Political and Secret Home Correspondence

The series consists of: (1) Home correspondence of the EIC Secret Committee 1807-1858; (2) Secret home correspondence of the Board of Control 1807-1839; (3) Secret Home Correspondence of the Board of Control 1839-1858 and of the India Office 1858-1874; (4) Political Home Correspondence of the East India Company 1835-1858 and India Office 1858-1859; (5) Political Home Correspondence of the Board of Control 1853-1858; (6) Political General Correspondence 1823-1858; (7) Political Home Correspondence of the India Office 1858-1874; (8) Political and Secret Home Correspondence of the India Office 1875-1911; (9) Files relating to Indian States extracted from Home Correspondence Volumes 44-208 [L/PS/3//231-395], 1881-1902.

(1) Political and Secret Committee, Court and Council Minutes, East India Company and India Office 1778-1867 [IOR/L/PS/1]; (2) Political and Secret Overseas Correspondence, East India Company and India Office, 1756-1911 [IOR/L/PS/5-7,14]. For registers and indexes: see IOR/Z/L/PS/3/3-33 (1826-1896), IOR/Z/L/PS/7/23-37(1897-1911).

Unrestricted

The term 'Home Correspondence' covers the separate correspondence which the departments of the East India Company and Board of Control and later the India Office maintained with individuals or institutions etc. within Britain and Europe (as distinct from their correspondence with India). Comparatively little of the East India Company's Secret or Political Home Correspondence has survived as a separate series - most of the pre-1858 IOR/L/PS/3 series belongs to the Board of Control - but home correspondence with the Company on political and secret matters (18th and early 19th century) may also be found in Home Miscellaneous Series [IOR/H] and occasionally in General Home Correspondence 1699-1834 [IOR/E/1]. Until 1875 the secret correspondence in IOR/L/PS/3 is for the most part filed separately from the political, after that date they are combined. Home correspondence for the years 1902 to 1911 is supplemented by the series IOR/L/PS/10 and is continued from 1912 by both IOR/L/PS/10 and IOR/L/PS/11.