Papers of Jeremy Bentham, 1750-1885, consist of drafts and notes for published and unpublished works, and cover many subjects including: Bentham's codification proposal, a plan to replace existing law with a codified system, an idea which manifested itself in Constitutional Code (London, 1830), a blueprint for representative democracy and an entirely open and fully accountable government, 1815-1832; penal code, which involved penal law giving effect to the rights and duties of civil law, [1773]-1831; punishment, to certain actions which, on account of their tendency to diminish the greatest happiness, would be classified as offences, [1773-1826]; Bentham's Panopticon, a way of maintaining and employing convicts in a new invented building, 1785-1813; Chrestomathia, the secondary school designed by Bentham, 1815-1826; evidence in law, [1780]-1823; religion, and the Church, 1800-1830; logic, ethics, deontology (the science of morality), morals, utilitarianism and the greatest happiness principle, 1794-1834; political economy, [1790]-1819; Supply without burthen or Escheat vice taxation, a proposal for saving taxes, 1793-1795; legislation, including law amendment and law reform, [1770-1843]; procedure, and procedure codes, [1780]-1830; law and issues in other countries, including Greece, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium and Tripoli, 1810-1830; A Comment on the Commentaries, being a criticism of William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, also Bentham's and Blackstone's views on civil code, [1774]-1830; sexual nonconformity, [1774]-1816; Scotch reform, 1804-1809; Court of Lords delegates, 1807-1821; parliamentary papers, and parliamentary reform, [1790]-1831; poor law, and poor plan, 1796-[1845]; correspondence, 1761-1866, including a corrected draft letter to James Madison, President of the United States of America, in which Bentham made an offer to draw up a complete code of laws for the USA, 1811.

Manuscript volume, 17th century: the Manner of Holdinge a Parliament in England in 24 Articles, comprising eight texts on parliamentary history, back to the Anglo-Saxon period, and on procedure, concerning both the House of Lords and the House of Commons and their powers.

Papers of Mary Edith Durham, c 1911-1913, comprise political manuscripts by Durham including 'The background of the Sarajevo crime', 'Jugoslavia- relief work in Albania and Montenegro' between April 1911 and October 1913 and 'Of the Turkish constitution and Resolution on Albanian independence'.

Typescript intelligence report by Courtney entitled 'Remarks on a visit to Soviet Russia-August 1935', with notes, publications and related correspondence, 1922-1936; group photograph of Courtney and officers of the Naval Mission to the USSR [1942]; two notebooks with manuscript notes by Courtney on German and Allied ship movements, USSR [1942]; papers relating to the USSR, 1943-1978, including typescript notes by Courtney entitled 'Soviet Russia and the war', Feb 1943, article by William Laurence Burn entitled 'Anglo-Russian relations: an historical retrospect', from The nineteenth century, Jan 1946; edition of US restricted publication 'The Soviet Union', US Government Printing Office, 1947; manuscript notes on Soviet governmental personnel, 1953; typescript note on internal security in the USSR, 1978; correspondence with the Admiralty, 1949-1958, relating to pay and allowances, Courtney's civilian business matters, 1954-1958, and the Admiralty's refusal to grant permission for Courtney to travel in the USSR as a private businessman, 1953-1955; personal and business correspondence relating to the development of Windermere Island, Bahamas, 1963; correspondence, publications and texts of speeches relating to the Monday Club, 1978-1985, including typescript text of speech by Courtney entitled 'The Soviet fifth column', Jun 1978; correspondence between Cdr Geoffrey Briscoe Penn and the Ministry of Defence relating to the vetting and declassification of the Courtney papers, 1991.

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".

This collection contains the personal papers of Reginald Bassett, and consists of notes for addresses and speeches on politics, articles on politics, and lectures on political theory, international relations and economics. There are also smaller quantities of correspondence, Labour Party material, press cuttings, and essays on politics and social problems.