Mainly letters written and received between 1770 and 1835 by Simon Taylor, his family and heirs, and his friends, agents and business partners, relating to their Jamaican estates and business interests. Over a quarter are contained in Simon Taylor's letterbooks. Though the majority of the correspondence consists of letters either to or from Simon Taylor up to his death in 1813, there is also correspondence of other family members, like his brother Sir John Taylor (1741-1786) and his widow Lady Elizabeth Haughton Taylor (1758-182[?2]), their son and his heir Sir Simon Richard Brissett Taylor, and his cousin and business partner Robert Taylor. Subject matter ranges from the domestic (illness, family quarrels, disinheritance, bigamy) to business (slaves, sugar, trade and shipping, the effects of hurricanes, the introduction of a steam engine on an estate), to the Maroon and French wars and the politics of Abolition. The collection also includes correspondence of George Watson Taylor, 1815-1819, and detailed reports on the estates made for Anna Susannah Watson Taylor in 1835. Genealogical tables for the Taylor, Haughton, Brissett and Hibbert families have been added to the collection at a later date.

Papers of William Dines relating to his school years, his years at Benson, and correspondence relating to instruments and other matters with his sons.

Papers of the Arden Philosopical Lectures, c 1775-1800, comprising a volume of manuscript lecture notes titled Philosophical Lectures delivered by Mr Arden at Dursley. The notes discuss topics such as electricity, including the work of Dr Benjamin Franklin with lightning rods. The notes also cover the subjects of air and gases, commenting on the work of Dr Joseph Priestley relating to 'fixed airs' (carbon dioxide), 'inflammable air' (hydrogen), the effects of 'phlogiston' on the air, and 'dephlogisticated air' (oxygen). The volume is undated; Priestley's paper on his experiments with airs and gases was published in 1775.