Secretaries of State: State Papers Domestic, George II

Mainly in-letters addressed to, and papers assembled by, the Secretaries of State in their domestic capacity during the reign of George II and left in the State Paper Office. Papers of their Under Secretaries and other staff are included, as well as petitions from corporations or individuals, drafts of out-letters, warrants and papers relating to appointments.

Much relates to law and order and subversion. Material relating to the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 is abundant, and intelligence gathering and monitoring of newspapers, pamphlets and ballads permeates the period leading up to it. A few pieces relate specifically to Jacobites or Jacobite activity. Customs and excise matters also feature, and the secretaries' management duties regarding Privy Council business are reflected in the inclusion of orders in council, and there are also Cabinet minutes.

SP 36/1-145 are largely in chronological order. Undated material was, if possible, placed at the end of the year it was attributed to. Undated papers for which no year was initially allocated are in SP 36/146-150. The remainder of the series consists of short sequences of Law Officers' reports, petitions etc; of petitions and memorials; and miscellaneous material.

Various attempts to list and describe the contents of this series over several decades have resulted in multiple foliations on each page.

SP 36/1-72. The folio numbers used in the item-level catalogue entries are pencilled numbers in a diamond shape ('diamond foliation') at the bottom of the page. The item number is the number of the first folio covered by that item.

SP 36/73-165. Most pieces consist of two parts. The item-level references include both the part number (1 or 2) and the stamped folio number (in the upper right-hand corner) for the first folio covered by that item. For volumes 73-105, the former reference field contains the diamond foliation range for these records.

As some items consist of two or more folios, there are gaps in the item numbering sequence.