UK: Letters and Correspondence

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EuroDocs > History of the United Kingdom: Primary Documents > UK Sources by Topic > UK: Letters and Correspondence

Antiquity

Two letters from Cicero written to his friend Atticus in the fall of the year 54 B. C. give a glimpse of the way Cæsar’s invasion of Britain looked to contemporary Romans.
From Elfin Spell
(54 BC, English translation)
"Nearly 2,000 years ago – in around 100 AD – a woman wrote in a cursive Roman script inviting a friend to her birthday party. "
From History Extra
(100 AD: English transcription)

8th Century

This treaty between Charles the Great or Charlemagne (†814) and Offa, the greatest of the Mercian kings (†796), is of interest as showing the character of the intercourse between England and the Continent.
Click "next" to read their letters.
(795; English translation)
An appeal for unity and courage against the invaders
From Elfin Spell
(797; English translation)
Describe his childhood in England, his pilgrimage to Rome and his important relationship with Charles the Great.
(8th century; English facsimile)

9th Century

On promoting literacy for all the people of England, and providing books.
From ElfinSpell
(890; English translation)

11th Century

"This letter of the great Danish king shows the influence of the mediæval church in drawing together peoples of Western Europe. It shows also the spirit in which Canute ruled."
(1027; English translation)
Edited by Sir Walter Ellis, for King George the Fourth
(1070s-1520s; English facsimile)
A royal excuse for late bill payment.
From Elfinspell
(1079; English translation)
The Register of S. Osmund. Volume I is The Tractatus de Officiis Ecclesiasticis. Volume II includes letters, charters, and bulls.
(1091-ca. 1276; Latin with some English translations; eBook)
Includes charters and letters of William the Conqueror
(late 11th century; Latin; eBook)

12th Century

By Henry of Huntingdon
From Elfinspell
(12th century)
Writs, charters and letters extending from the time of Henry I to Charles II.
(12th-17th centuries; Latin with English translations)
From the commencement of the twelfth century to the close of the reign of Queen Mary
(12th-17th century; English facsimile)
This letter on the front page will serve as an introduction to the series of letters exchanged during the quarrel of Henry II and Thomas à Becket.
From Elfin Spell
(1163; English)
Ordering them to arrest anybody who appeals to the court of Rome, and the adherents (including their family members) of Thomas Becket.
From Elfinspell
(1164; English translation)
About his appeal to the Pope to replace Thomas as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Letter from Henry II to the Cardinals, defending himself from the Pope's charges.
From Elfinspell
(1166; English translation)
Vol. 1 (London: Henry Colburn, 1846)]
(1190-1544; text searchable Google Print facsimiles with updated English transcriptions)
  • Peter of Blois
Peter of Blois (c.1130-c.1203), had a distinguished academic, ecclesiastical, and political career, becoming archdeacon of London, ambassador to King Henry II, and secretary to his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most powerful woman in Europe.
William Rufus and Henry I
Letter of Chastisement to Queen Eleanor
Letter 2
Letter to his Sister Christiana
Description of Henry II
Treatise Against the Perfidy of the Jews
See also the medieval facsimile collection of Letters, Sermons, And Other Works
(late 12th century; English translation)

13th Century

The documents contained in the present volume illustrate, for the most part, the general history of the north of England, particularly in its relation to Scotland.
(beginning 13th century; English and Latin facsimile)
(ca 1216-1272; Latin; eBook)
This letter illuminates the complex dynastic and political problems Llywelyn faced in the wake of William de Braose's execution.
(1230; facsimile of original Latin, transcription and analysis)
Letter from Sir Joseph de Cancy, knight of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, to King Edward I. (1281), and Letter from King Edward I, to Sir Joseph (1282).
(1281-1282; facsimiles)
These papers offer insight into late medieval society, including wooltrade, socialization, marriage and family, legal business, and estate management.
(1290-1485; Old English and Latin facsimile)

14th Century

Against the provision of aliens to English benefices.
See also Edward III.'s letter to Pope Clement
From Elfinspell
(1343; English transcription)
The youths of London appear to have been addicted at this time to more exciting and less serviceable sports than the old exercise of archery, and Edward III.’s letter is at once a reprimand and an instruction.
From ElfinSpell
(1356; English transcription)
King of England and of France, and lord of Ireland
(1399-1413; facsimile with English translations)

15th Century

Edited by Sir Walter Ellis, for King George the Fourth
(1400s-1520s; English facsimile)
Edited by Sir Walter Ellis, for King George the Fourth
(1410s-1520s; English facsimile)
  • Letters and Papers of the Paston Family
From three generations of the Norfolk family during the reigns of Henry VI, Edward IV & Richard III.
One of the largest archives of mainly 15th century private English correspondence and documents.
Digitised by the British Library in its Digitised Manuscripts.
(1422-1597; facsimiles from 5 bound volumes)
As well as Bishop Beckington and others. Written in the reigns of Henry V and Henry VI.
(mid 15th century; Old English facsimile)
(mid to late 15th century; French and English facsimiles)
A series of historical fragments, proclamations, letters, and other contemporary documents relating to the reign of King Edward the Fourth
(1461-1483; English; facsimile)
This is probably the oldest surviving Valentine's letter in the English language. It was written by Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston.
From the British Library
(1477; facsimile and audio)
Electronic texts and documents from the Tudor period.
See also Tudor Letters.
(1485-1597; facsimiles and transcriptions)
The Letters Patents of King Henry the Seventh Granted unto Iohn Cabot and his Three Sonnes, Lewis, Sebastian and Sancius for the the Discouerie of New and Unknowen Lands.
Facsimile seen HERE
(February 3, 1498; English)
Calendar of letters, despatches and state papers relating to the negotiations between England and Spain
(1498-1531; English translation)

16th Century

Poems, songs, letters, speeches, essays.
(Early 16th century; transcriptions)
Made available by English History
(1505-1544; English transcription)
Covers the beginning of Henry's reign, up to the end of 1514.
From British History Online
(1509-1514; English transcription)
As found in the public records, despatches of ambassadors in original private letter, and other contemporary documents
(1516-1558; facsimile)
"This letter was written by Henry VIII to Cardinal Wolsey, two years after Mary's birth, while Catherine was pregnant for the last time...Henry was eager for a male heir, but the child was in fact a girl, and she died shortly after her birth."
From the British Library
(1518; old English facsimile)
Edited by Sir Walter Ellis, for King George the Fourth
(1520s-1580s; English facsimile)
(1520s-1570s; English facsimile)
(1520s-1540s; English facsimile)
From Elizabeth Queen of England, Mary Queen of Scots, King James VI, King Charles I, King Charles II, and others
(1520-1685; facsimile)
It "was a time of immense ferment, when Luther and Tindale were fighting for freedom, and Wolsey and More were endeavoring to bring them [with] their books. Henry VIII seems to have been a kind of spectator."
(1522; English facsimile)
"Unfortunately, we do not have Anne’s replies but the letters are evidence of Henry VIII’s romantic side and his strong feelings for Anne."
From Anne Boleyn Files
(1527-1528; transcription)
To her father, to Cardinal Wolsey, to Stephen Gardiner, to King Henry VIII.
(1529-1536; English transcription)
A collection of poems, letters, and speeches.
(English transcriptions; 1533-1603)
"Sir Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor...However, in late February 1534 Henry added More's name to the Bill for the Attainder (for treason) of Elizabeth Barton."
From British Library
(1534; Old English facsimile)
(1535; English facsimile)
Princess Mary acknowledges the annulment of her parents’ marriage, her own illegitimacy, and her father’s position as head of a new English church.
From English History
(1536; English transcription)
This account of Anne Boleyn’s fall from royal favor was written by the Spanish ambassador Eustace Chapuys, in a letter to Emperor Charles V.
See also Anne Boleyn’s Speech At Her Execution
From English History
(1536; English transcription)
The transactions of two memorable embassies: 1st to King James V in order dispose him towards a reformation. 2nd to the governor and states of Scotland concerning a marriage betwixt Mary their young queen and Edward VI.
(1540-1543; English facsimile)
Edited by Sir Walter Ellis, for King George the Fourth
(1540s -1570s; English facsimile)
This is the only surviving letter written by Henry VIII’s fifth wife...After Catherine’s fall from grace, Culpeper was among the men charged with committing adultery with the queen.
See the original letter HERE
(1541; English transcription)
With the contemporary history of Europe, illustrated in a series of original letters.
(1547-1558; English facsimile)
Probably written in 1553, when the future Queen of England was 20 years old, Elizabeth’s letter reveals the personal costs behind the power struggles of the troubled Tudor dynasty.
From the British Library
(1553; English facsimile and transcription)
From The Elizabeth Files
(16 March 1554: English transcription)
Including letters written by the hand of the queen, official letters written by secretaries, and drafts in the king's hand.
(ca 1558-1625; Old English; facsimile)
(London: Henry Colburn, 1845)
(1558-1576; text searchable Google Print facsimiles with updated English transcriptions)
A series of original letter, selected from the unedited private correspondence of the Lord Treasurer Burghley and other most distinguished persons
Volume II
(1558-1603; facsimile)
Edited by Sir Walter Ellis, for King George the Fourth
(1570s-1650s; English facsimile)
Letters and reports: The Norrises had six sons, all of whom fought in the armies of Elizabeth I. Five of the six brothers died serving the Queen, all within the lifetime of Lord and Lady Norris.
(1573; facsimiles)
Edited by Sir Walter Ellis, for King George the Fourth
(1580s-1720s; English facsimile)
The first letter was sent to Mary, queen of Scots at the opening of her trial at Fotheringhay...Four days after Mary’s execution, Elizabeth sent the second letter to Mary’s son, King James VI of Scotland. In it, she asserts her innocence in his mother’s death.
From English History
(1586; English transcription)
It is addressed to her former brother-in-law, King Henry III of France. ...Mary clearly believes she is dying as a martyr to her Catholic faith.
From English History
(8 February 1587; English transcription)
Sir Francis Drake, Vice-Admiral of the English fleet, wrote this letter to Sir Francis Walsingham, Principal Secretary of Queen Elizabeth I, after the Battle of Gravelines.
See the facsimile version here
(1588; English transcription)
(1592-1597, facsimiles)
King James' treatise on government, written as a private letter to his son
(1599; English transcription)
  • Sources on Francis Bacon
Original letters and memoirs
The works of Francis Bacon
Letters, speeches, charges, advices etc. of Francis Bacon
(late 16th, early 17th century; English facsimile)

17th Century

A series of letters written in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, with notices of the family of Stradling of St. Donat's Castle, Co. Glamorgan
(16th century; English facsimile)
Includes extensive official and private records of Parliament, and the urban history of London, Glasgow, Cardiff and other major cities.
From British History Online
(17th century, transcriptions)
A collection documenting Sir Isaac Newton's writings and ideas, consisting primarily of letters to and from 17th and 18th century scientists.
(17th - 18th centuries; facsimiles)
Containing a series of historical and confidential letters, in which will be found a detail of the public transactions and events in Great Britain during that period, with a variety of particulars not mentioned by our historians.
(1603-1617; English facsimile)
(1603-1617; Old English facsimile)
"A group of Catholic conspirators, including the now infamous Guy Fawkes, devised a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Their aim was to overthrow the government, kill King James I, and make James’s daughter a Catholic head of state."
From the British Library
(1605; facsimile)
Item #4. " The writer warned [Catholic Lord Monteagle] to avoid the state opening of Parliament due in a few days’ time and remain at his estate for the purposes of safety."
From History Extra
(1605; English transcription)
From the Queen, Prince Henry, Prince Charles, the Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Frederick, king of Bohemia, and from their son, Prince Frederick Henry.
(beginning 1606; Old English facsimile)
He relates to the queen his story of Jamestown and Pocahontas.
Courtesy of Digital History
(1616; English transcription)
Written by King Charles the First and Second, King James the Second, and the King and Queen of Bohemia; together with original letters, written by Prince Rupert, Charles Louis, count palatine, the Duchess of Hanover, and several other distinguished persons
(1619-1665; facsimile)
Chiefly addressed to King James I. of England.
(1620; Old English facsimile)
To which is subjoined the private correspondence between King Charles I and Sir Edward Nicholas, and between Sir Edward Hyde, afterwards Earl of Clarendon, and Sir Richard Browne.
(1620-1665)
Including her private correspondence with her husband Charles the First
(1624-1668; English facsimile)
Containing a series of historical and confidential letters, including memoirs of the mission in England of the Capuchin friars in the service of Henrietta Maria, and a variety of other particulars not mentioned by our historians
(ca 1625; English facsimile)
Sources on Oliver Cromwell
Menasseh ben Israel's mission to Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell's letters & speeches
Speeches
The Quarrel Between the Earl of Manchester and Oliver Cromwell
(1643-1658; English facsimile)
Letters of King Charles the First to Queen Henrietta Maria
(1646; English facsimile)
With links to diaries and letters
(1649-1660; English)
Concerning the affairs of Great Britain
(1649-1658; facsimile)
(ca 1651; facsimile)
A letter from officers at Whitehal to the Commander in Chief of the Forces in Scotland, to be communicated to the officers of the army there. Including the reply.
(1659; English facsimile)
These letters possess importance as proving that Richard did not so readily acquiesce in his downfall as is generally supposed.
(1659; English facsimile)
In 1660 Samuel Pepys, an increasingly-important 26 year-old civil servant in London, began writing his diary. He stopped a decade later. This site contains the full text of his diary, along with several letters sent or received by Pepys.
(1660-1670; English transcriptions)
Letters to and from Henry Savile, esq., envoy at Paris, and vice-chamberlain to Charles II and James II, including letters from his brother George, marquess of Halifax
(beginning 1661; English facsimile)
"England's second Dutch war of the reign of Charles II... was preluded by long negotiations with France, and by three successive treaties, showing... the immorality and wickedness of the English government at that period."
(1673-1674; English facsimile)
An account of the preservation of King Charles II after the Battle of Worcester
Dictated by the king himself; to which are added his letters to several persons.
See also The royal miracle; a collection of rare tracts, broadsides, letters, prints, & ballads concerning the wanderings of Charles II. after the battle of Worcester
(1680; English facsimile)
Letter of parliament inviting William of Orange to seize the throne of England.
(June 30, 1688; English)
Important document on religious toleration.
(1689; English)
Together with her letters and those of kings James II and William III to the electress, Sophia of Hanover
(1689-1693; English facsimile)
(9 April 1689; Russian translation)
"Displayed here is an open letter, known as a 'letter patent' by William III and Mary II, prescribing regulations for the conduct of business of the East India Company. "
From the British Library
(1693; facsimile)
Illustrative of the domestic and foreign politics of England, from the peace of Ryswick to the accession of Philip V. of Spain
(1697-1700; English facsimile)

18th Century

Open-source digital access to Georgian papers held in the Royal Archives and the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.
Descriptions and digitised images of material date from the reigns of George III to William IV.
(1700-1837; personal letters, diaries, account books and records of the Royal Household)
Digitization in process 2017-2020.
See also Letters written during her travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa
As wife of the British ambassador in Turkey, she was the first women to write secularly on the the Muslim Orient; she also introduced smallpox inoculation to Britain and wrote in a way that questioned the modern views of women as intellectually and socially lesser.
(beginning 1716; English facsimile)
As likewise, an account of the houses of Baux and Chalons and original letters of King William, while prince of Orange.
(1734; English facsimile)
This letter is from James Cook to Philip Stephens, Secretary of the Admiralty. Cook wrote it just before he set off in HMS Endeavour on the first of his famous voyages of exploration.
(1768; facsimile)
  • The Diary and Letters of Madame d'Arblay (Frances Burney)
A famed English satirical novelist who became well acquainted with Queen Charlotte and her daughters.
1768-1778
1778-1840
(1768-1840; English facsimile)
Being a record of certain reminiscences, letters, and journals in the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Herbert Taylor who at various stages in his career had acted as private secretary to King George III., to Queen Charlotte, and to King William IV.
(1780-1829; English facsimile)
From Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library
(1790; English transcription)
Here is letter he sent in response to a request from George III of Britain (r. 1760-1820) for trade privileges. In 1793, while Britain was in the midst of the French Revolutionary situation in Europe, China retained its freedom to act as it wished.
From the Internet History Sourcebook
(1793; English transcription)
"Nelson, who died at the naval battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805, was one of the most successful and famous of British fleet commanders."
From The War Times Journal
(1797-1805; English transcriptions)

19th Century

Interspersed with original letters from the late Queen Caroline, the Princess Charlotte, and from various other distinguished persons.
(early 19th century; English facsimile)
Third down in the article is a love letter to the queen
(19th century; English transcription)
The correspondence of well-known English and American authors of the 19th century.
(English facsimiles)
On the coronation oath, with His Lordship's answers; and the letters of the Rt. Hon. William Pitt to His late Majesty, with His Majesty's answers
(pre 1801; English facsimile)
With letters of the Princess of Wales.
(1806; English facsimile)
This letter, published in the Caledonian Mercury on 3 July 1815 gives a soldier's account of the battle.
From the British Library Timeline
(1815; English facsimie)
To mark the bicentenary of Waterloo, this Digital Library collection presents a sample of such material, encompassing military drill-books, manuscript letters, hand-coloured engravings, battlefield plans, printed mementos and tourist reminiscences.
(1815; facsimiles)
  • Nineteenth Century Human Rights Documents
Letter about the negative reaction of planters to the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Letter from "The Voice of the Multitude"
Letter from anonymous labourers to the gentlemen of Ashill, Norfolk
Letter threatening to burn the property of farmers who were believed to pay low wages or use labour saving machinery
(facsimiles)
Letters of Thomas Carlyle and his wife, Jane Welsh Carlyle.
Database assembled by Duke University Press to be browsed or searched.
(1812-1857; database of full-text transcriptions)
Sources on King George IV
Compiled by Christopher Newport University at Primary Sources on the Kings and Queens of England
(1820-1830; English facsimiles)
  • Sources on Queen Caroline
Letters between Princess Charlotte and her exiled mother, Queen Caroline
The Queen's letter to the King.
Compiled by Christopher Newport University at Primary Sources on the Kings and Queens of England
(1820-1821; English facsimiles)
Regarding the death of Napoleon and the island of St. Helena
(July 30, 1821; English transcription)
Daughter of King George III. and Langravine of Hesse Homburg, written for the most part to Miss Louisa Swinburne.
(beginning 1832; English facsimile)
The Charles Darwin Papers in the Manuscripts Department of Cambridge University Library hold nearly the entire extant collection of Darwin’s working scientific papers...over 30,000 digitised and edited manuscript pages.
See also Darwin-Hooker Letters
(1835-1882; facsimiles)
  • Sources on Queen Victoria
Letter to the Queen on the state of the monarchy
The letters of Queen Victoria
Compiled at the Christopher Newport Primary Sources: Kings and Queens collections
(1837-1901; English facsimiles)
This article includes a letter from Lieutenant Lefroy to his sister. Lefroy was permitted to witness the disinterment of the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte and recorded the event in a plain, unvarnished tale.
(1840; transcription)
Includes a sergeant's personal narrative, letters of a captain, diary entries and newspaper publications
(1853-1856; English transcriptions)
Diaries and letters from the English side of the war.
(21 September 1854 - 19 October 1855; English transcriptions)
Records of some 10,000 letters, including copies, of James Mcneill Whistler's correspondence between 1855 and 1903.
Includes all the letters written by Whistler and all the letters written to him; letters mentioning Whistler are also included on a selective basis.
Find out more about the correspondence or search the online edition.
(1855-1903; transcriptions and footnotes)
Of Alice, grand duchess of Hesse, princess of Great Britain and Ireland
(1862-1878; English facsimile)
See also Depictions from Illustrated Police News
(1888; facsimile and transcription)
The aim of this work is to present certain chases of life and character as described and exemplified by British letter-writers. With topics of family & friendship, and autobiographic sketches of figures like John Keats & Sir Walter Scott.
(1888; English facsimile)
In the letter, written in 1894, Wilde asked Griffiths to send him a photograph "which I will keep as a memory of a charming meeting, and golden hours passed together."
(1894; English transcription)

20th Century

"Soldiers sharing cigars, singing songs and walking together in no-man's-land on Christmas Day 1914 are some of the scenes described in a letter uncovered in a council's archives."
(1914; facsimile, photos and transcription)
  • The Egyptian Expeditionary Force: General Allenby's Dispatch
Transcribed from the "official record of the actions of the Allied forces which fought in the Middle East and North Africa during World War One. The record covers events between July, 1917 and October, 1918, which eventually resulted in the collapse of the Ottoman defenses."
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
(1917-1918; English)
The heartfelt diary of a captain written during the 1944 Normandy invasion has just been published.
From History Extra
(1944; photos, English transcription)
(1944; photos and English transcriptions)
Item #4. "This letter is one of the first written accounts of how Crick and James Watson unraveled the double-helix structure of DNA that makes it possible for life to copy itself."
(1953; English facsimile)

21st Century

Timeline of key EU events after Brexit decision.
Includes transcripts of negotiations, EU statements, meeting records, letters.
(25 June 2015 - 19 October 2017; English transcriptions)
Links to letters, speeches, proposals, op-eds, and similar writings key to the campaign's push for Britain to leave the EU.
(22 January 2016 - 16 June 2016; English transcriptions)



EuroDocs > History of the United Kingdom: Primary Documents > UK Sources by Topic > UK: Letters and Correspondence

EuroDocs Creator: Richard Hacken, European Studies Librarian,
Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
Feel free to get in touch: Hacken @ byu.edu

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