Papers, 1868-1932, of and concerning Walter William Skeat, including correspondence relating to the English Dialect Society, 1887-1912, letters to Skeat, 1868-1912, fragments of letters and drafts of letters by Skeat, 1873-1905, and correspondence of the Skeat family, 1914-1928. The bulk of the collection comprises working papers, almost all undated, including notes and transcripts of various manuscripts and texts, sometimes unattributed but among them Beowulf , The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, Piers Plowman by William Langland, Bodleian manuscripts, works of William Shakespeare, homilies, and proverbs; bibliographical references; dictionaries, thesauri, word lists, glossaries; notes on etymology, grammar, place-names, and pronunciation; lectures including 'The Language of Chaucer'; articles including philology, the language of Edmund Spenser with special reference to his Faerie Queen , emendations in Piers Plowman , and phonetics; proofs (largely undated) including an English dictionary, publications relating to Chaucer, The Kingis Quair , Pierce the Plowman's Crede , and an incomplete proof copy of The Seven Sleepers ; printed material by Skeat including William of Palerne (unbound, uncut), 'Souvent me Souvient' (reprinted from Christ's College Magazine), Troilus and Criseyde (incomplete) and A Charter of Canute (a passage from the York Gospels, edited by Skeat); printed material relating to Skeat's interests, including articles on etymology and the derivation of words; leaflets (1911) advertising the proposed University of London Institute of Phonetics; an incomplete copy of The Annual Register 1771 (1772); and an examination questions paper (1911) in English Language and Literature for King's College, University of London.

Collection comprises correspondence with Philip Hammersley Leathes, manuscript papers, diaries, devotionals, dictionaries and pedigree rolls, title deeds and indentures, printed books and pamphlets, catalogues and the manuscripts of the architect, John Carter, [1350-1863]. Notably including correspondence from George Nayler of the College of Arms and Nicholas Carlisle, Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, relating to publications of the Society, discoveries of antique brass plate, and the exchange of manuscripts between antiquaries, [1790-1838]; loose manuscript papers collected by Leathes, describing ornamentation in early printed devotionals, a fictional narrative entitled 'The amorous Jill: A tale', narrative of the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, notes relating to the observation of comets, including the comet of 1811, copies of charters of the reigns of Edward IV and Henry VII, papers relating to the Portland Vase, British Museum, fragments describing inscription on newly discovered brass plate, 1747-1829; pedigree rolls tracing the lineage of the English Crown, [1450, 1762]; manuscript volumes including collection of biblical extracts, liturgical handbook, autograph book with colour illustrations, antiquarian ephemera such as funeral memorials, armorials and the creation of nobles, volume by Francis Harrison entitled, 'The elements of navigation' with colour charts, tables and illustrations, dictionaries of Celtic and Saxon words, notes on the teaching of mathematics, commonplace book drawing on ancient and modern authors, manuscript diary including progress of architectural tour of Europe; title deeds and indentures for families in Nottingham, Southampton, London and Hungerford, residency certificates in Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, 1650-1751; printed books and pamphlets on the subjects of antiquarianism, genealogy and architecture, 1778-1853; manuscripts of John Carter, architect, acquired at his death in 1817 by his executor, Leathes, notably including autobiographical notebooks by Carter describing architectural subjects and tours, commonplace book, correspondence with Leathes, loose notes on linguistics and the ships of the Russia Company, obituaries of Carter and sale catalogue from his estate, 1700-1818; manuscript catalogues and display captions relating to the Leathes' papers, King's College London, 1819, 1837.

Papers, 1841-1967, including: correspondence and papers relating to Furnivall's family, his inheritance and the family home, Great Fosters House, Egham, Surrey, 1865-1926; papers relating to Furnivall's university education, including notes of Professor Thomas Graham's lectures on chemistry and Professor Henry Malden's lectures on the Greek language, University College London, 1841-1842; personal accounts, invoices and receipts, 1863-1908; correspondence to and from friends and acquaintances, 1865-1910, including William Woodham Webb, Walter Brindley Slater, George Edward Cockayne, Thomas Arnold and Beatrice Harraden; Teena Rochfort-Smith. A Memoir , publication paying tribute to Furnivall's mistress, 1883; photographic images of Furnivall, 1876-[1910]; papers relating to the study of philology and the Philological Society, 1858-1909, notably letters and publications concerning the New English Dictionary , 1859-1909; journals, correspondence, lecture notes and printed material relating to the Working Men's College, education and social reform, 1842-1912; papers relating to the Early English Text Society, 1865-1910, notably letters from Walter William Skeat concerning the editing and publication of William Langland's Piers Plowman , 1866; correspondence, proofs, notes relating to the Chaucer Society, 1866-1900; papers relating to the Ballad Society, 1867-1875, principally correspondence and proofs concerning the publication of Bishop Percy's Folio Manuscript , 1867-1868; correspondence and notes regarding the formation of the proposed Lydgate and Occleve Society, 1872; correspondence, publications and proofs relating to the New Shakspere Society, 1873-1886; articles and printed circulars relating to an acrimonious dispute with Algernon Swinburne, 1876-1881; notes of lectures on Shakespeare and Elizabethan literature given by Furnivall, John Llewellyn Davies, John Wesley Hales, George MacDonald and William Spalding, 1874-1876; papers relating to the Browning Society, 1881-1967, notably Woodburytype image of Robert Browning, 1881; Browning Society proceedings, entertainment programmes and papers, 1884-1892; two letters from Robert Browning, 1874-1888; letters from Alma Forman [Alma Murray] concerning the Browning Society's theatre productions, 1885-1888; correspondence relating to a lawsuit brought by Leonard Outram, 1886-1888; prospectus, reports, letters and newspaper cuttings relating to Shelley and the Shelley Society, 1886-1892; publications relating to Thomas James Wise's Ashley Library, 1887-1895; correspondence relating to fundraising for the Maurice Rowing Club, 1886-1887; correspondence and newspaper cuttings relating to the debate over the superiority of sculls over oars, 1886; letters, memoranda and bills of sales relating to the purchase and repair of boats and sculls, 1886-1889; photographic postcards of the Hammersmith Girls Sculling Club [later the Furnivall Sculling Club], 1907; leaflets, prospectuses and letters relating to other societies, 1870-1910; obituaries and memorials to Furnivall, 1910-1949; miscellaneous material including Genuine and Curious Memoirs of the Famous Captain Thurot by John Francis Durand. (London: J Burd & J Williams, 1760) and Pigot & Co's New Map of the Environs of London Extending 14 Miles round St Paul's in Every Direction , 1832.

Papers of William James Entwistle collection, [1945-1947] comprising correspondence to and from Entwistle regarding the Chronicle of John I of Portugal and also includes a draft edition of the first 136 chapters,[1945-1947].

The correspondence section notably includes a letter, in Portuguese script, from Florentino dos Santos Cardoso, of Évora Public Library, to William James Entwistle, 1945, concerning the Chronica de El Rei D. João I by Fernão Lopes and a reproduction made and held by the Évora Public Library. Florentino dos Santos Cardoso asks Entwistle whether he would be interested in purchasing a complete reproduction. Correspondence also includes a letter from Entwistle to Edgar Prestage (1881-1949), regarding the printing of the final chapters of Chronicle of John I of Portugal , 1945; letter from Entwistle to Prestage regarding the progress of the printing of a complete copy of Chronicle of John I of Portugal , suggesting the proofs are the 'pre first edition of book which will never appear', 1947.

The collection also includes a copy of the unpublished text of Chronicle of John I of Portugal [1945-1946], written by Fernão Lopes 1380-1459.