Papers of Sir Everard Home, 1810-1822, comprising copies of letters written by Home to his son, James Everard Home, during the early part of the latter's career in the Royal Navy.

Papers of Sir Henry Hallett Dale include three photographs of Sir Henry Hallett Dale; correspondence and papers to and from various recipients, relating to topics such as lectures, students and meetings at the Royal Institution of Great Britain (RI), 1942-1945; correspondence and papers to and from various recipients, relating to topics such as apparatus for the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory at the RI, 1945-1946; volume containing various aspects of RI accounts such as petty cash and catering supplies, some correspondence is also included, 1943-1965.

Royal Society account books, 1660-2004, falling into two chronological groups; the first series contains the early accounts for the Royal Society, 1660-1768. Much of this material deals with the financial state of the Society during the term of office of James West, and represents the administrative work of the two Library Keepers/Clerks, Francis Hauksbee and Emanuel Mendes da Costa. The second group consists of cash-books and ledgers of the 19th and 20th centuries, 1867-1976. These deal with the Society's general finances, as well as its administration of the Government Grant and various Trust Funds. A third section contains copies of the Royal Society's Annual Accounts - both signed and unsigned.

Correspondence, diaries and other papers of Sir Alfred Charles Glyn Egerton, including some personal papers but largely relating to The Royal Society and particularly to wartime activities and post-war research needs in Britain. The diaries form an almost complete record of Egerton's career during the period 1943-1959. Earlier diaries date back to 1917 and the period 1929-1930, but for the most part they relate to the period 1938-1941.

A small collection of papers of Sir Arthur George Tansley, mainly related to the formation of organisations, in the period 1918-1921, that aimed to promote pure and applied scientific research. The bulk of the collection consists of papers relating to Tansley's involvement in the Scientific Research Association. The Scientific Research Association's papers include rules, promotional leaflets and circulars, financial material and a relatively large amount of correspondence. A smaller amount of material survives for the National Union of Scientific Workers including rule booklets, membership lists, reports from meetings, agenda and promotional leaflets and circulars. Only a few items are preserved in this collection for the Federation of Technical and Scientific Associations and the Cambridge Research Group. The published articles and reports at AT/5 mainly concern issues related to the funding, support and the general state of scientific research. As a whole the collection reveals many problems faced by those who wished to organise research work after the first world war, such as the problem of rival organisations created to promote research whose aims overlapped, and disagreements over how and whether research could be organised. For example a letter from the Royal Society to the Scientific Research Association commented that 'lines of development' were 'discovered not by councils or committees but by the instinct of individuals, and the less this is trammelled by organization the better' (AT/2/6/1/42). The article 'Research and Organisation' at AT/2/3/15 was written in an attempt to answer such criticisms by arguing that research could be organised. Other issues also surface in the correspondence of the Scientific Research Association. For example one letter opposed support for any scheme founded on government funding as 'government endowment will, in the long run, corrupt Science...' (AT/2/6/2/17). There were also disagreements as to whether emphasis should be laid upon 'the promotion of scientific research' or 'the economic interest' of research workers which seems to have contributed to a division between the National Union of Scientific Workers and the Scientific Research Association (AT/2/4/3).

The correspondence, papers and diaries of Sir Charles Blagden. Blagden's papers are interesting on several levels, generally for his close contact with European men of learning, and his relationship with Sir Joseph Banks. Blagden's professional researches are represented by medical notes in the boxed sequence. These are grouped with papers on other subject interests, including linguistics, e.g. a draft Tahitian-English dictionary, compiled from conversations with Omai, whom Blagden inoculated after Omai's voyage to England with James Cook. Blagden's interest in antiquities and travel is documented by diary entries, as is his intercourse with fellow scientists, particularly those associated with the founding of the Royal Institution.

Minutes of the Royal Society's Standing, Sectional, Joint, British National, ad-hoc and sub-committees. Early minute books in the series contain the business of several committees. Four of the Society's committees were in existence before 1900; the Library Committee (which was appointed in 1678), Finance Committee (1785), Scientific Relief Committee (1859) and Soiree Committee (1873). These Committees, therefore, have the longest and most complete sets of minute books. Many other committees have 'stood' for significant periods, however, including the Committee of Papers (1752).
19th century material additional to the minutes, such as the original letters, was often pasted into books. In 1992, the Committee Minutes ceased to be pasted into books, and are now stored in boxes. Larger collections of papers submitted to, or solicited by committees were increasingly preserved in the late 19th century, and can be found in the Manuscripts General.

Minutes of the meetings of the Royal Society Council from 1663, concerned with the business and administration of the Society. Entries record discussions of all matters relating to the Society's constitution, activities, awards, funds, bequests, buildings, staff and other administrative matters.

Minutes of the meetings of the Royal Society Council, concerned with the business and administrtion of the Society. Entries record discussions of all matters relating to the Society's constitution, activities, awards, funds and bequests, buildings, staff, etc. From 1832 the Minutes were printed for distribution to Council Members, and bound sets retained by the Society.

An artificial collection created to encompass the legal and constitutional documents of the Royal Society. The most important are the three early charters granted by Charles II (in 1662, 1663 and 1669), incorporating the Society and authorizing its rights and privileges. The Charters, together with the Statutes, were transcribed into the Charter Book. The signatures of Fellows from 1664 (when Charles II was first to sign) have been added to this volume. Also included in this series are the legal documents signed by the Society in the course of its activities, such as Trust Deeds and legal agreements.

Certificates of Election and Candidature for the Royal Society. Early certificates are entirely manuscript, i.e. vols. 1-8 (1731-1840). Printed forms of ordinary certificates appear in volume 9 from November 1839 (candidates elected in 1840); printed forms for 'privileged class' elections were used from 1875, and for Foreign Membership from 1895. Not all certificates represent elected Fellows; a small percentage are for unsuccessful candidates.

Original manuscripts of letters to the Royal Society, which are largely scientific. These papers form the raw material from which the Letter Books were compiled. There are many letters of importance, 1613; 1642; 1651-1740.

The correspondence, papers and scientific notebooks of Sir George Lindor Brown. The majority of notebooks relate to the investigations of Brown and his co-workers (notably Feldberg, Harvey and Maycock) at the National Institute for Medical Research, Hampstead, into neuromuscular transmission. The correspondence and remaining papers cover Brown's administrative work in the decades from the 1950's. His relationships with the Royal Society and the Medical Research Council are well represented. The papers include personal files, correspondence with institutions and individuals, working scientific notes and sets of slides.

Extensive papers of Howard Walter Florey, Baron Florey, relating to almost every aspect of his career in science and public life. The scientific materials include a complete run of laboratory notebooks, 1924-1968, files on the work for which Florey is best known, penicillin and antibiotics, 1940-1962, together with papers, research notes and photographs on mucus secretion, traumatic shock and electron microscopy. Florey's writings are preserved in the form of drafts and proofs of published items, together with relevant correspondence. His correspondence indicates the depth of his involvement in the affairs of particular organisations, notably the Oxford University School of Pathology and the Royal Society. The work of Ethel Florey (née Hayter) and Margaret Augusta Florey (née Fremantle) is also present.

Portrait photographs of Fellows of the Royal Society by the Godfrey Argent Studio.

Portrait photographs of Fellows of the Royal Society by companies of Henry Maull, namely: Maull and Polyblank; Maull, Henry and Co; Maull and Co; Maull and Fox.

The Journal Books exist in Original and Copy versions. They contain minutes of the ordinary meetings of the Royal Society, setting out the following information; person in the chair, news of elections to the Fellowship and the Council, non-Fellows given leave to be present, and books and rarities presented to the Society. Letters and Papers read before the Society are given in abstract with any subsequent discussion By the nineteenth century much of this earlier detail had been lost, so that, for example, only titles of papers are recorded. This copy version is a transcription of the Journal Book Original.

The Journal Books exist in Original and Copy versions. The Journal Books contain minutes of the ordinary minutes of the Royal Society, setting out the following information: person in the chair, news of elections to the Fellowship and Council, non-Fellows given leave to be present, and books and rarities presented to the Society. Letters and papers read before the Society are given in abstract with any subsequent discussion. By the 19th century much of this earlier detail is lost, so that , for example, only titles of papers are recorded.

Working papers and correspondence of Sir John Henry Gaddum. The scientific material in the collection centres on a run of student and laboratory notebooks for 1922-1965, together with files of notes and calculations on biological assay and other topics. Further papers concentrate on Gaddum's teaching and publications in the form of lecture scripts, typescripts of articles and related correspondence. Material on his administrative work includes correspondence on conferences and organizations, with some Royal Society papers, but also Physiological Society letters, 1936-1941. Non-paper records such as slides and personal souvenirs are also preserved.

Scientific papers sent to the Royal Society, many of which were published in the 'Philosophical Transactions'. As the name implies, the series is a combination and continuation of Early Letters and Classified Papers into the 19th century. Later, the sequence divided into Philosophical Transactions and Archived Papers. From the time that the Letters and Papers (or New Guard Books as they were originally known) were created, none of these original papers were copied into Letter or Register Books. Scientists represented include William Herschel (66 papers) William Watson (36 papers) Henry Baker (32 papers) Everard Home (31 papers), William Stukely (30 papers), and John Smeaton (23 papers). As the series progresses, the character of the documents alters - the earlier decades contain larger numbers of short letters, but by the 19th century most of the manuscripts are in the form of long monographs. The texts are supported by a large quantity of original illustrations throughout the series. This collection provides a virtually unbroken run of presentations by leading 18th century scientists; the few gaps include 1746-1749, when no papers were collected. Occasionally such missing items may be located in the archives of other institutions.

Transcribed from the original Letter Books. Contain fair copies of letters received by the Royal Society, the originals of which are in the Early Letters. Volumes 1-18 are letters of 1661-1727; within this group, Volume 11 has been extended into two volumes. Volume 17 was created in order to leave a gap in the series for retrospective copying of original papers. The succeeding volumes overlap in time, giving correspondence for the years 1720-1740. There are four supplementary copies, labelled A-B, B-C, D-G, G-H.

Copies of letters received by the Royal Society, the originals of which are in the Early Letters collection. The Letter Books were copied (as were the Journal and Register Books) for security reasons. The numbering of the volumes and their chronological range is slightly eccentric. Volumes numbered 1-18 are letters of 1662-1727; within this group, Volume 11 has been extended into two volumes. No Volume 17 was created in order to leave a gap in the series for retrospective copying of original papers. The succeeding Volumes 19-26 overlap in time, giving correspondence for the years 1720-1740. There are also five supplementary volumes providing fair copies of letters omitted from the main run; these are labelled A-B, B-C, D-G, G-H and H-S, the letters being arranged in order of author.

A collection of medals and tokens, largely scientific awards, but with some miscellaneous items in base and precious metals. The core of the series consists of specimens of the Royal Society's own 15 medals and awards, from the earliest (the Copley Medal 1731) to the most recent (the Gabor Medal 1989). This includes some given to named Fellows and returned to the Society as gifts or bequests. Other items include prizes of foreign scientific academies, and pieces commemorating individual Fellows and Foreign Members.

Original of letters sent to the Royal Society, generally on official business, and usually to Officers or Assistant Secretaries. The collection is effectively in two parts; letters for the period 1800-1899 are bound as 17 volumes; those for 1903-1925 are held unbound in boxes. The full sequence forms a single chronological archive with only occasional gaps, the most notable being the complete absence of the years 1900-1902 and 1920. From 1885, the series may be used in conjunction with the New Letter Books, which contain the corresponding outgoing letters.

Files of papers and correspondence relating to the Royal Society's administration of its internal affairs. Currently, the bulk of this material falls within the period 1925-50, although the period covered varies considerably according to subject. At present, the collection forms an important source on the Society's activities during the Second World War, and includes files of the Central Register (Section for Scientific Reseearch) for 1939-1940. Section A of the series contains correspondence of a number of important Fellows; WH Bragg 1935-41; HH Dale 1926-45; ACG Egerton 1939-49; AV Hill 1949-45; FW Lanchester 1942-44; HG Lyons 1939-42; TR Merton 1941-56; R Robinson 1946-50; AC Seward 1932-41; FE Smith 1928-33; HT Tizard 1940

Single manuscript letters or small groups of related documents considered too small to be added to the Manuscripts General series. Includes various document formats. The collection contains all manner of papers by, about or belonging to the Fellows of the Royal Society. Subject matter covers all branches of the sciences and includes non-scientific material. Current accessions are limited to materials not generated by the Royal Society, but acquired by gift or purchase; these usually number less than 10 items per accession. This has not always been the practice, so that the collection also contains relatively large groups of papers, occasionally on Royal Society business.

Copy letters and notes by Henry Oldenburg, first Secretary of the Royal Society, prefaced by a note on the volume's presentation by James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton.

A collection of eighteenth century letters and papers of Sir Joseph Banks, his family and other contemporary Fellows.

Book containing the signatures of Presidents of the Royal Society and members of the Council, making solemn declarations to discharge their duties faithfully. This formality was necessary under the Act 4 and 5 William IV Cap 62.

Signatures of Fellows or their agents, showing them to have received their copies of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.

Letters and papers relating to the Cook Medal struck by the Royal Society in honour of Captain Cook.

Copies of papers read to the Royal Society about 1662-1664, in three hands: pages 1-164 in one hand (the hand of Robert Hooke); pages 165-193 in another; and pages 193 to end in a third.

Copy of a diary kept by Edward Frankland from 1st January 1848 to 25 July 1849.

Correspondence, mainly to Martin Folkes on a large variety of subjects, including administrative matters for the Royal Society.

Miscellaneous letters and papers concerning the landed property of the Royal Society covering the nineteenth century.

A series of volumes containing additional papers read before, or collected by the Royal Society and others not entered into the Classified Papers series.

Inspectors' Visitation of the Royal Society Library, 1768-1769 and 1777.

Originals of the Fellows bonds for payment of fees to the Royal Society: Volume 1 covers 1674-1729, and Volume 2 covers 1729-1809.

Lists of Visitors introduced at Meetings of the Royal Society in 9 volumes as follows: Volume 1 1783-1788; Volume 2 1812-1820; Volume 3 1822-1832; Volume 4 1847-1855; Volume 5 1856-1866; Volume 6 1867-1877; Volume 7 1878-1888; Volume 8 1889-1898; Volume 9 1899-1906.

Alphabetical Index to the Printed Minutes of the Council of the Royal Society, 1845, in the hand of Dr Roget.

Acquisitions book for the Royal Society Library, appears to be nineteenth century.

Catalogue of the Royal Society Museum, possibly seventeenth or early eighteenth century.

A list of presents to the Royal Society, 1831-1849.

Letters and papers of the Royal Society Sylvester Medal Fund including correspondence regarding the setting-up of a Sylvester Memorial by international committee.

Papers relating to the 250th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Royal Society consisting of two separately bound addresses from the University of Paris and the University of Parma, a box of addresses from Europe other than the United Kingdom, Japan, USA, and the British Empire; a box of addresses from the United Kingdom; and a box of other miscellaneous papers.

Secretaries Draft Minutes of Meetings of the Royal Society: these are the notes, more or less rough, which were written up to make the Journal Books. They fall into two sections;

1. 'Original Minutes' A series of guardbooks and packets of papers, 12 in number, containing original minutes of the Society's meetings. These minutes gradually approach nearer and nearer to the form and appearance of the Journal Book, and the last few volumes (from 15 onwards) are little different from the corresponding volumes of the Journal Book in their style.

2. 'Rough Minutes' A series of 5 notebooks containing rough minutes of meetings. It seems likely that these are the notes taken down by the Secretary at the meetings, which were later written out much more carefully to make the original minutes (which are usually more legible and more clearly intended to be preserved). These 5 notebooks cover fairly well the gaps in the series of Original minutes caused by the absence of Volume VI (almost certainly this is Sloane MS 3342 in the British Library) and the exceedingly fragmentary state of Volume V.

Disregarding the gaps, the period covered by the combined original and rough minutes is from August 1662 to November 1761. The period covered by the individual volumes are also shown on the backs of the volumes

Copies of the outgoing letters written by the Foreign Secretaries of the Royal Society.

Council Attendance Book of Royal Society.

Typescript of article 'The Administration of the Royal Society' by Edwin Herbert Samuel, 2nd Viscount Samuel, presented by Dr Anthony R Michaelis, Editor of 'Interdisciplinary Science Review'.

Correspondence, papers, notebooks and specimens (copper and photographic) compiled by Sir Henry James.

The majority of this correspondence is based around the following themes: James's work for the Ordnance Survey (particularly the book of maps and photographs produced by the OS of Jerusalem), James's investigation of the corrosion by sea water of the copper bottoms of ships, letters discusing George Biddell Airy's proposed system of projection and personal letters of invitation to James.

The majority of the photographs relate to 'The Wreck of the RHONE', and in particular, of a survivor of the shipwreck, a cabin boy called John Bailey. (The RHONE was a steam packet ship, built in London in 1865. It sank off the coast of the Virgin Islands in October 1867, after being struck by strong winds. Of the 197 people on board only 24 survived. The wreck of the RHONE is now regarded as one of the world's most famous wreck dives).

The sketchbook consists mostly of sketches of trilobites drawn whilst James was in Ireland and the notebook contains notes on military topics.