Great Britain, 1700-1900

Great Britain, 1700-1900: a guide to primary sources at Princeton

Table of Contents

• Reference
• Digital collections
• Government documents: Parliamentary papers
• Government documents: other
• Periodicals
• Letters, diaries and memoirs
• Travel literature
• Missionaries
• Rare Books and Special Collections

Reference

Bibliographies

• Royal Historical Society Bibliography
  An online bibliography that covers British and Irish history from Roman times to the present.
• Brown, Lucy M. Bibliography of British history, 1789-1851. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977. [in transit to the history study room]
• Bibliography of British history; the eighteenth century, 1714-1789. Issued under the direction of the American Historical Association and the Royal Historical Society of Great Britain. Edited by Stanley Pargellis and D. J. Medley. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1951. [in transit to the history study room]

Encyclopedias

• Britain in the Hanoverian age, 1714-1837: an encyclopedia. Ed. Gerald Newman. New York: Garland Pub., 1997. Firestone Library (F) DA480.B75 1997
• Victorian Britain: an encyclopedia. Ed. Sally Mitchell. New York: Garland Pub., 1988. General and Humanities Reference (DR) DA550.V53 1988

Biographical tools

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Invaluable essays by named authors, with bibliographies and guidance about archival resources.

Guides to primary sources

• Guide to the contents of the Public Record Office. London, H.M. Stationery Off., 1963-68. 1. Legal records, etc.--v. 2. State papers and departmental records.--v. 3. Documents transferred 1960-1966. General and Humanities Reference (DR) CD1043.A553
• National Archives Research Guides
  These are brief but extremely helpful guides to the PRO's holdings on many subjects at Research Guides: A to Z
• Olney, R. J. Manuscript sources for British history: their nature, location, and use. London: University of London, Institute of Historical Research, 1995. IHR guides, no. 3 Firestone Library (F) DA1.O46 1995
  and at http://www.history.ac.uk/msarchives/
• Rodgers, Frank. A guide to British Government publications. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1980. Social Science Reference Center (SSRC) Z2009.R62
• Storey, Richard. Primary sources for Victorian studies: a guide to the location and use of unpublished materials. London: Phillimore, 1977 and Primary sources for Victorian studies: an updating. Leicester: Victorian Studies Centre, University of Leicester, 1987. Firestone Library (F) Z2019.S8 and Z2019.S84
• The lists and indexes of British documents published by the Public Record Office begin at Firestone 1421.39.98q.
• Guides to sources for British history series volumes:
  • No. 1. Papers of British Cabinet Ministers, 1782-1900 Z2018 .P36 1982
  • No. 2. The Manuscript papers of British scientists, 1600-1940 Z6611.S4 M36 1982
  • No. 3. Guide to the location of collections described in the Reports and Calendars series, 1870-1980 Z2019 .G84 1982
  • No. 4. Private papers of British diplomats, 1782-1900 Z6465.G7 P74 1985
  • No. 5. Private papers of British Colonial governors, 1782-1900 JV1061 .G73 1986
  • No. 6. Papers of British churchmen, 1780-1940 Z6611.C59 P36 1987
  • No. 7. Papers of British politicians 1782-1900 DA88 .P36
  • No. 8. Records of British business and industry, 1760-1914: textiles and leather Z7911 .G73 1990
  • No. 9. Records of British business and industry, 1760-1914. metal processing and engineering Z7914.M5 R426 1994
  • Nos. 10-11. Principal family and estate collections CD1069.5.A1 P746 1996
  • No. 12. Papers of British antiquaries and historians Z988.P36 2003

Digital collections

See Digital history: full text primary sources for historians.

Government documents: Parliamentary papers

The House of Commons Parliamentary Papers (hereinafter HCPP) have been digitized. Coverage is 1688 to 2004; new material is being added routinely. Besides the Parliamentary Papers proper, there are several associated collections:

• House of Lords Papers (1714-1805)
• Private and Local Bills and Acts (1695-1834)
• Journals of the House of Commons (1688-1834)
• Journals of the House of Lords (1685-1834)
• Debates (1774-1805)
• Histories and Proceedings (1660-1743)

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

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

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, so it is worth checking first. 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.) It has been largely superseded by the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers digital collection.

Note: watch for "q" and "f" call numbers, which are oversized.

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. 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

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

Government documents: other

State papers

Papers of prime ministers

• The Papers of William Ewart Gladstone. MICROFILM 10297
  Printed guide: FilmB DA563.G522
• The Center for Research Libraries holds the parts of the microform series Papers of the Prime Ministers of Great Britain that we do not have, including the papers of George Grenville, Lord Liverpool, Lord North, Spencer Perceval, William Pitt the Younger, Robert Peel, and the Duke of Newscastle. This material is available through Interlibrary Loan.
• Prime ministers papers series:
  • Palmerston, Henry John Temple, Viscount, 1784-1865. Palmerston. Ed. Roger Bullen and Felicity Strong. London: H.M.S.O., 1985- Firestone Library (F) DA536.P2 A4 1985
  • Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852. Wellington, political correspondence. London: H.M.S.O., 1975 [i.e. 1976]- Firestone Library (F) DA68.12.W4 A4 1976
  • Gladstone, W. E. (William Ewart), 1809-1898. W. E. Gladstone. Edited by John Brooke and Mary Sorensen. London, H.M. Stationery Off., 1971-1981. Firestone Library (F) 1447.394.02
• Cabinet reports by Prime Ministers to the Crown, 1868-1916. Brighton, Eng. : Harvester Press, 1974.
  MICROFILM 01708

Records of foreign & colonial affairs

• The records of the Foreign Office, 1782-1968. Revised by Michael Roper. 2nd ed. Richmond, Surry: Public Record Office, 2002. General and Humanities Reference (DR) CD1051 2002
• Atherton, Louise. Never complain, never explain: records of the Foreign Office and State Paper Office 1500-c.1960. PRO Publications, 1994. Public Record Office readers' guide no. 7. Firestone CD1051 .A84 1994q
• Thurston, Anne. Sources for colonial studies in the Public Record Office. London: HMSO, c1994-. neral and Humanities Reference (DR) CD1043.3 .T487 1995
• Moir, Martin. A general guide to the India Office Records. London: British Library, 1988. Firestone Library (F) Z6621.I43 M64
• Please see the subject guides at Primary sources for historical research: subject guides for sources on the history of the British Empire in North America, Africa and South and East Asia.
• British and foreign state papers. Vol. 1 (1812/14)-v. 170 (published in 1977) London: H.M.S.O., 1828-c1977.
  Firestone Library (F) 1011.406
  Includes treaties and documents. For diplomatic correspondence, see the Parliamentary sessional papers (for items presented to Parliament) or microfilm editions.
• Early Canadiana [MICROFICHE 2090]. This is a very large collection of material on the history of Canada.

Legal sources

• Manual of law librarianship: the use and organization of legal literature. Ed. Elizabeth M. Moys. 2nd ed. Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall, c1987. Social Science Reference Center (SSRC) Z675.L2 M27 1986
  Contains a extremely useful chapter on historical sources for British law.
• Making of Modern Law Digital Archive (Legal Treatises 1800-1926)
• Making of Modern Law (Trials 1600-1926)
• Outdated, but still useful, is Daniel R. Ernst. A finding guide to British legal sources in Firestone Library. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University, [1985].
  General and Humanities Reference (DR): KD56 .P74 1985
• The statutes of the realm (1225-1713). Printed by command of His Majesty King George the Third. London, G. Eyre and A. Strahan, 1810-22]. F
  Firestone Library (F) Oversize 1421.411.407f; Making of the Modern World digital; MICROFILM S00656
• Various compilations of statutes from the 18th century can be found in ECCO
• Proceedings of the Old Bailey London 1674-1834
  Online; also in MICROFILM 05439, printed guide: FilmB KD7865.2.C4 O52 1984

Periodicals: newspapers and magazines

Online indexes that include British periodicals from this period include:

• British Periodicals searchable full-text of several hundred British periodicals, primarily from the 19th century
• Poole's Plus (Nineteenth-Century Masterfile) (several indexes to popular magazines, scientific journals, etc.)
• Periodicals Index Online (primarily an index to academic journals, plus full text for some titles)
• Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals 1824-1900
  General and Humanities Reference (DR) Z2005 .H6
• The Waterloo directory of English newspapers and periodicals, 1800-1900. Edited by John S. North. Waterloo , Ont.: North Waterloo Academic Press, 1997. General and Humanities Reference (DR) Z6956.E5 W383 2003
  This resource is also available on CDROM through library web computers.

Victorian periodicals: a guide to research. Ed. J. Don Vann and Rosemary T. VanArsdel. New York: Modern language Association of America, 1978-1989. Scribner Room (SE) PN5124.P4 V5

Periodicals of Queen Victoria's empire: an exploration. Ed. J. Don Vann and Rosemary T. VanArsdel. Toronto; Buffalo: University of Toronto Press, c1996. Firestone Library (F) PN5124.P4 P47 1996

Princeton holds many additional newspapers and magazines besides those listed here.

Literary magazines

Many eighteenth and nineteenth-century literary periodicals have been microfilmed: See MICROFILM S01466 There is also a printed guide to this collection:
Accessing English literary periodicals: a guide to the microfilm collection with title, subject, editor, and reel number indexes. Edited by Grace Puravs, Kathy L. Kavanagh, Vicki Smith. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International, 1981. Firestone Microforms Services (FilmB) Z692.S5 U56 1981

• The Athenaeum (1830-1921)
  
• The Academy 1869-1902
  
• Ainsworth's magazine (1842-1854) (Indexed in Wellesley)
  
• Bentley's Miscellany (becomes Temple Bar) (1837-1860) (Indexed in Wellesley)
  
• The Cornhill Magazine (1860-1900) (Indexed in Wellesley)
  
• The Fortnightly review (1865-1900) (Indexed in Wellesley)
  
• Temple Bar (1860-1906) (Indexed in Wellesley)
  
• Blackwood’s Magazine (Indexed in PCI and Wellesley)
  
• Edinburgh Review (1803-1929) (Indexed in PCI and Wellesley)
  
• Household Words (1850-1859)
  
• All the Year Round
  
• The Yellow Book: An Illustrated Quarterly. 1894-1897. (Indexed in Poole’s)
  
• The Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufacture, Fashions, and Politics, 1809-1815 (14 volumes).
• The Tatler (1709-1711)
  
• The Spectator (1711-)
  

Letters, diaries and memoirs

There are several good bibliographic guides to personal papers, including diaries. Others may be found by searching the catalog for the subject "English diaries". To find other types of personal papers, try searching for keywords such as " "correspondence" "personal narratives" "memoirs" or "interviews" together with "british" or "english" and the country or topic of interest.

• Huff, Cynthia. British women's diaries: a descriptive bibliography of selected nineteenth-century women's manuscript diaries. New York: AMS Press, c1985. Z7964.G7 H84 1985
• Matthews, William. British diaries; an annotated bibliography of British diaries written between 1442 and 1942. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1950. General and Humanities Reference (DR). Z2014.D5 M3
• Batts, John Stuart. British manuscript diaries of the nineteenth century: an annotated listing. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1976. Z6611.B6B38 1976
• The autobiography of the working class: an annotated critical bibliography. Vol.1-v. 3. Editors, John Burnett, David Vincent, David Mayall. New York: New York University Press, 1984-1989. Z7164.L1 A86 1984
• And So to Bed: A Bibliography of Diaries Published in English. Patricia Pate Havlice. Metuchen, N.J.: The Scarecrow Press, 1987. General and Humanities Reference (DR) Z5301 .H38 1987
• Women’s Diaries, Journals, and Letters: An Annotated Bibliography. Cheryl Cline. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1989. General and Humanities Reference (DR) Z7963 .B6C55 1989
• Unpublished London Diaries: A Checklist of Unpublished Diaries by Londoners and Visitors with a Select Bibliography of Published Diaries. Compiled by Heather Creaton. London: London Record Society, 2003. PR 908 .C74 2003.
• An Annotated Bibliography of Diaries Printed in English. 4 vols. C.S. Handley. (F) Z5301 .H362 1997.
• British Autobiographies: An Annotated Bibliography of British Autobiographies Published or Written before 1951. William Matthews. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1955. Z2027 .A9 M3

Travel literature

Princeton has collected guidebooks and travel narratives systematically, and as a result our holdings of travel literature are outstanding. To find guidebooks, it is easiest to search by corporate author, e.g. do an author search for "Karl Baedeker Firm". You can also find guidebooks by doing a subject search for the country and "guidebooks", e.g. "south africa guidebooks"

To find travel literature, use the phrase "description and travel" in your search. For example, do a subject search for "india description and travel" or "south africa description and travel" to retrieve accounts of travel in those countries.

You may also find it useful to use the "set limits" option in the Main Catalog to limit your search to works published in a particular time and place. For example, to find works about India published in England in the early 19th century, you can limit your results to works published in England between 1800 and 1840, then do a keyword search for "india."

• Literature of travel and exploration: an encyclopedia. Jennifer Speake, editor. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2003. General and Humanities Reference (DR) G465.L565 2003
• Murray's handbooks for travellers
  MICROFICHE 1480
  Printed guide: FilmB G150.M87

Missions and missionaries

To locate material on missions and missionaries, try these search strategies:

• Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts as Author [see especially The Journals, 1701-1850. Microforms 5488.864.2]
• Church Missionary Society as Author
• Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Great Britain as Author
• Missions [place] as Subject
• Missionaries as Subject
• Church of England Missions as Subject

Princeton Theological Seminary has strong collections of materials on British missionaries. Some of this material is uncataloged, and the researcher is advised to consult the reference staff at PTS. Of particular note are several microfilm sets:

• IMC/CBMS Archives (International Missionary Council/Conference of British Missionary Societies)
• Presbyterian Church of England Foreign Missions Archives 1847-1950
• Christianity and the Encounter with World Religions (ATLA)
• Church Missionary Society Archive

Materials in Rare Books and Special Collections [including Graphic Arts]

And see the notes at ENGLISH LITERATURE AND HISTORY -- EIGHTEENTH CENTURY and VICTORIAN POETS, VICTORIAN NOVELISTS

With thanks to Sigrid Cordell for her work on literary resources, Spring 2005.