Library News
New e-resources: The Cecil Papers and Nineteenth Century Collections Online - British Politics and Society
(18 June 2012)
Nineteenth Century Collections Online: British Politics and Society and the Cecil Papers are now available electronically to Durham University staff and students.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online: British Politics and Society includes papers of British statesmen, Home Office records, ordnance surveys, working class autobiographies and other unique collections, British Politics and Society is a key resource for those looking to explore the political and social history of Britain. Access British Politics and Society now via the Durham University Library catalogue.
The Cecil Papers areare a privately held archive of approximately 30,000 sixteenth and seventeenth-century manuscripts, consisting principally of the correspondence of William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520-1598) and his son Robert, the 1st Earl of Salisbury (1563-1612). Occupying some of the highest offices of state in the land, these men were at the heart of events during one of the most dynamic periods in western history. Access the Cecil Papers via the Library catalogue.
British Politics and Society enables researchers to explore such topics as British domestic and foreign policy, trade unions, Chartism, utopian socialism, public protest, radical movements, the cartographic record, political reform, education, family relationships, religion, leisure and many others. This database gives instant access to a range of never-before-available primary sources, including manuscripts, maps, drawings, newspapers, periodicals, government correspondence, letters, diaries, photographs, poster, pamphlets and more.
The Cecil Papers span the period 1520-1668, from the birth of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, to the death of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury. Because of the importance of the Cecils, the materials offer crucial insights into the events of one of the most dynamic periods of history, including the marriages of Henry VIII, through the reign of Elizabeth I and the clandestine plans to facilitate James I/VI's accession, upon her death.