing Microforms from the Center for Research Libraries for more information. |
| "This collection contains all the main source material (much of it out of print, and some extremely rare) for the complete study of the history and development of the Unions, and gives access to the wealth of social and political history contained in the story of these organisations and their leaders." Reel guide online at CRL's web site. |
| Conflict and consensus in British industrial relations, 1916-1948 [microform] |
| Microfilm 05454 |
48 reels |
Printed guide: HD8391.C66. |
| Microfilm of PRO classes Lab 2, Lab 10, Lab 27, Lab 31, Lab 34, PRO 30/69, T1, T162. "The temper of British industrial relations changed dramatically from 1916-1946. Using Ministry of Labour Classes, including the difficult Lab 2, this collection illustrates the changing nature of industrial disputes, the government's increasing understanding of the trade union movement and the evolution of a consistent policy to maintain industrial peace." |
| Archives of the Fabian Society [microform] |
| Microfilm S00836 |
74 reels |
Printed guide: HX241.F333 F343 |
| "Britain's most famous society, the Fabian Society, was founded in 1884 to advance socialism by democratic means. ... It rapidly became instrumental in a host of social changes that helped create modern Britain. This collection brings together the minutes, correspondence, records, committee papers and more of the Fabian Society as well as adjunct groups such as the Fabian Women's Group, the Society for Socialist Inquiry and Propaganda, and the New Fabian Research Bureau, ranging from 1884 to 1964" |
| Fabian Society minute books, 1884-1918 [microform] |
| Microfiche 453 |
141 fiches |
Printed guide: none |
| See above. |
| Glasgow West India Association, minutes [microform]: 1807-1969 |
| Microfilm 10233 |
5 reels |
Printed guide: none |
| Material from the Archives of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, relating to the antislavery movement in Glasgow. |
| Mass Observation Archive [microform]: papers from the Mass-Observation archive at the University of Sussex |
| Microfilm 11923 |
reels |
Printed guide: N384.5 .M37 2001 |
| The Mass Observation project recorded the views and experiences of ordinary Britons from 1937 into the early 1960s. The archive is a rich source of information about Britain before, during and after World War II, and about changes in attitudes to many topics in social and economic life. See online guides at http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/m.aspx |
| World political opinion and social surveys. Series one: British opinion polls [microform] |
| [SSRC] Microfiche 7 |
reels |
Printed guide: Social Science Reference Center (SSRC) (SF) HN400.P8B757 |
| Reproduces public opinion polls from Britain, 1960-1988. Covers political and social issues, consumer behavior, and many other topics. Subject and names indexes in guide. |
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