Records of the Special Finance Committee, Court of Common Council, including papers, minute book, rough minutes, Chairman's book, and printed report on the Income and Expenditure of the Corporation (13 Dec 1888), 1887-1889.

Records of the Broad Street/Richmond Line Joint Committee, including minutes of meeting of the Joint Committee; minutes of meetings with Members of Parliament including the Minister of Transport; correspondence; press releases and publicity material; financial records; Hansard reports on the Parliamentary debate on railways; and press cuttings.

Records of the Society for the Relief of Persons Confined for Small Debts, including minutes; extracts of proceedings; Acts of Parliament; papers concerning J C Neild; financial accounts including legacy books, income books, general expenditure books, annual accounts and auditor's reports; papers regarding the disposal of surplus funds; bequests; press cuttings; correspondence; and histories of the Society.

The minutes contain reports of visits of inspection as well as names and numbers of prisoners assisted. A number of the papers relate to the destruction of the book containing the minutes and accounts of the Society 4 Mar 1818 to 5 Apr 1826 by John Camden Neild, treasurer 1814-1827.

Subject files of committees of the Association of County Councils. The subjects are diverse and cover various aspects of the work and policies of local government. The committees from which files were retained were:
Agriculture 1936-1992;
Community Services 1977-1990;
Education 1941-1990;
Fire Service and Emergency Planning 1947-1992;
Highways 1969-1991;
Housing 1985-1992;
Local Government Finance 1976-1991;
Local Government Reorganisation 1971-1986;
National Parks 1973-1977;
Planning 1949-1992;
Police 1923-1990;
Policy 1976-1989;
Press and Public Relations 1985-1990;
Social Service 1968-1992.

Also some papers of the Association of County Chief Executives.

Records of the Paper Trade Protection Association, comprising a Trade Advisory Committee minute book and prospectuses.

Access is restricted to records less than 30 years old where specified and 24 hours notice is required for access to all the records.

Archives of the Corporation of Foreign Bondholders, consisting mainly of a series of correspondence files. Each series has a number and each item within the file has a running number. Within the files, cross references have sometimes been made to particular items in a different series, which can be identified by the unique number. The numbering system reveals that many of the earlier files from the series have been lost. The whereabouts of these earlier files are not known.

The main series of correspondence for each subject is referred to as "official correspondence". Often this main correspondence series was later divided into separate files, such as files for correspondence with bondholders or relating to statistics. The correspondence files can also contain copies of agreements, press releases and other related items.

Draft and notes, [1914-1938], for a history of English public finance from the later medieval period to the Stuarts, mostly abstracted from sources at the Public Record Office, London. Notes, [1914-1938], on various topics, notably economic aspects of New Zealand, 1836-1845, Senegal and Gambia, 1737-1804, trade on the Gold Coast, Africa, 1750-1800, and the functions of the Board of Trade, 1744-1807.

Petition of John Carpenter, royal messenger, for payment 'by one of the Tellers of the Queenes Majesties receipt at Westeminster', for a journey made on behalf of William Cecil, Baron Burghley, Lord High Treasurer, to Mr. Gaige, near Lewes, Mr. Boswell of Sevenoaks, and Mr. Robert Petre of Westminster, and his return to the court at Rye. With Cecil's signature, probably dating to either 1572 or 1598.

Collection of royal warrants directed to Richard Temple (afterwards Grenville-Temple), Earl Temple, as Lord Privy Seal, directing him to issue letters to the Commissioners of the Treasury under the Privy Seal for the payment of monies to the following persons. The warrants all have duty stamps and an impression of the Signet seals of George II and George III under paper. Some of the warrants have dockets signed by three Commissioners of the Treasury.

1. 1758, 25 Feb. To William Davis, for salaries of former servants of Princess Louisa and Princess Mary of Hesse (names given), £500.
2. 1758, 25 Feb. To Richard [Edgcumbe, 2nd Baron] Edgcumbe, an annuity of £1200.
3. 1758, 22 Mar. To George Augustus Selwyn, as Paymaster of the Works, £40,000. With docket.
4. 1758, 22 Mar. To George Grenville, as Treasurer of the Navy, £1,000,000.
5. 1758, 20 Apr. To William Hall, Viscount Gage, as Paymaster of Pensions, £50,000.
6. 1759, 21 Feb. To John [Hobart, 2nd] Earl of Buckinghamshire, as Comptroller of the Household, a gift of 1,000 ounces of 'white plate' worth £333/6/8.
7. 1759, 12 May. To Francis Gashry, as Treasurer and Paymaster of the Office of Ordnance, £300,000. With docket.
8. 1759, 15 May. To George Grenville, as Treasurer of the Navy, £1,000,000.
9. 1759, 25 May. To William Hall, Viscount Gage, as Paymaster of Pensions, £50,000.
10. 1760, 30 Apr. To George Grenville, as Treasurer of the Navy, £1,000,000.
11. 1760, 13 Dec. To William Hall, Viscount Gage, as paymaster of Pensions, £50,000. With docket.
12. 1761, 15 Jan. Docket of a Privy Seal warrant for the payment to George Grenville, as Treasurer of the Navy of £1,000,000.
13. 1761, 20 Jan. To Henry [Fiennes Clinton, 9th] Earl Lincoln [later 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne], as Gentleman of the Bedchamber, a pension of £1,000 p.a.
14. 1761, 22 Jan. To George Augustus Selwyn, as Paymaster of the Works, £40,000.
15. 1761, 28 Feb. To John Shelley, as Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London, salary of £500 p.a. With docket.
16. 1761, 7 Mar. To Henry [Herbert, 10th] Earl of Pembroke, as Gentleman of the Bedchamber, a pension of £1,000 p.a. With docket.
17. 1761, 13 Mar. To Thomas [Osborne, 4th] Duke of Leeds, as Cofferer of the Household, £100,000.
18. 1761, 28 Apr. To William Davis, for salaries of former servants of Princess Louisa and Princess Mary of Hesse (names given), £415 p.a. With docket.
19. 1761, 30 Jun. To 'The Justices of Wales' (not named), salary for each of £400 p.a. With docket.
20. 1761, 30 Jun. To Edward Cornwallis, Groom of the Bedchamber, pension of £500 p.a. With docket.

Two letters written by Walter Boyd:

1. Letter to Henry Dundas, wrriten from New Broad Street on 23 Mar 1797, concerning Walter Boyd's difficulty in raising money as '£70,000 which Mr.McDowall's house had applied for to the Grenada Board' was not available. [Half the money had been promised to him by the Commissioners appointed under the act of 1795 (35 Geo.III c.127) to make loans to such persons in Great Britain who were in difficulties because of the Civil War in Grenada and St Vincent, and who were in a position to provide proper security. See Ragatz, L.J. The Fall of the Planter Class in the British Caribbean (New York, 1963).]
2. Letter to 'My dear friend', dated 23 Mar [1797] and unsigned, concerning Boyd's financial difficulties. Mentions William Pitt and Henry Dundas.

Manuscript volume containing a transcript of a treatise by Comte Goswin de Wynants, [1739], on the public charges made on the revenue of the provinces of Brabant and Limburg, Belgium. The treatise ends abruptly in the third chapter of a section on the role of the judicature in public charges. A table of contents was added in the late 18th century. There are some manuscript additions to the text, including a late 18th century table of contents.

Manuscript volume containing three documents relating to communal tolls/taxation of the Italian city states of Florence and Pisa, 1554-1579.

Manuscript volume concerning the expenditure of the royal household of King Edward III, [1550], namely an abstract from the accounts of Walter Wentwage of 'the rates of wages of peace and warre, expenses necessarie of officers and other charges concerning the household', dating from 21 Apr 1344-23 Nov 1374 and mainly relating to armed forces. Includes a statement of the costs of diplomatic, military and naval activity taken from the accounts of William Norwell, Keeper of the King's Wardrobe, for the period 15 Jul 1348-25 May 1350.

Manuscript volume entitled 'Mémoire sur l'administration des Finances', 1787, signed by Séguy de Fontigny, giving an account of the financial reforms undertaken by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Torcy, and highlighting their present relevance. The manuscript is addressed to the Contrôleur Général des Finances.

1. A miscellaneous collection of orders, receipts and warrants for payment issued by various departments of the Exchequer, with letters of assignment and attorney relating to those who had financial dealings with the Exchequer, 1670-1774. From the mutilated state of some items, the documents appear to have been collected for their autograph interest. Signatories mainly comprise senior politicians and statesmen connected with the Exchequer, notably Prime Ministers, Chancellors and Lord Treasurers.
2. Miscellaneous correspondence, 1728-1846, also collected for its autograph interest. They comprise:
   a) An Ordnance Office Order of 21 May, 1728, to issue from the Tower powder and shot for six months' exercise to the first Regiment of Foot Guards, signed by John Armstrong, George Gregory, Leonard Smelt, T. White and Charles Wills. It is accompanied by a note of delivery, 24 May, 1728, signed by Leonard Welsted. (2 leaves. 12½" x 8").
   b) Letter from Commodore Thomas Collingwood, written from Grafton Gros, Islet Bay in St Lucia on 27 January, 1780, to Thomas Shirley announcing the delivery by James Gordon of 34 puncheons of rum to be supplied to the ships. (Single sheet, 13" x 8").
   c) Late 18th century notes on the church of Bowers Gifford and Bowers Hall Manor, Essex, with particular reference to the Boughton family. The final leaf bears a postmark and is addressed to 'Mr. Thorne, senr., at Mistress Spenloves, Silk Mercer, Cornhill, London'. (4 leaves. 14½" x 9").
   d) Letter of 19 Oct 1800, written at Mount Juliet, Thomastown, from Somerset Lowry-Corry, Viscount Corry, later 2nd Earl Belmore, to William Leader of Liquor Pond Street, London, concerning the acquisition of a carriage. The letter requires him to 'put in hands for me immediately a chaise with a box to take on and off so that it may be either used as a street carriage or for travelling. I should wish it to be very complete and finished in the highest manner - The Butler arms must be quartered with mine on...it'. This letter was written on the eve of Lord Corry's marriage, by special licence, at Mount Juliet, to Juliana, daughter of Henry Thomas Butler, 2nd Earl of Carrick. (2 leaves. 9¼" x 7¼").
   e) Letter from Samuel Whitbread, dated 18 Jan 1801, to Mr. Lucas, coachmaker, Liquor Pond Street, [perhaps concerning the coach mentioned above]. (Single sheet. 4½ x 7½").
   f) Letter from Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne, 26 Apr 1802, ordering 'One pair of riding breeches [from] Joseph Porter'. (Single sheet. 4½ x 6").
   g) Letter from Edmund Boyle, 8th Earl of Cork, written in St. Albans on 18 Jul 1803, to Mr. Lucas, coachmaker, Liquor Pond Street, arranging for him to call. There are some pencilled notes below. (2 leaves. 9" x 7¼").
   h) Agreement, made 16 Feb 1811, between Ron[ald] Campbell, Major in the 72nd regiment, Charles Decoetlogon, H. Irwin, John Moody, Joseph Reed and Thomas Stones, prize agents, to share equally in the 'emoluments and advantages arising from the prize agency for the capture of the Isle of France. (2 leaves. 13" x 7¾").
   i) Letter from Joseph Coppock, written at Sandfords Library, Plymouth Dock, on 17 Sep 1817, to Messrs. Clarksons, solicitors, Essex Street, Strand, London, mentioning the affairs of Mr. A.N. Earl(e), and arranging for a call to be made on 'Mr. Holt, the accountant for stores at the Victualling Office...to sign your name to a letter of application I made to the Board in your name for duplicate certificates some time ago...'. (2 leaves. 9" x 7½").
   j) Weekly return of coals, candles and brooms issued to the 71st Regiment from 12-18 February, 1821, at the New Infantry Barracks, Canterbury. Lists names of officers supplied. Signed Joseph William Dutie, 'D.M.' and A. Jones, Major commanding the 71st Regiment. (Single sheet. 12½" x 8").
   k) Printed broker's receipt of 28 May, 1846, for Consolidated 3% Annuities sold on behalf of Miss Eliza Wardell and John Froggatt, esq., executors of J.A. Wardell, esq. Signed by John Bull, broker. (Single sheet. 3" x 8").

Manuscript volume containing a copy of 'Noyes Projects: being a declaration or description how the King of England may support and increase his annuall revenues, being collected out of the records of the Tower, the Parliament Rolls and the Close Petitions...1634', written by William Noy, Attorney-General. This copy of Noy's work was written in the mid 17th century. A shorter version was printed in 1715 as A treatise of the rights of the crown; the text is substantially that of MS 581 except that folios 29-31, in the section on 'bullion', are not printed. The volume is inscribed by Nathaniel Atcheson, with an unaddressed presentation letter in his hand inserted at the front. With an engraving by Henry Meyer of a portrait of Noy.

Warrant of 10 Dec 1747 addressed to Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford and Auditor of the Exchequer, for the payment to Richard Tuck, Sheriff of Wiltshire, of £160 'to repay the like sum disbursed by him for the following rewards upon the conviction of the several offenders mentioned in the annexed certificates'. These certificates are wanting, but a list follows of the names of the offenders and of those securing their conviction, with details of the sums paid as rewards totalling £160.

Manuscript volume by Hopton Haynes relating to English recoinage, 1700-1702, entitled 'Briefe memoirs relating to the silver and gold coins of England; with an account of the corruption of the hammered moneys and of the reform by the late grand coynage at the Tower and the five county mints in the years 1696, 1697, 1698 and 1699'. On the back of the title page the following note has been added: 'These Papers being begun and almost perfected near 7 years since, several things and expressions in them are now out of Fashion, which upon a Review may be layd aside to make the performance as Unexeptionable as may be to the Publick'. An addendum, in a different hand, gives 'An account of Guinea Coins of Gold imported from Africa by the Royal Africa Company [from 1675-1725], taken from the Gazeteer 23 Jan 1755'. This valuable manuscript gives minute details of the recoinage of 1696.

Exchequer order, 6 Aug 1675, signed by Thomas Osborne, Earl of Danby and Lord Treasurer, and Sir John Duncombe, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to Sir Robert Howard, the Auditor of the Exchequer, authorising payment of £2392 8s. 4d. to Henry Savile 'in consideration of his fidelity in his Majesty's service'. On the dorse is a receipt for the money, dated 7 Sep 1675, and signed by Savile.

Manuscript volume containing an account of the public revenue of England, Nov 1688-Mar 1702, with an abstract for the whole period.

This collection consists of Giffen's correspondence on subjects including the national finances, currency and bimetallism (particularly in relation to India), wages and prices, free trade, and expenditure on the army and navy; articles by Giffen, on diverse subjects including the national finances and monetary laws, the Political Economy Club, and househunting and housebuilding; papers on subjects including war risks to British trade and shipping and 'The Statist'; and press cuttings concerning currency, trade, public finance, and Giffen himself.

Margaret MacDonald's correspondence, papers and lectures, on subjects including factory and shop legislation, the employment of women, housing, the Licensing Bills of 1901-1902, Sunday School teaching, vagrant children, women's organizations and women's suffrage, and the Franco-British Exhibition at Hammersmith in 1908. James Ramsay MacDonald's papers, correspondence and press cuttings on subjects including the financing and aftermath of World War I, Labour Party policy and his leadership of the party, working conditions, and women's education.

Papers relating to railways, 1839-1983, including reports, evidence and petitions relating to the construction of new lines and stations; papers relating to fires, 1522-1974, including papers on the provision of fire fighting equipment, the introduction of fire insurance policies and the establishment of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade; papers relating to the Great Fire of London, 1667-1966, including acts, orders and financial accounts relating to the rebuilding of the City of London including receipts from Christopher Wren, papers relating to the investigation into the cause of the Fire, financial accounts of funds to relieve those affected, descriptions and accounts of the Fire; papers relating to Royal and Municipal Commissions, 1816-1969; papers relating to war 1692-1995, including papers relating to the Corporation's activities during World War One; air raid precautions and casualties, Roll of Honour of Civilian War Dead in the City of London and papers relating to the bombing of Guildhall, World War Two and City of London salute to the task force, Falklands Campaign, 1982.

Papers relating to transport, 1663-1985, including hackney coaches and hackney carriages, carts and carmen, stage coaches, river traffic, tramways, omnibuses and buses, subways, Heathrow and Fairlop Airports, the London Underground and the Channel Tunnel terminal in London; papers relating to shipping, 1610-1989; papers relating to trades and crafts, 1510-1991, including bills, wages, regulations, acts and petitions regarding bricklayers, carpenters, carters, founders, glaziers, masons, painters, paviors, plasterers, plumbers, smiths, wireworkers, button makers, butchers, chimney sweeps, hairdressers, ironmongers, spoon makers, paper makers, tanners, tailors, rakers, midwives, engravers, clock makers and printers; papers relating to the Honourable Artillery Company, 1503-1967.

Papers relating to the history of London, 1565-1994, including "An exposicion of the Kinges prerogative collected out of the great abridgement of Justice Fitz-Herbert and other olde writers of the lawes of England" by Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, 1565, "Londinopolis: An Historicall Discourse or Perlustration of the City of London, The Imperial Chamber, and chief Emporium of Great Britain: Whereunto is added another of the City of Westminster, with the Courts of Justice, Antiquities, and new Buildings thereunto belonging" by James Havel, 1657, and various other antiquarian and modern books, articles and pamphlets on the history of London; papers relating to health and medicine, 1657-1994, including bills of mortality, papers relating to the outbreak of plague in London, 1665-1666, letters, reports and conference papers relating to the control of cholera; papers regarding provisions, 1607-1990, including warrant authorising the Mayor to receive venison out of the Royal Parks, 1607 and papers of committees investigating the high price of provisions, 1767-1822; papers relating to the government of the City of London and Greater London, 1849-1993; papers relating to the provision and price of gas, 1828-1918; papers relating to the supply of water to the City, 1538-1992; papers relating to the placing, erection and upkeep of statues and monuments in London, 1680-1995; papers relating to weights and measures, 1678-1997, including records of action taken against those using false weights and measures and registers of weighed goods; papers relating to seals and medals, 1285-1995, including examples of medieval seals and register of documents sealed; papers relating to insignia and plate, 1650-1993, including information on the Collar of SS, Diamond Badge or Jewel, Mace, Crystal Mace, Swords, City Purse, Mayoralty Seal, Robes and Sceptre and inventories of City plate; papers relating to the population of the City of London, 1719-1982, including "A compu tation of the increase of London and parts adjacent; with some causes thereof, and remarks thereon", 1719, population returns, 1821-1897 and population studies and articles; papers regarding tolls, 1605-1833, including Acts, bonds, exemptions and leases; papers relating to the postal service, 1741-1938, including examples of early stamps and papers relating to the Penny Post; papers relating to the carrying out of writs, 1460-1965, including writs of habeas corpus, certiorari, subpoenas and jury summons; papers relating to the textile trade, 1674-1995, including orders, rates, inventories, petitions relating to the production of textiles including cloth, lace and wool, bonds of searches and sealers of tanned leather, 1699-1804, and articles on the history of textiles.

Papers relating to probate, 1693-1786, including estate inventories, letters of administration and notes on legal customs; papers relating to the regulation of fireworks and bonfires within the City, 1673-1857; papers relating to archaeological investigations in the City of London, 1972-1989; extracts relating to archery in Finsbury Fields, 1521; reports and articles relating to the armorial bearings of the City, 1216-1973; bullion certificates, 1696-1819; licences issued for the right to use calcium carbide, 1897-1919; papers relating to convex lights, 1692-1694; papers relating to conveyancing, 1770-1948 and various other papers relating to aspects of the administration of the City of London including common soil, conservation, criminal prosecutions, city customs and liberties, the Customs House, erection of hoardings, gifts and presentations, regulation of gunpowder, income tax, the London Building Acts, licensing, lotteries, regulation and licensing of petroleum, precedent books, precepts issued by the Mayor or Common Council, bills for printing and stationery, the Olympic Games, pageantry, proclamations, brewers and public houses, the Shops Act, smoke abatement and clean air, street cleaning, theatres, the unemployed, Viewer's reports, wharves, woods and forests, newspapers and cuttings, fishing, the Festival of the City of London, coffee houses, coinage, the Bank of England and other financial institutions.

Records of the Save the Broad Street / Richmond Line (Hampstead) Committee, including minutes, agendas, correspondence, leaflets, petition forms and financial records.

Records of the Finance Committee, Court of Aldermen, comprising minutes 1852-1966 and committee papers, 1856-1900.

Publications, mostly official, relating to UK defence policy, notably, defence expenditure, and equipment procurement, 1960-1990, including ninety-seven editions of House of Commons Official Report. Parliamentary debates (Hansard) (HMSO, London, 1964-1990) and thirteen editions of House of Lords Official Report. Parliamentary debates (Hansard) (HMSO, London, 1975-1990); fifty, mainly UK and USA official printed reports, 1960-1989, including Navy estimates, 1960-1963, Statement on the Defence Estimates (HMSO, London, 1966-1973, 1975-1981, 1988-1989); reports from the House of Commons Defence Committee, 1981-1989; reports relating to specific issues, notably strategic nuclear deterrence, 1973-1982, and the Falklands conflict, 1982-1987. Newspaper cuttings, 1968-1992, mostly relating to Malta, 1968-1972; Soviet seapower in the Mediterranean, 1969-1972; International naval affairs, 1970-1971; South Africa, 1970-1971; the Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988; the Falklands conflict, 1982; US intervention in Grenada, 1983; Soviet defence policy, 1984-1988; NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), 1984-1990; UK, US and European defence policy, 1984-1992; the US bombing raid on Libya, 1986; the Gulf War, 1991.

Copy of letter from Willard G Grant, T Geddes Grant, (Trinidad) Ltd to Max Marshall, Texaco Trinidad Inc., concerning the Fiscal Policy Committee Report, and effects of taxation on outside investors.

Copy of minutes of meetings of the Trustees appointed for exchanging Exchequer Bills.

Privy Council letters, 4 Dec 1668, signed by George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley (later 1st Duke of Shaftesbury), and Thomas Clifford (later 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh), directed to Sir Robert Long, Bt, Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer, ordering the payment to Sidney Godolphin (later 1st Earl of Godolphin) of £60, the bi-annual instalment of his salary as Page of Honour to Charles II.

Manuscript volume, [1522-1566], containing a description of the offices of the King's Remembrancer's and Lord Chamberlain's Departments of the Upper Exchequer, and an account of their duties, with an enumeration of grudges and complaints and a suggestion of remedies for them. A second memorandum, possibly written between 1531 and 1533, discusses the problems of financial administration.

Manuscript volume, 1554-1720, containing nine transcripts relating to the public coinage of France, notably a transcript of letters patent by King Henry IV setting out regulations for the coinage, 3 Mar 1554; a judgment of the Chambre des Comptes, 25 Nov 1690; miscellaneous transcripts giving details of the cost of equipment for minting, possibly for the coinage of Orleans, France; various formularies for the process of casting gold ingots and counterfeit gold coins, drawn up on behalf of Pierre François Guerin, Juge Garde de la Monoye d'Orleans, 30 Apr 1728; memorandum on the establishment of the coinage of Orleans following an edict of Oct 1716, consisting of 24 articles for regulating the work of the officers of the Mint; two treatises on the administration of coinage in France; summaries of judgements concerning coinage, 23 Dec 1719-26 Dec 1720, with a commentary on each; a description of various French coins, [1718-1728].

Manuscript volume containing information relating to the finances of France, [1757]-1766, namely a report on the actual state of affairs concerning the finances of the kingdom of France, 1766, including the revenues and expenditure of the king, the extraordinary transactions in France from 1755 to 1763 due to the war against the English, and annual transactions made in the kingdom in favour of the Court of Rome, bishops, dukes, counts and peers; a report giving particulars of the general and specific financial schemes of France, with political observations, 1766; a report on the actual state of the secret and general finances of France and of the organisation of those finances, [1757]; a printed pamphlet by John Holker, being an instructive memoir on the fabric and other woollen goods of England, published in Paris, 1764.

Manuscript volume containing a [transcript of a] report by Maximilien Lasowski on the state of English finances in 1784, addressed to his pupil François Alexandre Frédéric, Duc de La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt (1747-1827), a French educator and social reformer. The report is written in the form of four letters, dated at Bury St. Edmunds, 10 Jun, 25 Jun, 14 Jul and 2 Aug, and includes a letter addressed to the Duc de Liancourt concerning the laws and principles surrounding parliamentary elections in England, and various impressions of political customs there, [1784]. The manuscript is written on the left half only of each page, and there are additions in pencil and ink in the right hand margin.

Manuscript volume containing a treatise by Sir James William Morrison, First Clerk and Deputy Master of the Royal Mint, entitled 'Memoirs and observations on the melting and casting of silver for the coinage at his Majesty's Mint', 1807. The manuscript discusses previous techniques in melting, especially experiments made by his father James Morrison, Deputy Master of the Mint from 1787-1799, based on his papers, and his own experiments made with the help of Robert Mushet, Third Clerk to the Master of the Mint, and Robert Bingley, the Assay Master (1798-1836). There are some pencil notes in the margin.

Collection of transcripts, [1560]-1624, mainly relating to Privy Council matters, notably a petition presented to King James I by Sir Robert Heath, Solicitor General, 1624; a survey of the Forests and Chaces [Chases] of Bringwood, Mocktree and Darvell, with the Manor of Buriton, 1604; a letter from King James I to the Peers of England and the Privy Council concerning the composition of the Privy Council and the replacement of the ailing Lord Chamberlain by Thomas Howard, Lord Howard of Walden, 1603; copies of documents relating to the French conquest of Guiana, South America, including commissions granted by King Henry IV of France to Renée Marie, Lord Mountbarrot, and Daniel de la Touche, Lord of Raverdiere, for the conquest of Guiana, 1605 and 1609, the appointment of Robert Le Brette, Lord Dubosc, as Raverdiere's lieutenant in Guiana and other parts of America, including Brazil, 1609; the commission of Sir John Digby, Vice-Chamberlain, to negotiate a marriage between Prince Charles of England and the Infanta Maria, daughter of King Philip III of Spain, 1615; a letter written by Captain Charles Parker, one of Sir Walter Raleigh's company at Guiana, to Captain Alley, 1607; a declaration of proceedings in the Star Chamber against John Wrenham, who charged the Lord Chancellor of injustice against the King, 1618; a discourse of marriage written by Charles Blount, Earl of Devonshire, in defence of his wedding to Penelope, Lady Rich, [1605]; a discourse written by Dr Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Ely, against second marriage following a divorce, 1601; a discourse made by merchant adventurers on the occasion of a bill preferred to the High Court of Parliament, requiring free trade to all kingdoms and countries, [1610]; a consideration of the office and duty of a herald in England by John Dodridge, the Solicitor General, 1605; proceedings in the Star Chamber against Mary Countess of Shrewsbury for her refusal to give evidence against Arabella Seymour, Duchess of Somerset, 1618; an Act of Council upon the proceedings against James Whitlocke and Sir Robert Mansell for speaking against the King's Commission for reform of the Navy and also against the King's power and prerogative, 1609; speeches, and a memorandum on the union of England and Scotland, by Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, 1617; a copy of 'The present state of things as theye nowe stand, betweene the three greate kingdomes, France, England and Spayne, [1623], and 'A breviarie of the historie of England from William I, intitled the Conqueror, both written by Sir Walter Raileighe, Knight'; a speech by John Williams, Bishop of Lincoln and Keeper of the Great Seal of England, on the occasion of the collecting of the subsidy, Aug 1621; two versions of instructions by William Cecil, Lord Burleigh, Lord Treasurer to his son, Robert Cecil, 1561 and [1598]; letters from Sir Henry Sidney to his brother and to his son, Phillip, [1560]; a treatise entitled 'Toucheinge the Antiquities of Baronies delivered in the College of Antiquaries', [1600].

Volume mainly containing treatises on French financial administration, [1581-1610], namely a report by Maximilien de Béthune, Duc de Sully, Director of the Council of Finance, on the finances of France, [1607]; a paper on the Estates General of France, [1583]; a history of royal taxation in France up to the reign of King Henry III, ending with a statement of the revenue in 1581, [1581-1589]; and a paper giving instructions on the powers and authority of the officers of the French Chambre des Comptes (Chamber of Accounts), [1589-1610]. The manuscript also contains papers relating to diplomatic negotiations during the Thirty Years War, comprising a speech on a peace assembly at Cologne, Italy, [1636], and a letter from the Swedish Chancellor Count Axel Greve Oxenstierna to the English Ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, on the alliance between England and Sweden, 1638.

Manuscript volume written by Pierre Vordoni entitled 'Essai sur le rétablissement du crédit public et sur l'amortissement de la dette de l'état', 1820, giving his observations on the financial problems of European states and the need to reduce national debt and re-establish public credit. The manuscript is written in parallel text in French and German.

Manuscript letter, dated 22 February, 1643, containing an Order of the Committee of Revenue to Thomas Fauconbridge, Receiver of Crown Revenues, to pay 'the poore Pewterers or Hammer men' of London the sum of £100, due to them by virtue of an Act of Parliament. The letter is signed by members of the Committee for Revenue, including Sir Henry Vane, Sir Henry Mildmay, Francis Rous, William Ashhurst, Thomas Hoyle and Dennis Bond. With a receipt dated 27 February 1643, bearing 56 signatures or marks and the signature of Robert Leeson, Warden of the Worshipful Company of Pewteres.

Manuscript report entitled 'A State of the Coynage in Barcelona', [1714], with a note that 'This paper was attested upon oath before the Commissioners of Accounts the 14th day of May 1714 by Mr. [John] Mead'. The remainder of the volume comprises a printed copy of the answer of James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope, to allegations concerning his financial administration as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in Catalonia during 1708, and contains manuscript annotations in Stanhope's hand.

Manuscript volume containing a statement of the public revenue of England, 1688-1691, including accounts of the receipts, and the expenditure on the Navy, Army, Ordnance, Secret Service, Privy Purse, Wardrobe, Ambassadors, Judges, Pensions, the servants of King William III, and interest of loans. There are entries of many irregularities and unchecked issues. There is a possibility that this manuscript was created by Francis Gwyn as Under-Secretary of State.

Manuscript volume containing papers relating to the offices of the Exchequer, 1642-1712, namely a treatise by Lawrence Squibb, Teller of the Exchequer, headed 'A book of all the severall offices of the Court of the Exchequer, together with the names of the present officers, in whose gift and how admitted', 1642; instructions, warrants, bills and notes on the offices of the Exchequer, 1690-1692; and a memorandum by Lionel Herne, addressed to the Rt Hon Thomas Mansell, 1st Baron Mansell of Margam, on his appointment as Teller of the Exchequer, relating to the offices and procedure in the Exchequer, [1712].

Manuscript volumes containing an account of the public revenue of England, 1693-1700, entitled 'The general state of receipts and issues of the the publick revenue between the Feast of St Michael 1693 and the Feast of Saint Michael 1694' (continued to Michaelmas 1700).

Manuscript volume containing papers relating to the issue of Exchequer Bills during the reign of King William III in order to carry on the war with France (the War of the Grand Alliance), 1696-1697, notably a holograph memorandum by Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax, advocating steps to encourage subscriptions to Exchequer bills and steps to make the bills assignable, [1696]; a draft of letters patent of King William III concerning the payment of Dutch troops, written in Dutch, [1696]; a list of subscribers to the contract for exchanging bills, 4 May 1697; a copy of the sign manual warrant to the Treasury ordering payment to the trustees of the second contract for Exchequer bills of the interest on the subscription contracted, [1697]; a Statement of Exchequer bills from 27 Apr to 9 Jun, 11 Jun 1697; a tract [by William Paterson] headed 'A proposall for setling a transferrable fund of perpetual interest', which is possibly the first proposal for a funded debt.

Manuscript volume containing an account of the public revenue of England, 1702-1710.

Manuscript volume containing minutes of the proceedings of the Commissioners for Examining Public Accounts, 30 Mar-14 Aug 1703. The manuscript is volume four of a series, and has an index at the end.

Correspondence and papers of Samuel Jones Loyd and the Loyd Family. The correspondence touches on a wide range of social and political history from the 1830s to the 1880s. There are a few items relating chiefly to the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and the financial crash of 1797. There is also material on Loyd's religious life; political career; cultural activities; plantations in Ceylon and a detailed description of the island of Mauritius. The family correspondence is particularly illuminating on the life of a nineteenth century upper class family.

Records of the Court of Common Council, Corporation of London, 1272-2002, including journals, 1416-2000; subject index to journals, 1416-1811; index to the repertories, journals and letter books, 1416-1750; indexed printed minutes, 1811-1965; fair minutes, 1788-1880; rough minutes 1866-1970; Public Health Department journals, 1898-1947; Principal Clerk's rough books, 1875-1916; Town Clerk's rough books, 1954-2002; agendas, 1773-2001 (with gaps); papers (reports, letters and documents laid before the Common Council), 1643-2001 (with gaps); Town Clerk's rough papers, 1956-2000; Acts of the Common Council, 15th century - 1806; standing orders, 1880 and 1941; pocket books (lists of members and officers, committees and other information), 1788-2011; extracts regarding committees of the Common Council, 1400-1732; extracts from letter books regarding the constitution of the Common Council, 1272-1327; other administrative papers relating to the Common Council, including petitions, regulations, powers and so on; papers regarding the election of Common Councilmen, 1536-1964; papers regarding porters, 1606-1860; papers regarding fellowship porters, 1607-1934; papers regarding tackle house and ticket porters, 1607-1823; papers regarding byelaws, 1543-1993; modification orders, 1964-1983; closing orders, 1949-1974; papers relating to tree preservation, 1969-1998; stopping up orders (highways), 1963-2002; stopping up orders (public paths), 1981-2000 and papers relating to town planning, 1972-1996.

NB - 'tackle porters' were responsible for loading and unloading ships and a 'fellowship porter' was a member of the fellowship of the Porters of Billingsgate. 'Ticket porters' were members of a body of porters in the City of London who were licensed by the Corporation; originally called street-porters, and distinct from tackle porters. They were entitled to work in the Corporation markets.

Records of the Accounts Committee, Court of Common Council, 1898-1915, comprising minutes, reports and printed reports.

Also minutes and reports of the Audit Committee, 1889-1898.

Records of the Court of Exchequer, comprising Exchequer bill; roll of estreats of fines and forfeitures at the sessions of the peace for London and Middlesex; and record book relating to the King's revenue.

Records of William Worsley, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral. These account rolls relate to William Worsley's private and personal income and include not only the revenues of the deanery of St Paul's, but also those of his other ecclesiastical preferments and numerous other estates held privately by Worsley in London, Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Berkshire.