Parliamentary Archives - Frequently Asked Questions

Please check through this list of popular enquiries before you send us your question or request - you may find the answer here more quickly!

I want to know about your services...

I want a specific record...

I want information about a particular person...

Do you hold records of the House of Commons as well as of the House of Lords?
Yes, we do, but the fire of 1834 which destroyed the old Palace of Westminster also destroyed all the records of the House of Commons before that date, except for the journals (or minutes) of the House. The records of the House of Lords survived and date from 1497. Back to Top

Do you hold records of government departments?
No. You should contact The National Archives (formerly known as the Public Record Office). Back to Top

Are you open to the public?
Yes. We are open to any member of the public, from Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm. You are strongly advised to make an appointment to guarantee your seat. See Planning Your Visit for further details of opening hours. Back to Top

Where are you?
Our searchroom is in the Houses of Parliament at Westminster. See Planning Your Visit for a map of our location. Back to Top

Do you shut during Parliamentary recesses such as over the summer or during elections?
No, we are open all year round apart from public holidays and two weeks stocktaking each November. See Planning Your Visit for further details. Back to Top

Do I need identification/a letter of introduction?
We ask you to bring some form of ID but you do not need a letter of introduction. You are strongly advised to make an appointment to guarantee your seat. See Planning Your Visit for further details of admission requirements. Back to Top

Can I search your collections online?
Yes. Our online catalogue Portcullis contains around 3 million descriptions of our records. Back to Top

Are there online images or texts of the records?
No. The catalogue contains descriptions which help you order the records you want to look at, not the records themselves. Back to Top

Where is my nearest collection of Parliamentary Publications?
Some historic published Parliamentary material has been digitised and may be available on the Internet. See our Guide to historic digitised Parliamentary material.

You can find locations of major libraries across the UK holding Parliamentary publications by searching the BOPCRIS collections directory for terms such as 'Parliamentary debates' 'Journals', 'Statutes', 'Sessional papers' and 'Parliamentary Papers' etc. Or browse the list of libraries on BOPCRIS, if you have a particular one in mind and want to see what Parliamentary papers it holds: BOPCRIS also provides a searchable database for detailed abstracts to approximately 23,000 key sessional papers between 1801-1985, and about 1,800 key references in House of Commons Journals between 1688-1800. There are also scanned images of selected actual documents.

There are significant collections of Parliamentary Papers in the following libraries in the USA for American users: the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library; the Universities of Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, Brown, Princeton, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Darmouth College, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Cornell. Also see I want... a Parliamentary Paper. Back to Top

I can't get to London - can you do my research for me?
We can provide general advice and searches on the records or topics you are interested in, but we do not have the staff resources to do detailed or lengthy research for you. If you cannot come to London in person, you might consider employing a professional researcher to help you. We cannot provide individual names but the National Archives maintains a list of independent researchers. Back to Top

Can I order copies of records to be sent to me by e-mail or post?
Yes. The usual procedure is for you to e-mail us with details of the record you want copied, for which we then provide a quote. Once we receive payment from you the records will be sent in the format which suits you. See our Reprographic Services page for more details. Back to Top

Can you send me a scan of the record I want?
Yes. We can do this by e-mail, on disk or on CDR. See our Reprographic Services page for more details. Back to Top

I want to publish a picture of one of your records. What do I need to do?
You will need to get our permission and to pay for a publication licence (as well as for the image itself). See our Reprographic Services page for more details. Back to Top

Do you take credit cards or allow BACS transfers?
We accept payments by credit card, debit card or Paypal. Please let us know if you would like to pay in this way when you confirm your order. Please do not send us your card details - we will send you a confidential and secure online request once we have processed your order. BACS payments are not accepted. Back to Top

Can I use my laptop in your searchroom?
Yes. There are sockets for laptops built into the searchroom desks. Remember to bring your adaptor with you if you are visiting from overseas. Back to Top

Can I use a digital camera/scanner in your searchroom?
You can use a digital camera, provided
1) you do not use a flash
2) use of any tripod is confined to the table top
3) your photography does not cause disturbance to others.
Hand held scanners and any other light-emitting device are NOT permitted because of the damage they cause to documents. Back to Top

How do I cite references to your records in footnotes?
For a full explanation see Citation, Copyright and Use - we have now moved over to using a completely new referencing system. Back to Top

What job opportunities do you have?
Archivist and records management posts are advertised in the professional press. See Job Opportunities at the Parliamentary Archives for details of volunteering possibilities. Back to Top

Surely all Acts and Parliamentary Debates are available on the Internet these days?Some, but not all. See our Guide to digitised historical Parliamentary material. Back to Top

I want... the text of an Act of Parliament.
Full texts of Public Acts from 1988 and Local Acts from 1991 are available on the OPSI website. The text of Public Acts dating between 1628-1701 from Statutes of the Realm, and the Acts and Ordinances of the Interregnum 1642-1660 is available via British History Online. Images of the printed volumes of Statutes at Large 1603-1836, Statutes of the Realm 1685-1714, printed Local Acts 1797-1834, and Private Acts and bills 1702-1834 are available via BOPCRIS 18th Century Official Parliamentary Publications Portal.

Apart from these, you will need to consult the paper versions - there are no free online versions available. Most Acts have been printed and will be available at a good public library or university research library near you. More information about Local Acts, including which libraries should hold printed versions of those that pre date 1991, is available on the OPSI website. We can also make them available to you in our search room at Westminster. We also have our own set of digitised Local Acts 1799-1990 which can be consulted in our searchroom on CD.

Titles (not contents) of all Acts from 1497 to 1999 can be searched on our online catalogue, Portcullis. To restrict your search to public Acts of Parliament only, enter 'HL/PO/PU/1' in the RefNo field. To restrict your search to local, personal or private Acts of Parliament only, enter 'HL/PO/PB/1' in the RefNo field. Then put the term you want to search for in the Any Text field. (You may have to use your imagination to think how an Act would have been titled in the past). Bear in mind also that some early Public Acts (before 1800) are of a local nature. If you find any Acts you want to see, you can make an appointment to come in to see them here, or order photocopies from us.

If you are looking for a Private Act, for instance an Act that concerned a divorce, naturalisation or an estate, then it is unlikely to have been printed and you may need to consult the Original Act in the form of a parchment roll here at Westminster or order a copy from us - we will be the only place you can find it. Please note that photocopying of original act vellums is not permitted as per our reprographic guidance; all copying of vellum acts will be printed from microfilm.

Acts produced in our searchroom will usually be supplied in the form of a surrogate (a printed copy if available, or a microfilm if not) in the first instance, rather than the original manuscript vellum. Most Public Acts will be printed and so we will produce either the printed volume or (if one is not readily available) a microfilm of the printed volume. Local Acts from 1798 onwards are also printed and we will produce the printed volume or (if one is not readily available) a microfilm of the printed volume. If your research specifically requires you to see a particular format (vellum, printed, or microfilm) please let us know in advance of your visit which Acts you wish to see and we can advise which formats will be available. Back to Top

I want...the text of a Bill currently before Parliament
The text of bills currently before Parliament is available online.  All the Parliamentary Debates on bills currently before Parliament will be available via the Parliament website. Hansard (Parliamentary Debates) from 1988 (Commons) and 1995 (Lords) to present day is available on the Hansard web pages.  You can search Hansard using free text.  Alternatively, if you know the exact dates a particular bill was debated, you can follow links from the Hansard home page to all debates on that specific date and browse the text from there.  The dates for all bills during this session can be found on the Weekly Information Bulletin. Follow the link to Public Bills before Parliament.   Back to Top

I want...the dates of a Bill as it went through Parliament
Your starting point to trace the progress of a bill through Parliament should be to consult the Journal of the House of Lords and Journal of the House of Commons.  The Journals are the formal record of business in both Houses and the official record of all the relevant dates and other information from introduction to Royal Assent.  This should be supplemented by Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), if you are interested in the speeches and debates.  Note that as well as the debates in the House of Lords and House of Commons, there may have been debates in a House of Commons Standing Committee, where the detailed clause-by-clause discussion goes on.  Journals, Hansard and Standing Committee debates are all published and may be found in large reference libraries if you have access to one near you.  Alternatively, they are all easily accessible here.   House of Lords Journals 1509-1717 & 1832-4 and House of Commons Journals 1547-1699 & 1830 are also available via British History Online.

If you would like to know more about how a bill passes through Parliament generally, the House of Commons Information Office has produced some Legislation Factsheets which may be of interest.  The House of Lords Information Office has a similar sheet on Bills and How they Become Law.  A very useful recent textbook about Parliament generally including a chapter on 'Making the Law' is Robert Rogers and Rhodri Walters,  How Parliament Works (5th edition, London, 2004).  Back to Top

I want...the text of a statutory instrument
Statutory Instrument (SIs) from 1987 to present day can be found and searched for at the HMSO website. Before 1987 you will need to consult them in hard copy in a legal reference library, or in our searchroom at Westminster. There is a House of Commons Information Office factsheet which can tell you more about SIs - follow the link to Factsheet L7. Local statutory instruments can be very hard to obtain. We do not have a set in Parliament, but the British Library Official Publications section may be able to help, or The National Archives who have a research guide covering statutory instruments. Back to Top

I want...the text of a debate before 1988 (Commons) or 1995 (Lords)
Parliamentary Debates (commonly known as Hansard) are available on the UK Parliament website from 1988 (House of Commons) and 1995 (House of Lords) onwards. Hansard before this date has also been made available electronically by the Hansard Digitisation Project and Millbank Systems. Please note, the Hansard 1803-2005 site is still undergoing development and experimentation, and further features may be added in due course.

There are also printed published works widely available in large reference and university libraries in the UK and in some major reference libraries abroad, so you may be able to find a set of Parliamentary Debates near you. If not, you would be welcome to visit us in London to view our set. There is an index at the end of each volume and each session in which you can look for the names of individual MPs, subjects of debates, etc. We can supply photocopies from Hansard at a cost of 35p per sheet plus postage and packing. However we need specific information (exact dates, or the column numbers for each volume) before we could do this; it is not possible for us to browse many volumes looking for debates on a particular subject, or for all speeches by an individual MP: you will need to do this initial research before contacting us for copies.

Please note that Hansard did not become a full record of everything said in Parliament until it became the Official Report in 1909. Between 1803-1909 Parliamentary Debates were published by T C Hansard and were selective and largely reliant on newspaper reporting, especially before 1878. As a result debate before 1909 may simply not have been recorded in Hansard, or not fully. Researchers wishing to be thorough should also consult contemporary newspapers. Back to Top

I want...the text of a debate after 1988 (Commons) or 1995 (Lords)
Hansard (the Parliamentary Debates) from 1988 (Commons) and 1995 (Lords) to present day is available online. If you know the exact date it is probably easiest to follow links to that specific date and browse the text from there. Otherwise use the Parliament website search engine, restrict your search to Commons and/or Lords Hansard and put in as many other factors as possible (e.g. date range, name of speaker).

How to find a division: Votes by MPs (divisions) are recorded in Hansard. Be aware that Hansard debates are long and can be split over many pages, which can make searching difficult. In particular the long lists of names of MPs in a division may cover pages and pages on their own, so (for example) you might find an MPs name recorded in a division on a different page from that of the word 'Division' or the name of the bill they were voting on. If you can use the search to locate a day where there was evidently debate on the piece of legislation you are interested in, it may be worth then following the debate page by page until you find the division.

Tracing debates on bills: If you can find out the exact dates a particular bill was debated on, you can follow links from the Hansard home page to all debates on that specific date and browse the text from there. You can find out the dates specific bills back to 1995 were debated by looking first at the Sessional Information Digest . Follow the link to the session you want and look under 'Complete list of Public Bills and their stages in both Houses'. Once you have the dates, you can then go back to the Hansard page to find the actual debates on those dates. Back to Top

I want...the text of a debate before 1803
There was no official record of Parliamentary speeches until Parliamentary Debates (commonly known as Hansard) began in 1803. The best source for Parliamentary debates from earlier periods is the The Parliamentary History of England 1066-1803, 36 volumes, edited by W Cobbett and T C Hansard, which has been digitised by Oxford Digital Library. This brings together debates from many sources such as newspaper reports, although it is of course only a record of a small amount of debate over that period. They are not fully indexed but there is a detailed list of contents and an index of speakers at the start of each volume. Some other sources for early debates including a collection of debates from 1660-1739, can also be found on British History Online. Others, including the Parliamentary Register 1774-1805, can be found at the BOPCRIS 18th Century Official Parliamentary Publications Portal. These publications can be found in large university libraries, and copyright libraries (such as the British Library). We hold selected early debates of this kind too. Back to Top

I want...a video or sound recording of a debate.
We don't hold these. Contact the Parliamentary Recording Unit on 020 7219 5511 or e-mail them. Back to Top

I want...a government green paper/white paper (proposals for legislation or consultation on policy documents)
We hold the historic records of Parliament, meaning records created by or presented to the House of Commons and House of Lords. This includes some government Green and White papers, but only the ones presented to Parliament. White papers (Government proposals for legislation) are usually printed among Parliamentary Papers as Command papers (papers literally printed 'by Command'). Some Green papers (consultative documents) are also published as Command papers. If you want to know more about Command papers the House of Commons Information Office has published a factsheet about them, available from the Parliament website - follow the link to Factsheet P13. All Command papers for 2005 onwards are available online. Back to Top

I want...some memoranda submitted to a House of Commons Select Committee not published with the Committee report.
If the memoranda were reported to the House of Commons but not printed, then the Committee should have deposited copies with us which you are welcome to see in our searchroom or order by post. These memoranda are usually listed and referenced at the end of the Committee's report. Please supply these references when you contact us. Back to Top

I want...a Protestation Return
Our online catalogue, Portcullis, contains details of all the Protestation Returns. You can search this to see if there are any of interest to you. Entering 'protestation returns' in the Any Text field, and '1641-1642' in the Date field will find them. You can then make an appointment to view them in our Westminster searchroom or else send us a request for a photocopy. Please note if you are interested in Derbyshire that the Derbyshire Protestation Returns are held by Derbyshire Record Office. Back to Top

I want... an enclosure award and map
We don't hold enclosure awards and maps, but we do have enclosure Acts, which you can search for in our online catalogue, Portcullis. For awards and maps you should initially contact the local authority record office which covers the area concerned. Some may be held by The National Archives. A lot of helpful information is to be found in W. E. Tate, A Domesday of English Enclosure Acts and Awards (Reading, 1978). Back to Top

I want...a petition presented to Parliament
All petitions presented to the House of Commons before 1834 were destroyed in the fire which burnt down the old Houses of Parliament. Original petitions were also routinely destroyed between 1834-1951. However there is a record of the presentation of petitions in the Reports of the Committees on Public Petitions giving information such as subject matter, place of origin, and numbers of signatures. These Reports date from 1833-1974. In addition, the full text of a number of petitions was printed each year in the Appendices to these reports. The Reports and Appendices are among the printed Votes and Proceedings of the House of Commons (HC/CL/JO/6); we have a set which you are welcome to consult, and it is possible a major university library might also have a set. There is an index to these reports and appendices covering 1833-1852.

The original records of the House of Lords survived the 1834 fire but originals of petitions were usually routinely destroyed up until 1950. Presentation of petitions can be traced through the Journal of the House, and some original petitions do survive among the Main Papers (papers laid on the table of the House) in series HL/PO/JO/10 and in the Parliament Office papers in series HL/PO/6.

There is also a collection of miscellaneous Parliamentary petitions - various stray petitions now returned to the Parliamentary Archives and catalogued with the reference PET. These are searchable on our catalogue. The House of Commons Information Office has published a Factsheet (P7) on public petitions which contains some information about procedure and the history of petitions. Back to Top

I want...records of medieval Parliaments (pre-1497)
Before 1497, rolls of proceedings in Parliament were written and stored by clerks working in the Chancery, the royal secretariat. The records of Parliament can therefore be found among the Chancery records held by the National Archives (formerly known as the Public Record Office, or PRO) which preserves government records for the nation. Writs and returns of MPs (dating back to 1275) are in the series C 219. The Parliament Rolls containing details of proceedings (dating back to 1327) are in the series C 65. The Parliament Rolls were published in six volumes entitled Rotuli Parliamentorum (London, 1767-77) where the full texts of the medieval rolls can be found, in Latin and French. These volumes may be available nearer to your home in a large university or copyright library or similar. Back to Top

I want...records of a particular railway
From 1794 promoters of private Bills were required to deposit copies of plans of projected works such as canals and from 1803 this included railways. We may therefore have plans relating to the railway you are interested in including books of reference with details of property owners. In addition evidence may have been given to the committee considering the Bill proposing the railway, in which case you might be able to discover more about why it was being built. Search Portcullis, online catalogue, for places or railway names. Back to Top

I want...the Death Warrant of Charles I
The Death Warrant is our most famous record, and because of this, the original is only available for viewing in exceptional circumstances. Facsimiles are available for purchase for £5 (plus £1 for UK postage, contact us for overseas postage) - please send a cheque made payable to 'House of Lords Account' to our postal address. We have prepared an online exhibition about the Death Warrant, and if you believe you are descended from one of the regicides you may like to read our FAQ on that too.

I've got...a Death Warrant of Charles I!  Is it worth much?
The original death warrant of Charles I is held at the Parliamentary Archives.   Engraved facsimiles (copies) of the death warrant are fairly common and we get several enquiries a year about versions in private hands. There were two main facsimiles made - one in the 18th century by the Society of Antiquaries, and one published following the fire which burnt down the old Palace of Westminster in 1834.   Others may have appeared in illustrated books in the 19th and 20th centuries.  Engraving is a printing process in which a metal sheet is scratched with a design and then the depressions filled with ink and pressed onto a sheet of paper.  Engraving was a method of producing prints of pictures and - in this case - famous documents, for the mass market.  Many thousands could have been produced at the same time, and engravings of the death warrant such as this apparently used to be seen fairly often on the walls of English pubs throughout the country!   The Archives cannot provide valuations of individual engraved versions; for that you should go to a local print dealer or antiques dealer who will be able to help.  The valuation will depend on the condition of the print, whether it has been trimmed at the edges and whether it is framed.   However, for your information, a member of staff at the Archives purchased, for personal use, a framed copy of the 18th century facsimile, trimmed, and framed, from a junk shop for £45 in 2007.  You are welcome if you wish to send us a digital photograph of your facsimile for further comment.   The taking of a digital photograph of the document will not harm it.  Back to Top

I want...the Queen's Speech at the Opening of Parliament
The Queen's Speech read out by her at the State Opening of Parliament is a Government, not Parliamentary record. It is drafted by Downing Street, and outlines the aspirations the government for its proposed programme of legislation for the year ahead. Once the Queen completes reading the speech, the document is handed back to the Lord Chancellor (who originally presented it to her), and original speeches therefore find their way into the records of the Lord Chancellor's Department (now Department for Consititutional Affairs) at the National Archives (series ref: LCO 21). LCO 21 contains speeches back to 1936. Original speeches by Queen Victoria and George V can be found in the Royal Archives. No original speeches survive for the reign of Edward VII. A full transcript of the text of the King or Queen's speech is entered in the House of Lords Journal for the relevant day of each session until 1981. From 1981, they are in the Lords Hansard. The Lords Journal and Hansard have been digitised and are available on the web for the years mentioned here and here. Otherwise, we hold hard copies of both these sets of records, and they will also be available in major reference libraries in UK and elsewhere. Back to Top

I want...the act saying that King Charles spaniels have special rights in the Houses of Parliament
Contrary to popular rumour, there is no Act of Parliament referring to King Charles spaniels being allowed anywhere in the Palace of Westminster. We are often asked this question and have thoroughly researched it. The House of Commons Information Office Factsheet G7 Some Traditions and Customs of the House states that Dogs, except guide dogs, are not generally allowed in the Palace of Westminster. There is no evidence whatsoever, that spaniels have ever been officially exempt from this rule, and any dogs which have been resident in the palace with their owners were confined to private apartments, such as the Speaker's or Lord Chancellor's residences, and not permitted free run through the palace. Having said that, there is one recorded example of a dog, other than a guide dog being in the House of Commons chamber. On page 309 of the House of Commons Journal, in the entry for 14 May 1606. It states that "A strange spanyell of mouse-colour came into the House."  Back to Top

I want...an Order in Council
We do not generally hold Orders in Council as they are not records of the House of Commons or House of Lords. They are royal decrees, made by the monarch with the Privy Council, and are therefore separate from Parliamentary statute law. Privy Council records are held at the National Archives, which holds the historic records of government. The National Archives has a research guide on Privy Council records including Orders in Council which you may find informative. Orders in Council are also published in the London Gazette. Back to Top

I want...evidence presented to a Royal Commission
Reports of royal commissions are presented to Parliament and printed by command. Copies of reports will be available among House of Commons 'Parliamentary Paper' collections in good reference libraries throughout the UK, as well as being held by us'. Some evidence submitted to Commission will be printed in the reports. We also hold the initial warrant under the great seal for the setting up of commissions (HL/PO/JO/15). As for unpublished evidence submitted to commissions however, this will not have been presented to Parliament and will probably have been destroyed by the commissioners once the report was published. Very occasionally these working papers turn up in the relevant government department's records at the National Archives or possibly in the personal archives of chairmen. Back to Top

I want... a Parliamentary Paper (Sessional Paper/Blue Book)
For the 19th and 20th centuries, House of Commons Parliamentary Papers 1801-2004 have been digitised and made available on subscription from Chadwyck Healey. If you are a member of a university you should check to see if your university subscribes to this service. If not you are welcome to visit us and consult them in our searchroom. Alternatively the papers from 1801-1834 can also be found on the BOPCRIS 18th Century Official Parliamentary Publications Portal.

Hard copies and microfiche of House of Commons Parliamentary Papers are available from many large reference libraries in the UK and across the world, as are 19th & 20th century House of Lords Parliamentary Papers (which are not digitised). See Where is my nearest collection of Parliamentary publications?.

Commons sessional papers 1714-1800 have been published in a facsimile edition edited by Sheila Lambert. Lords sessional papers 1714-1805 have been published in a facsimile edition edited by F W Torrington. These can be consulted here, found in large reference libraries or read online at the BOPCRIS 18th Century Official Parliamentary Publications Portal. Back to Top

I want... Parliamentary Papers relating to Ireland
There is a searchable catalogue of these publications, containing the full text of all Parliamentary Papers on Ireland up to 1922. Back to Top

I want...Notes on Clauses for a specific bill
We only occasionally have these. They were created by the relevant government department responsible for the bill, but weren't usually printed or laid on the table of either House, so they aren't part of our collection. On the rare occasion they were printed, they were received by one or both of the libraries (Commons and Lords) as deposited papers and only then will we have access to them. Otherwise, they should be amongst the records of the relevant government department at the National Archives. From 1999, Explanatory Notes replaced Notes on Clauses. Explanatory Notes are printed and can be found on the OPSI website along with the Acts they relate to. Back to Top

I want... a paper which Hansard says was placed in the House of Commons or House of Lords Library
Ministers sometimes state in the Commons or the Lords that they will be placing or depositing a paper in the Library. We may be able to provide access to these; please contact us with the details of the paper, and when in Hansard it was said that it would be placed in the Library, and we will contact the appropriate Library. Please note that if it is not explicitly said by a Minister in the House that a specific paper will be placed in the Library, the Libraries are under no obligation to keep material among their deposited papers just because something has been sent to them. The House of Commons Information Office factsheet on Deposited Papers provides more information. Back to Top

I want ...a House of Lords Judgment or Appeal Case record
House of Lords Judgments delivered since 14 November 1996 are available online here. Judgments pre-dating 1996 are available in hard copy only and photocopies can be ordered from us (the usual charges apply), or they can be viewed in our search room. Bound copies of the Appeal Case record, containing the evidence offered by the appellant along with the argument and interpretation put by their legal defence are also held by us and can be viewed in our search room. If you are able to access them, you may also find copies of Appeal Cases at Lincoln's Inn Library, the Advocates Library in Scotland and the Library of Congress in Washington, USA. Back to Top

I want...Registers of Members' Interests
The current Commons Register of Members' Interests and previous editions going back to 1997-1998, are available on the Parliament website. We also hold hard copies of Commons Registers of Members' Interests dating from 1992-2001 in the Parliamentary Archives (our reference HC/CS/1). You can make an appointment to look at them or order copies in the usual way. The most recent Register of Lords Interests is also online and there is a House of Lords Briefing on the subject on the same page.  Lords Registers are also published annually in printed form as House of Lords (HL) papers, so you can consult them in our search room or in a decent reference library. Other than committee reports, HL papers are not available online, nor is there any online index of them. To find the HL paper number for the printed Register of Lords Interests for any given year, you need to consult the relevant TSO (The Stationery Office) Annual Catalogue. There is more information about the electronic availability of HC and HL papers in our Guide to digitised historical Parliamentary material. Back to Top

I want... Macaulay's Minute on Indian Education from 1835 Macaulay's Minute, sometimes referred to as a speech given in Parliament or a minute presented to Parliament, is not a Parliamentary record so is not held by the Parliamentary Archives. Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) Baron Macaulay, historian, essayist, and poet, was a Member of Parliament between 1830-1834, 1840-1847 and 1852-1857. His famous Minute on Indian Education is dated 2 February 1835, when he was not an MP. He had resigned his Parliamentary seat in early 1834 and sailed for India, as he had been made a Member of the Supreme Council for India. The Minute was therefore presumably written for the Supreme Council, not the British Parliament.

The text of Macaulay's Minute on Indian Education can be found on many websites using a search engine such as Google and entering the title and name of the author. Alternatively, Macaulay's entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography records that Macaulay's Minute was printed by G. O. Trevelyan in an appendix to his book The Competition Wallah (1864). The Parliamentary Archives cannot vouch for the authenticity of any of these websites, nor does it hold a copy of Trevelyan's book. Back to Top

I want...papers, plans or drawings about the building or rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster
We do hold many papers, drawings and plans of the Palace of Westminster and you can find more information about the history of the building and some of our collections here. However, responsibility for the Houses of Parliament as a building lay with various incarnations of the Office of Works and Ministry of Works between 1378-1992 and their records are held at The National Archives, so you should find more there. The series reference for two of the key sets of records of the Office of Works and successors which relate to the Houses of Parliament which are held at The National Archives are WORK 11 and WORK 29. Back to Top

I want...a record confirming that Robert Jenkins exhibited his severed ear to Parliament in 1738 (War of Jenkins’ Ear)
There are various conflicting contemporary stories about Jenkins' ear which was cut off by Captain Fandino of a Spanish guarda-costa in a skirmish off Havana in April 1731.  Jenkins was allowed to appear before the king with his story shortly after his return to England in June the same year but the matter was dropped and only revived again during the agitation of 1738 when political capital was eventually made out of the incident.

The evidence from parliamentary records is inconclusive.  It is recorded in the House of Commons Journal that on 16 March 1738 it was 'Ordered, That captain Robert Jenkins do attend this House immediately'.  He obviously did not do so because again on 17 March it was 'Ordered, That captain Robert Jenkins do attend, on Tuesday morning next, the Committee of the whole House to whom the Petition of divers merchants ... interested in the British plantations in America ... and many others is referred'.  After that there is no mention of him at all, even though reference is made to the petitions 'of divers merchants ...' etc. several times on 21-22, 28 and 30 March.  The MP William Pulteney, however,  refers to the Jenkins case in a speech after the Committee had reported to the House and other contemporary accounts state that Jenkins did in fact appear before the Committee.

Unfortunately detailed records of the proceedings of the Committee of the whole House do not exist for this period.  According to the Dictionary of National Biography Jenkins produced something which he asserted was the ear which was cut or torn off, which suggests that it need not have been the actual ear.  Indeed, it seems highly improbable that he would have kept it for seven years!  After all, he was not to know in 1731 that his story was going to be brought back into the limelight and become an important factor in bringing about war with Spain so many years later.  During the popular excitement following the Committee's report it was said that Jenkins paraded around showing off his 'ear' wrapped in cotton wool and kept in either a box or a bottle.  Nothing more is known of Jenkins after 1738. Back to Top

I want...information about an item which I think is a wartime souvenir from the Houses of Parliament
The debris and rubble which resulted from the bombing which damaged the House of Commons in 1941 was disposed of or put to use in a variety of different ways. The iron was sent away for use in the foundries. The glass fragments and roof timber were made into plaques, shields and gavels and given to the Presidents, Prime Ministers and Houses of Parliament of other countries. The stone was made into a variety of souvenirs by a company called London Stonecraft Ltd, between 1942 and 1945. The stone souvenirs included ashtrays, book ends, letter racks, pen holders, wall plaques, inkwells, tobacco jars, bowls, vases, cocktail mats, spill holders, garden bowls, rose bowls, greeting cards, serviette rings, rocker blotters, gavel and board, paper knives and powder bowls. Profits made from the sale of these went to the Red Cross. Back to Top

I want...information about a Member of Parliament
The definitive list of names of Members of Parliament is published in the Return of Names of the Members of the Lower House of Parliament of England, Scotland and Ireland, with Name of Constituency and Date of Return, 1213-1874. The list is by constituency and there is an index by name of MP, although party affiliations are not given. This publication can be found among the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, HC 69 (1878). You may be able to find this near you if you have access to a large reference library which holds a set of House of Commons Parliamentary Papers. If not, you would be welcome to visit us and consult our copy.

Comprehensive biographical details about MPs for most periods (although not all) between 1386-1832 can be found in the History of Parliament which is a biographical series you may be able to find in a library, or can be consulted in our searchroom. The History of Parliament contains brief biographies of MPs researched in many cases in painstaking detail. Up-to-date publication details can be found on the History of Parliament website. For the period 1832-1979 you can consult M. Stenton and S. Lees, Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, 4 vols (The Harvester Press, 1976-1981) which contains brief biographies including constituency and party affiliation. You may be able to find these books in a library or they can also be consulted in our searchroom. Very prominent dead politicians will have an entry in the New Oxford Dictionary of National Biography which is available in good reference libraries or online by subscription.

For the names of MPs and also unsuccessful candidates, plus further information such as numbers of votes, consult the following reference books available in a good reference library or in our searchroom: British parliamentary election results, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig. There are volumes covering 1832-1885, 1885-1918, 1918-1949, 1950-1970 and 1974-1983. They are organised by constituency. The same data from 1983 onwards is available online. About a third of the way down the page it says 'Election results from the general election of 1983 onwards are in these files...' and it breaks them down by area. Back to Top

I want...information about a Peer (Lord/Baroness)
Details of current peers can be found in Who's Who in a good reference library. In addition biographical information on the Peerage in general and deceased peers can be found in good reference libraries in directories such as the Complete Peerage or Burke's Peerage. Back to Top

I want...information about a Prime Minister
There is a list of past Prime Ministers and other information about them at the 10 Downing Street official website. Biographies of dead Prime Ministers can be found in the New Oxford Dictionary of National Biography available in good reference libraries. Who's Who will contain details of living holders of the office. Back to Top

I want...a photograph of an MP, peer or staff member
We do not have a single photograph collection of all MPs, Peers or staff members, only assorted pictures scattered across various collections - search our online catalogue Portcullis. In particular we hold a selection of photographs of nineteenth century MPs and peers, and an album of photographs of the new intake of MPs in 1945. However these are by no means comprehensive. You could contact an organisation which specialises in portrait pictures, such as the National Portrait Gallery. The NPG has a very useful searchable website - you can search for names as sitters in pictures they hold, and for pictures by specific artists. Back to Top

I want...the register entry for an ancestor who was baptised or married in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft
The Chapel of St Mary Undercroft is off Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster. Members and staff of a certain grade of both Houses of Parliament are eligible to get married and their children and grandchildren are eligible to be married and baptised in the Chapel. The Parliamentary Archives holds two Baptism Registers for the Chapel, dating from 1925-1955 (our reference LGC/11/1/2) and 1955-1966 (our reference LGC/11/1/3). If you're seeking a baptismal entry for these dates, contact us, you can come in to look at the registers, or we can send you a photocopy if we find the entry for you. The Baptismal Registers after 1966 are kept in the Chapel. Marriages held in the Chapel have always been entered in the Marriage Registers of St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey and are in the custody of St Margaret's. Those wishing to obtain information from these registers or certificates of baptism or marriage should contact the Rector's Secretary of St Margaret's at stmargarets@westminster-abbey.org. Back to Top

I want...information on a former member of staff
We do not hold information about staff (eg secretaries) employed by MPs or peers. We do however have a few personnel records for individual members of staff employed directly by the House of Commons administration for the late 19th and early 20th centuries, though they may be closed under the Data Protection Act, 1998. They usually consist of records such as salary registers rather than detailed personnel files. They are not catalogued by name, but usually by department: search for records with the reference HC/FA/FO (Commons' Fees Office records) in our online catalogue Portcullis. For House of Lords staff, we have one volume of pension records (Portcullis reference HL/PO/AC/6/7) which dates from the mid nineteenth to mid twentieth centuries. The volume, which is organised alphabetically, records the pension details of members of staff in the House of Lords, showing date of birth, address, position, salary, pension, retirement date, length of service and date of death. We also hold some records of former Clerks of both Houses. For journalists formerly working in the House, see the records of the Parliamentary Press Gallery (PRG). Back to Top

I want…records of an ancestor who worked on the building of the Palace of Westminster
Although we do hold records (plans, drawings, etc) about the building of the New Houses of Parliament in the nineteenth and twentieth century, few of these records relate to the men who worked on the building. A rare example of when we may have records which will be of interest to you is if your ancestor worked as an architect or draughtsman and spent some time working in the office of Charles Barry during the building of the new Houses of Parliament in the nineteenth century. For example, we have some drawings by George Penrose Kennedy and Octavius Moulton-Barrett who both worked in Barry’s office for short periods. We may also have some records if your ancestor ran a company which was given a contract to do some of the work on the building, for example, the stained glass work, or the ironwork. However, responsibility for the Houses of Parliament as a building lay with various incarnations of the Office of Works and Ministry of Works between 1378-1992 and their records are held at The National Archives, so you may find more there. Back to Top

I want...information on someone who gave evidence to a committee
The main type of record in which individual people are likely to appear before Parliament is the Evidence on Opposed Private Bills. We have a database of names of witnesses who gave evidence to Parliament on opposed private bills (legislation for the building of railways, roads, canals and so on). Each entry shows an occasion on which they gave evidence to Parliament on a bill, for which there is a transcript of their evidence. This then enables you order up the evidence itself. The witness database can be searched in our public search room, or if you can supply specific bills or names of people we can indicate if there is any material on them. It is not currently available online. If you want to know more about witness evidence generally there is a publication about it, Witnesses before Parliament: A Guide to the Database of Witnesses in Committees on Opposed Private Bills 1771-1917 (1997). If you want to buy this please send us a cheque made payable to 'House of Lords Account', for £3 (which includes UK postage). Back to Top

I want...information on someone naturalised by Act of Parliament
Up until 1844 foreigners wishing to become British subjects (the process known as naturalisation) had to do so by private act of Parliament.  You can search our online catalogue Portcullis  for naturalisation acts (see I want...the text of an Act of Parliament, above).  Please note that as some acts naturalised many people at a time, not all their names are always listed in the act title, so it may be necessary to consult a separate printed index.  These indexes, published by the Huguenot Society and covering the period 1603-1800, can be consulted in the Archives searchroom.  In 1844 this procedure was simplified and the Home Office began to grant certificates of naturalisation itself.  These records are now in the National Archives:  series HO 1 covers the period 1844 to 1871 while HO 344 covers the period 1871 onwards.  Related correspondence is in HO 1, HO 45 and HO 144.  An index is also available at the National Archives.  Returns of names of aliens issued certificates of naturalisation can also be found printed among Parliamentary Papers between 1867-1962, covering the period 1854-1961 (see I want... a Parliamentary Paper above).  Back to Top

I want...details of how someone voted in a general election before the secret ballot
Votes before the Ballot Act 1872 would have been announced by voters in public to the returning officer for each constituency and noted in the constituency poll book. These poll books were then transferred to the custody of the local Clerk of the Peace, so if they survive they will now be found among the records of county or borough record offices. Most large public libraries have published collections of poll books - the largest of these is at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. Back to Top

I want...information on one of the regicides
Many people believe they are descended from one of the regicides (the men who signed the Death Warrant of Charles I in 1649). However, this is rarely the case, and bearing the same surname as one of the regicides does not prove a relationship. All the regicides have been researched in detail and their biographies can be found in the New Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, available in good reference libraries. Facsimiles of Charles I's death warrant containing the signatures of the regicides are available for purchase. Back to Top

I want...information on someone who has been awarded a knighthood, MBE, OBE or CBE?
It is the Crown and not Parliament which makes these awards so for more details you need to write to: The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, St James's Palace, London SW1A 1BH or search the London Gazette online. You might also wish to read the Cabinet Office website on the UK Honours System which explains that honours and peerages should not be confused. Back to Top

I want... information on women and Parliament
For information on women MPs, women ministers and legislation passed by women past and present, see the House of Commons Information Office Factsheet on Women in the House of Commons. For other lists and information about women in both the House of Commons and House of Lords, see the website of the Centre for the Advancement of Women in Politics. You may also be interested in our online exhibition about the Suffragettes and the First Women in Parliament, and the Citizenship exhibition page on women's rights in the 20th century.

The main archive in the UK for women's history is The Women's Library. However students of women's history will find relevant archive material in the Parliamentary Archives including legislative records, petitions, commitee papers and administrative records, although it may require some detailed research to identify, for example finding a relevant series and then browsing for women's names. In particular anyone interested in the suffragettes may wish to use our collections of early 20th century private papers, especially the papers of Lloyd George (LG) and Bonar Law (BL) which contain correspondence from and about the suffragettes. Search our online catalogue Portcullis for more details. Back to Top

I want...anything you have on my ancestors in general
We hold the historic records of Parliament, meaning records created by or presented to the House of Commons and House of Lords. We therefore only have material on a particular family or individual if they came before Parliament in some way (e.g. if they gave evidence to the Commons or Lords about a bill, if they were the subject of a name change, naturalisation or divorce bill, etc) or possibly if they were members of staff. We do have some collections of personal papers, but these tend to be papers of prominent Parliamentarians or other people connected with politics. You can find more information about our holdings and download a factsheet about our sources for family history. To locate family records such as birth, marriage and death certificates, wills, and the census go to the Family Records Centre. To locate collections of personal and family papers you need to search the National Register of Archives.You might also find it worthwhile to contact local record offices in the area where your family lived. Back to Top

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