The collection contains correspondence; lecture notes on history; newspaper cuttings; papers of other members of the family, including an undated letter of Danton which belonged to A H Beesly; printed reports; pamphlets containing articles by or about Beesly; other pamphlets and reviews; other printed works; and an autographed photograph of Karl Marx. The correspondence is rather slight and only isolated letters from individual correspondents are preserved. There are sets of Beesly's own letters to Henry Crompton and to Frederic Harrison which were probably returned to the family after his death. There are also a few letters to Beesly's brother A H Beesly and to Alfred Beesly, E S Beesly's son.

Papers of Tony Brierley [b 1935], including: papers regarding Tony Brierley's activities with the Oxford University Humanist Group, 1958-1966; papers regarding Tony Brierley's involvement with the Birmingham Humanist Group, 1965-1972; miscellaneous papers relating to Tony Brierley's involvement in humanism and humanist groups, 1904-2000; and photographs of members of Oxford University Humanist Group and the Rationalist Press Association, 1963-1999. (1904-2000).

Archive of the British Humanist Association, including: papers of the British Humanist Association and it's predecessors bodies, The Union of Ethical Societies, The Ethical Union and the Humanist Association,1887 - c.2001; papers of the Humanist Trust, 1958 - 1996; papers of groups affiliated to the British Humanist Association and it's predecessor bodies, The Union of Ethical Societies and The Ethical Union, 1892 - 2007; Uncatalogued material of the British Humanist Association, c.2000-2014. (1887-2014)

Papers of Colin Campbell, 1957-1970, including: papers and minutes of the British Humanist Association, 1959-1969; papers, minutes and promotional material regarding the University Humanist Federation, 1959-1970; papers, reports and ephemera regarding the National Secular Society, 1957-1964; completed questionnaire forms from and papers relating to a survey of Humanist groups conducted by Campbell and the BHA, 1963; completed questionnaire forms from and papers concerning a BHA/NSS survey, 'Who are the Humanists?', 1964; copy of Colin Campbell's PhD thesis, 'Humanism and the culture of the professions: a study of the rise of the British humanist movement, 1954-1963' (435pp), 1967.

The papers in this collection are principally concerned with Drysdale's humanist and Malthusian beliefs and are mainly post World War I notes and drafts of chapters of unpublished books and articles. Also included is an unpublished work on family planning by Bessie Drysdale. The collection comprises papers relating to the following: Section 1: publication A Religion For Humanity; Section 2: the book The Malthusian Doctrine and Criterion of Overpopulation; Section 3: the publication To All Who Desire Permanent Peace and Prosperity: Section 4: projected book Science and Post-War Policy; Section 5: the book Wage Earners Save Yourselves!; Section 6: articles and writings on population and the Malthusian doctrine; Section 7: collection of notes and working papers on population; Section 8: collection of technical papers relating to Drysdale's Malthusian interests.

Papers of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (1978-2005), including: accounts and financial records, 1980-2005; chair and annual reports, 1979-2007; annual general meeting minutes and papers, 1980-1997; nomination forms, membership and attendance records, 1985-1996; legislative submissions, 1980-2001; papers, press cuttings and other material regarding various GALHA campaigns concerning "cures" for homosexuality, Coventry County Council and their ban on a Campaign for Homosexual Equality meeting, the armed forces, Section 28 and the age of consent, 1978-2000; press releases, 1990-1993; papers deposited by founder members George Broadhead and Jim Herrick including papers, journals, photographs and other material, 1979-1995.

Correspondence to and from Frederic and Ethelberta Harrison, including family correspondence and photocopies of Harrison's correspondence with Edward Spencer Beesly; Frederic Harrison's writings and speeches, including diaries on subjects such as the cotton famine in Lancashire, essays on subjects such as positivism, peoples education and the French Revolution, autobiographical notes, and ephemera; and press cuttings.

Minute books, account books and annual reports; correspondence (mainly of Henry Tompkins and Donald Fincham as Secretary), with members, with other Positivists, Humanists and Historians, and concerning the August Comte Memorial Trust; notes and papers by Henry Tompkins, including a short autobiography, addresses on positivist subjects, and notes on books he had read; other positivist writings, including pamphlets, reports and the text of talks; and various ephemera and pictures, including photographs of members, broadsheets and programmes, typescripts of correspondence between August Comte and George Lewes, and notes on the history of the Society.

Papers of Diane Munday (b 1931), including: papers regarding religious and moral education, including statements by the Campaign for Moral Education and the British Humanist Association, 1967-1971; note for speeches, draft reviews and drafts of articles on abortion, contrception and family planning, humanism,, Alzheimers, pressure groups, moral education, euthanasia, 1967-2000 ; press cuttings of letters and articles by Munday regarding abortion, humanism, politics and various other topics, 1967-2002.

Papers of the Rationalist Association, formerly the Rationalist Press Association, as well as affiliated companies and bodies including CA Watts and Company Limited, Pemberton Publishing Company Limited, Rationalist Benevolent Fund, Rationalist Trust, New Humanist publication, and Thinker's Book Club, (28 January 1872 - 17 September 2006). Includes: Papers of CA Watts and Company Limited, Rationalist Press Association and Rationalist Association, including: Committee minutes, papers and agendas (1929-2005), Financial papers (1895-1994), Legal papers (1872-2005), Papers regarding publishing and promotion (1919-2004), and Papers regarding administration and activities of the organisation (1881-2006). Papers of Pemberton Publishing Company Limited, including: Committee minutes, agendas and papers (1954-2000), Legal and financial papers (1948-2000), Papers regarding publishing and distribution (1962-1982), and Correspondence (1965-1972). Papers of Rationalist Benevolent Fund and Rationalist Trust, including: Committee minutes, agendas and papers (1941-2004), Legal and financial papers (1921-2004), and Correspondence (1960-2004). Papers of the Thinker's Book Club, including: Committee minutes, agendas and papers (1945-1960). Papers of the New Humanist, including: Committee minutes, agendas and papers (1971-1996), General papers and correspondence (1995-2006), and Images used in the publication (1980-2006).

Three treatises bound in one volume; the title pages, colophons and a few initials are illuminated. The verso of the penultimate leaf has been used for a notarial instrument dated 28 August 1571. The last leaf [blank?] is missing and has been replaced by a leaf from another MS. ff [1-51]: Petri Pauli [Vergerii] Iustinopolitani ad Ubertinum Karrariensem De ingenuis moribus ac liberalibus adolescentiae studiis liber; ff 52-3: Ode from Vergerius to Ubertinus in 15 stanzas beginning "Kariget nobis pater atque princeps"; ff 54- Guarini Ver[onensis] ad Angelum Corbinellum Florentinum in Plutarchi De liberis educandis translationem de graeco incip[it] prohoemium; ff 89- Magni Basilii De modostudendi poetis et oratori[b]us ex graeco in latinum versum ab clarissimo oratore Leonardo [Aretino] lib[er]. Usually known as "De liberalibus studiis et ingenuis moribus".

Papers of Roberto Weiss c 1924-1969, including notes, working papers and correspondence. Topics covered include: the Italian Renaissance; humanism; coinage and medals, and antiquarianism.

Personal and working papers of Dame Frances Amelia Yates, historian, 1899-1981, including diaries, family documents, notes, working papers, lectures, articles, books, reviews, correspondence and photographs. Topics covered include: Influence of Italy and Italian on English Life, Humanism; Academies; Hermetic Tradition; Occult Philosophy; Neoplatonism; Enlightenment; Shakespeare, Ramon Llull; Giordano Bruno and Art of Memory.