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.

Various military papers, mainly dating from the nineteenth century, including standing orders, despatches and a paper by Gen Sir Frederick Roberts on Russia, all probably collected by Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, 1805-1811, 1871-1885, 1918-1921. Correspondence and papers relating to Lt Gen Sir Robert Grant (see above), including material concerning his career, and correspondence from Gen Sir Henry Redvers Buller, 1900. Letters and papers of Charles John Cecil Grant, notably correspondence with Rosebery, mainly letters written whilst on active service on the Western Front, World War One, 1914-1927, French Gen Maxime Weygand, including comments on the Versailles Treaty and the death of French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, 1919-1948, and Lt Gen Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese, 3rd Bt, on military operations in Italy during World War Two, 1943-1944. Copies of diary entries and notes written by Charles John Cecil Grant whilst serving as a liaison officer to French Headquarters on the Western Front, World War One, Mar-Nov 1918.

Papers created or collected by Edmonds during the course of his life and career, dated 1827-1838, 1852, 1879-1881, 1890-1957, principally comprising typescript memoirs covering his life and career, 1861-1951, and notably concerning his work at the Royal Military Academy, 1890-1896, and in the Intelligence Division of the War Office, 1899-1901, 1904-1908, his service in South Africa, 1901-1902, and in World War One, 1914-1918, at the Geneva Conference, 1906, as General Staff Officer, 4 Div, 1911-1914, and in the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence, 1919-1949, written in [1951]; correspondence with Rt Hon Sir Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, 1922-1954, relating to Churchill's book The World Crisis, 1911-1918 (Thornton Butterworth, London,1923-1929, abridged and revised, 1931); letters from FM Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig and his wife, 1903-1939, mainly relating to Edmonds' work on the official history of World War One; correspondence with Maj Gen Sir Ernest (Dunlop) Swinton, 1919-1950; texts of lectures,[1908-1947], notably relating to the American Civil War, 1861-1865, laws of war and the organisation of intelligence and information in warfare; typescript and printed articles, 1893-1957, mainly relating to World War One; official army handbooks and reports by Edmonds and others, 1899-1918, 1945; papers related to World War One collected by Edmonds, dated 1900, 1907, 1914-[1945]; presscuttings, [1906-1943], mainly concerning political and military developments and international relations; photographs, 1895-1918, mainly of Edmonds with Army colleagues.

The papers of Kathleen and Millicent Coleman comprise three classes of material: the private papers of the sisters and the Coleman family, 1842-1957; records relating to the National Children's Home, 1935-1981 largely CLOSED; and the Pestalozzi Village Trust, 1948-1989. Personal papers include a diary and pharmacopoeias, correspondence, examination certificates, photographs and printed books, 1842-1957, notably including a detailed manuscript medical diary describing life on board ship and a medical practice in Africa, 1842-1844, probably compiled by John Albert Sidney Coleman, grandfather of Kathleen and Millicent Coleman; pharmacopoeias containing remedies and prescriptions, with printed pharmacopoeias, compiled by Mark Coleman and others, reflecting the transition of the Coleman family business from patent remedies to modern pharmacy, 1851-1894; correspondence with Kathleen and Millicent Coleman, mainly descriptions of daily life in the National Children's Home and describing psychological testing of the children, 1927-1948 (CLOSED); family correspondence and legal documents including letting agreements and deeds of partnership, the will of Mathew Coleman, the sisters' great uncle, and relating to their father and his career, letters containing family news and gossip, 1845-1928; examination certificates and prize lists relating to the education of Kathleen and Millicent Coleman, 1922-1933; photographs of the Coleman family during the 1890s, during World War One and of Kathleen and Millicent Coleman on holiday, [1928], of Lady Eleanor Holles School, 1921-1933, group photographs of students and staff in King's College London Department of History, 1929-1955, photographs of various National Children's Home establishments, 1934-1957; a small collection of printed books concerned with the history, customs and government of London and the Home Counties, [1945-1985] (Boxes 70-74, now on open access in the Archive reading room).

The CLOSED records of the National Children's Home, 1935-1981, notably comprising Vocational Guidance Record Sheets, consisting of files on individual children that included intelligence test results, memory tests and individual comments, arranged in alphabetical order, 1938-1964 (Boxes 1-23); test results and evaluations of named children for tests organised by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology including the Porteus Maze Test and scoring sheets, 1957-1960 (Boxes 24-28); psychological evaluations of children at different branches of the children's home, notably in Cardiff, Harpenden, Nottingham and Glasgow, including individual test results and assessments with broad statistics and educational recommendations by visitors, 1942-1963 (Boxes 29-40); pupil record cards containing biographical information, aptitude tests and psychological test results for children at various homes, [1948-1960] (Boxes 41-42); material relating to the Brentwood College of Education including a working party on syllabuses, staff lists, the relationship with the University of London Institute of Education, manuscript notes and some psychological test results of children engaged in the so-called Gifted Child Study, 1971-1974 (Boxes 43-44); material relating to vocational aptitude and the placement of older children in trades and professions such as the armed forces and Civil Service, notably including psychologists' reports, 1935-1965 (Boxes 45-56); questionnaires of 18 year-old former residents conducted in 1954-1956 (Box 57); material relating to European refugees resident in the NCH including named children and correspondence with the Central Committee for Refugees, 1942-1949 (Boxes 58-59); general correspondence with Millicent Coleman relating to local authorities, staff and the emigration of children to Australia, 1951-1962; manuscript visitation report book assessing particular homes, 1946-1949; report on the incidence of enuresis (incontinence) in homes, 1946-1950; publicity material mainly created at the time of the centenary and on other children's charities, 1951-1981; careers and apprenticeship literature, 1938-1954; photographs and negatives of students and buildings, 1938-1939 (Boxes 60-62); psychological testing materials including test cards displaying words and pictures, [1958] (Boxes 63-69).

The records of the Pestalozzi Village Trust, 1948-1989, comprise typescript notes compiled by Millicent Coleman, who served on its governing Council. These consist mainly of Council minutes and supporting material, 1948-1989; Committee minutes including Finance and Management Committees, 1953-1985; Annual Reports and Accounts, 1961-1974; policy reports on the development and strategic direction of the Village, 1959-1973; correspondence with Millicent Coleman regarding Trust business and liaison with the National Children's Home, 1953-1985.

Papers of Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb, 1854-1884, on Greek subjects, mainly notebooks, comprising notes on classical Greek history, 1854, from Jebb's schooldays at St Columba's, chiefly from lectures of the Reverend W Tuckwell of New College, Oxford, whose principal authority was George Grote, the historian of Greece; notes and essays on Greek history, 1869, 1871; draft history of Bulgaria, 1877; diary of a tour of Greece, 1878; draft of a paper on the remains at Hissarlik read to the Hellenic Society, 1882; letter book of 'Modern Greek Correspondence', 1879-1884, containing original letters sent to Jebb, drafts of his replies, and other material including notes on the language and comments on the teaching of archaeology, relating to the foundation of a School at Athens.

The collection covers Pyman's career from 1937 until 1963 when he suffered a severe stroke which forced his retirement in 1964. The earliest papers date from Pyman's work with the Royal Tank Cadre in converting the 17/21 Lancers from a cavalry to an armoured regiment. There are also papers from Pyman's period as an instructor at the Staff College in Quetta, India, 1939-1941. Pyman was involved in the World War Two campaigns by the 8 Army in the Western Desert, in 1941 as General Staff Officer with 7 Armoured Div, 30 Corps and in 1942-1943 as Commander of the 3 Royal Tank Regiment, 10 Armoured Div, 30 Corps. The papers consist mostly of Pyman's assessments of lessons learned from the ongoing campaigns particularly with regard to tanks and armoured units. In 1944-1945 Pyman was Brigidier General Staff, 30 Corps, 2 Army in the Normandy landings and the invasion of Northern Europe, with particular responsibility for organisation and planning of the Rhine crossing and advance to the Baltic. This is reflected in the papers which largely consist of planning studies and reports for the operations involved, this section also contains maps used in the campaign. Pyman's next appointment was as Chief of General Staff, Allied Land Forces, South East Asia, 1945-1946 which is documented by a series of diaries which reflect the tasks faced by Pyman in this command including dealing with the build up of tension between newly liberated former colonies keen to assert their right for independence and the former colonial powers such as France and Netherlands. Pyman spent 1946-1949 as Chief of Staff, Middle East Land Forces and kept monthly diaries which form the bulk of this section of the collection. The diary entries and additional papers reflect the debate over policy in the Middle East in the British Government and Military command, they include detail on the British withdrawal from Greece, the problem of illegal Jewish immigrants and their internment in Cyprus, the end of the British mandate in Palestine and the the effect of this on relations between Britain with Egypt and the other Arab states and the subsequent Arab Israeli conflict. This section of the collection also contains correspondence between Pyman and Maj Gen Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey on personal matters and on the Middle East. There are also papers from Pyman's work at the Ministry of Supply as Director General of Fighting Vehicles, 1951-1953, Director of Weapons Development, War Office, 1955-1956 mostly brief diary entries and lecture texts. Pyman was also General Officer Commanding, British Army on the Rhine, 1953-1955 and General Officer Commanding, 1 British Corps, 1956-1958 and the papers relating to these commands consist mostly of lectures, reports and directives reflecting his interest in armoured divisions and training. There are some papers, mostly personal correspondence and press cuttings, from Pyman's final command as Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The collection also contains correspondence relating to Pyman's role as Colonel Commandant of the Royal Tank Regiment and The Royal Armoured Corps and a series of letters covering the reorganisation of the Berks and Westminster Dragoons, of which he was Honorary Colonel. The rest of the collection consists of diaries, correspondence, speeches, writings including the draft copy and papers relating to his autobiography, some preparatory work on a history of the 2 Army and reference works. The collection also includes the Boer War diaries and other papers of Col James Redmond Patrick Gordon who commanded the 1 Cavalry Bde of the South African Field Force 1900-1901 which were given to Pyman by a friend.

Papers of Edwin Child, 1866-1871, notably relating to his experiences during the Siege of Paris, Franco-Prussian War, Sep 1870-Jan 1871, comprising diaries, 1866-1871, containing daily entries recording events and often weather, part of which is written on copies of Lettre-Journal de Paris: Gazette des Absents , 1870; letters (as balloon post) to his family and 'Mary-Ann', describing conditions under the siege, 1870-1871; papers relating to his service in the Garde Nationale de la Seine, 1870-1871, including record of service, testimonial, passes for safe-conduct, identity papers and bread ration coupons; photographs of Child and of scenes of the Franco-Prussian War; printed journals and books comprising French publications largely relating to the siege, 1870-1871.

Papers, 1881-1926; notably war diaries of the 3 Hussars during World War One, 1914-1919; private diary of Willcox, 1914; intelligence summaries with translated extracts from German documents, 1917-1918; typescript account of the 3 Hussars at Warneton, Belgium, Oct 1914; typescript account of the action of the 3 Hussars at Liez, France, March 1918 and near Hourges, France, Apr 1918; aerial photographs showing trench network, Beaucamp, France, 1916; copy of a diary by Willcox compiled during the siege of Ladysmith, South Africa, with two popular printed commemorative volumes describing the siege, 1899-1900; diary by Willcox of a visit by him as an observer of German army manoeuvres, Berlin area, with photographs, 1909; letters sent by Willcox to his parents and other relatives, 1881-1900; photographs of India, South Africa during the Boer War, in 1910 and the Western Front during World War One, showing groups of soldiers, equipment, the interiors and exteriors of buildings, including in Pretoria, of military exercises, parades, preparation for possible gas attack and of French chateaux, [1889-1919]; various papers compiled by Willcox during the compilation of his history of the 3 Hussars including operational summaries, biographical information and drawings and photographs, with reviews of Willcox's publications, 1908-1926; watercolours of the French landscape during World War One; manuscript hunting journal including detailed diaries and records of pig-sticking, tiger shooting and other hunts in Africa, Scotland and India, 1894-1932; colour illustrations of soldiers in various antique constumes.

Microfilm copy of manuscript narrative diary by Pyle covering the voyage of two Sqns of 5 (Royal Irish) Lancers from Kingstown, Ireland, to the Sudan, and the subsequent Suakin campaign against Dervish forces commanded by the Mahdi (Mohammed Ahmed Ibn Al-Sayid Abdullah), 20 Feb-11 Apr 1885, including an account of the Battle of Tofrek, 22 Mar 1885.

Papers relating to his life and career, 1884-1919, dated [1885]-1887, [1902]-1903, 1914-1919, 1932-1935, principally comprising letters to his family describing his service with No 4 Section Telegraph Bn, Royal Engineers, Sudan, 1885-1887; diary, May-Jun [1885], including details of inspections of telegraph line between Halfa and Aswan; note on maintenance and operation of telegraph lines, Sudan and Egypt, 1884-1887, dated [1934-1935]; 'Reminiscences of the Nile Expedition, 1884-1885 and after', typescript text by Col A H Bagnold, 1935; appointment diaries and notebooks kept by Stuart as Director of Works, British Armies in France, 1914-1919; 'Some private recollections of a base wallah, 1914-1919', bound carbon copy of typescript by Col C[harles] L[ouis] Spencer, 1933, describing his service in Lines of Communication bases in Northern France, 1914-1919.

Papers relating to his life and career, [1891]-1931, dated [1891]-1931, 1977, 1985, 1988, principally comprising diaries, 1899-1900, and letters to his family, 1900-1902, describing his service as Provost Marshal with the South African Field Force; memorandum to Col Duff, Assistant Adjutant General, South African Field Force, concerning the functions of the Provost Marshal, 1900; photographs, [1891-1931], mainly of Poore and his family; 'The new cavalry sword and mounted swordsmanship', copy of an article by Poore from The Cavalry Journal, Apr 1911; copies of published articles relating to his cricketing career, 1899, [1920], 1985, 1988. Papers relating to his wife Lady Flora Poore, 1899-1900, 1916, comprising her diaries, 1899-1900; lists of work completed and statements of accounts of the Jhansi Cantonments Comforts to Troops Fund, 1915-1916.

Papers of Capt John Archer, 1889-1938, including: diaries, 1889-1896, 1901, 1908-1910, 1919, 1921-1922, 1925 and 1938; correspondence with family, friends and colleagues detailing his military experiences, 1893-1913; papers relating to Archer's career, including notebook containing details of service record, examinations passed, certificates gained and financial accounts, 1889-1894; list of warrant and non-commissioned officers at School of Musketry, Hythe, Oct 1895; printed map of Mashonaland, 1896; issues of The Rhodesia Herald, 1896, concerning the Mashonaland Uprising; general instructions for non-commissioned officers, 1897; timetable for movement of Archer's unit from Omdurman, 1898; poem 'The Night Attack on Surprise Hill', by Pte J Gibbons, 1899; sketch map of Lydenburg and the surrounding countryside, South Africa, by R Verney, 2 Lieutenant, Rifle Brigade, [1899]; lithograph map of Cairo, War Office, 1901; special orders announcing proclamation of peace, June 1902; Intelligence summaries, Jan and April 1902; order of service for Military Thanksgiving Service for the Restoration of Peace, Pretoria, Jun 8 1902; order of service for Coronation Day, 26 Jun 1902; parade service for visit of the Amir of Afghanistan to Agra, Jan 1907, with map showing locations of troop billets and plan of organisation of troop review; papers relating to Archer's time as POW, Germany and Holland, 1914-1918, and press cuttings, correspondence and reports relating to Archer's job as Superintendent of Prisons, Nyasaland, 1920-1936.Rifle and athletic meeting programmes, with press cuttings recording Archer's successes, 1898-1914. Photograph album showing manoeuvres, Malta, 1897; Crete, 1898; punitive raids on Transvaal farms, including taking Boer women into concentration camps, 1901; Middleburg and Groot Oliphant Camps, 1901-1902; views of Egypt including parades, inspections, sports and camps, 1902-1905; photographs of groups of POWs, Merseburg Camp and examples of paper money used in the Merseburg Camp, 1914-1919. Also copy of A Fine Chest of Medals: The Life of Jack Archer, Colin Baker (Mpemba Books: Cardiff, 2003).

Working papers of Alexander Souter, 1889-1930s and undated, comprising 20 notebooks, 1889-1913, on his studies in Aberdeen and Cambridge and on classical and patristic sources for his later work in Oxford, Aberdeen and Italy, and also including a diary for 1890, with entries noting work completed, news cuttings relating to his interests, and a book containing short publications such as Souter's The Predicative Dative Especially in Later Latin (1926) and A fragment of an unpublished Latin text of the Epistles to the Hebrews with a brief exposition (1924); manuscript texts for articles and lectures, mostly annotated with the dates and places of delivery, 1911-1936, including 'Classical Studies in the United States of America', 'Four Great Scholars', 'The Latin Bible', The History of Latin Lexicography', 'Statius: the Poet of the Silvae', 'Statius Silvae, with special reference to the manuscript tradition', 'Pelagius's Commentary on the Epistles of St Paul', 'Recent Advances in Palaeography', 'St Augustine', 'Recollections of a Travelling Scholar' and 'Beginnings of Christianity in Africa'; manuscript catalogue of editions of Latin authors in Souter's collection (1918).

Papers of Tom Wintringham and his second wife Katherine 'Kitty' Wintringham ( née Bowler), 1891-1982. Papers of Tom Wintringham relating to the Home Guard include correspondence, articles, radio broadcasts, press cuttings, photograph, report, lecture transcripts and training exercises. Papers relating to the Common Wealth Party including correspondence, photographs, minutes, publications, papers on Common Wealth Party policy, formation, resignations, libel charges, election campaigns and conferences. Other papers relating to Tom Wintringham including papers from his time at Balliol College, Oxford, 1918-1920; Wintringham's visit to Moscow, 1920; various inventions by Wintringham, 1929-1949; the Communist Party, 1933-1944; British economic crisis, 1947, and obituaries and biographical articles. Wintringham's correspondence includes his school days, First World War, prison, Spanish Civil War, Home Guard, Common Wealth Party and general personal and professional correspondence; Kitty's correspondence includes Spanish Civil War, the Common Wealth Party and general personal and professional correspondence. Photographs notably cover the Spanish Civil War, Home Guard, Common Wealth Party, Tom and Kitty Wintringham, their children, friends and family. Writings by Wintringham include draft and published articles (chiefly for the Picture Post , the Tribune , the Daily Herald and the Daily Mirror ), drafts of published and unpublished books, scripts, reviews, notes, short stories and essays. Draft articles by Kitty. Poems by Wintringham and others on topics including World War One and the Spanish Civil War, 1910-1950 and printed material, 1923-1950.

Photocopies of diaries, 1899-1926; newspaper cuttings relating to Army Training Reports, 1925-1932; articles including those on World War One, Marshal Ferdinand Foch and sea diplomacy and law, 1929-1930; correspondence, 1892-1933, including Dardanelles campaign, 1917.

Narrative of operations of 7 Division, 1918 by the Revd E C Crosse including reference to Clifford's service as Officer Commanding 95 Field Company, Royal Engineers; papers relating to Anglo-Italian Jubaland Boundary Commission, 1925-1928 including maps; British Somaliland-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, 1931-1936, including intelligence reports on French Somaliland, air survey operations, Walwal incident between Italian and Ethiopian troops, and printed reports on the work of the Commission; Chief Engineer, China Command, including report on Royal Engineers in Hong Kong, 1941-1942; Kenya-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, 1950-1957, including diaries, 1951-1955, printed reports, and maps of the boundary, 1946-1949; published articles by Clifford, 1928-1947, mainly on boundary commissions; technical manuals, 1924-1932, including surveying; publications and printed works, 1892-1952, including boundary commissions.