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Elza C. Tiner

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From: REED-L: Records of Early English Drama Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Klausner
Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2007 3:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: State papers online

State Papers Online, 1509-1714

The archive of State Papers will be released from this coming October (2007).

State Papers Online, 1509-1714 (SPO) will be an essential tool for any
historian who studies any aspect of early-modern British history and the
relations of the Tudor and Stuart kingdoms with other states and countries
in Europe and beyond. It has been produced by Thomson Learning - Gale with
the guidance and advice of leading scholars in Britain and the United
States.

SPO has as its foundation the State Papers, Domestic and Foreign, in The
National Archives at Kew. It puts these alongside other collections that
were originally in the state papers kept by the monarch's Principal
Secretaries in the sixteenth century: at the British Library (principally
the Lansdowne Manuscripts and some of the volumes of the Cotton Manuscripts)
and in the Cecil Papers at Hatfield House, as well as the archive of the
English Privy Council.

SPO will reproduce in facsimile each of the original manuscripts. Nearly two
million digitized pages will be searchable from the modern printed
Calendars. By overcoming the difficulty of matching an individual entry in a
Calendar to a manuscript, SPO marks a huge advance for historians in all
disciplines, whether they use it for their own research or for teaching.
Being able to view images of the manuscripts alongside entries in the
Calendars will allow scholars not only to read any comments made by the
recipients of documents but also to make their own notes, transcripts and
corrections within SPO.

SPO has been designed for research historians, research-based teaching and
students. Each phase of SPO will have introductory and explanatory essays, a
glossary of terms, lists of abbreviations, and other helpful material.

This is a project on an impressive scale. It will be quite the most
important resource for historians of early-modern Britain for many years.
Built on the magnificent work of the Victorian archivists, it will bring
into the light archives explored by most of us on microfilm in research
libraries; from now on there will be few excuses for historians of the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries not to go to the original manuscripts of
the most important collections of The National Archives and British Library.
To have the State Paper archives put back together again, fully viewable and
searchable from our own computers, is nothing short of revolutionary.

The first Part will be available in October, with the rest following within
two years. The four parts will form one seamless searchable archive.

State Papers Online, 1509-1714

Part One: Henry VIII to Elizabeth I, 1509-1603: State Papers, Domestic

* The National Archives, London, State Papers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11,
12, 13, 14 and 15, and Calendars; * British Library, London, Burghley
Papers (Lansdowne Manuscripts and some Cotton Manuscripts) and Catalogues;
* Hatfield House Library, Hertfordshire, Cecil Papers (Calendars and
transcriptions).

Part Two: Henry VIII to Elizabeth I, 1509-1603: State Papers Foreign,
Ireland, Scotland, Borders and Acts of Privy Council.

* The National Archives, London, State Papers 49, 50,51, 52, 53, 59, 60,
61, 62, 63, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,
88, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106
and 108, and Calendars; * Acts of the Privy Council

Part Three: James I to Queen Anne, 1603-1714: State Papers, Domestic

* The National Archives, London, State Papers 8, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21,
22, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38, 40, 41, 42, 44 and 46, and
Calendars * British Library, London, Additional Manuscripts 64870-64924,
69868-69935, 69936-69998, and Catalogues.

Part Four: James I to Queen Anne, 1603-1714: State Papers Foreign and
Ireland and Acts of Privy Council

* The National Archives, London, State Papers 47, 57, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,
71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,
94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 108 and 112, and
Calendars; * Acts Privy Council

David N. Klausner, Professor of English and Medieval Studies
Vice-Dean for Interdisciplinary Affairs, Faculty of Arts and Science
University of Toronto
voice: 416-946-7379 fax: 416-971-1398

"Extended wisecraft weakens the too weary head."
Rev. John Williams ab Ithel';s translation of 'Y Gododin' (1852).