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British Documents - Foreign Office  Tags: british_documents british_foreign office  

Last update: Sep 22nd, 2009 URL: http://guides.lib.virginia.edu/britforeignoffice  Print Guide  RSS Updates

Introduction             Print Page
  
 

Introduction

This guide is meant to aid the beginning researcher in using British Foreign Office documents (1782-1968).  Please note that important foreign affairs related documents also issue from the Prime Minister's Office, the Cabinet Office and Parliament (see Sessional Papers guide). UVA Library has only selected copies of materials from these offices.  Materials not owned by UVA can be requested through Interlibrary Services.

Note: Foreign Office Records (1782-1968) were preceeded by State Papers Foreign and succeeded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office publications. See also this overview: FCO: Policy People and Places.

  • Arrangement of record classes
    Most Foreign Office records fall into seven major categories    , General Correspondence, Registers and Indexes, Embassy and Consular Archives, Confidential Print, Treaties, Private and Private Office Papers, and Archives of Commissions and Conferences. (Please note:  UVA Library has only selected copies of some of these materials.)

  • Overview of classes
    See the Foreign Office Research Guide from the British National Archives. You may also want to browse other research guides from the British National Archives that may be relevant to British foreign relations.

  • Detailed listing of the classes and their subdivisions
    See Records of the Foreign Office 1782-1939, call number CD 1051. A45 1969a, Alderman Reference. (Note: updated edition for 1782-1968 is on order 9/01/09.) See also Guide to the Contents of the Public Record Office,     CD1043 .A553 1963, Alderman Reference and Law Library.   

  • TIP: You can search by keyword (and limit by date), or browse record classes in the British National Archives Catalogue to find a document number, and then search VIRGO to see if we have that specific number in one of our microfilm sets.

    • First, search the BNA Catalogue (e.g.word or phrase ="soviet invasion of poland"; year range=1938-1940), or browse a record class (e.g. FO 371) to obtain a title and document number. Example document number: FO 371/23103
    • Next, do a keyword/search all VIRGO search using the document number to see if we have the microfilm set that contains the document number you found in the BNA catalogue. Example search terms: 23103 and microfilm

 
 

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