UK Parliamentary Archives

• Held At: Parliamentary Archives: GB-061
• Catalogue Reference: HL/PO/1
• Former Archival Reference: POP
• Ref No: HL/PO/1
• Date: 1510-1997
• Level: Sub sub fonds
• Extent: 1 series; 630 files
• Creator Name: House of Lords; Parliament Office; c1509-2002
• Acquisition: The papers were handed in to the Record Office on its creation in 1946 and in numerous subsequent accessions.
• Description: The Parliament Office Papers were, for the most part, the surviving records of offices and clerks in the Parliament Office before the creation of the Record Office in 1946. The bulk of the collection is made up of the first tranche of working papers which were transferred to the Record Office upon its creation. They comprise unsorted administrative records of various offices within the Parliament Office, and contain some personal papers of clerks, which shed light upon the workings of Parliament, the passage of individual bills and even some aspects of local history. Of particular note in this latter category are HL/PO/1/477 and HL/PO/1/490 which comprise the papers of MAJ Wheeler-Booth and PG Henderson on the proposed reform of the House of Lords in the late 1960s.
  
  There are several long runs of records within the collection. HL/PO/1/321 contains nearly 700 judicial documents from the 18th and 19th centuries, including petitions, appeal cases, judges' opinions and judgments.
• Terms:
  • Palace of Westminster,
  • Law,
  • Legislation,
• Appraisal Information: The records were appraised in Autumn 2002 and some duplicate or ephemeral material was destroyed.
• Accruals: Closed to new accessions.
• Language: English and Latin
• System of Arrangement: The records have been assigned a running number upon their accession. A paper list exists arranged in date order, up to item 607. From 1997, records arriving in the Record Office were assigned to series relating to individual offices.
• Related Material: Other records of offices within the Parliament Office can be found in discrete sub-fonds in the catalogue, including pre-1997 material. Records of the Offices Committee are continued in HL/PO/DC/OF.
• Related Record:
  • HL/PO/DC/OF,
• Access Status: Open
• Access Conditions: In general, papers less than thirty years old are restricted, but certain papers within that category may be made available on request. From 2005, applications under Freedom of Information legislation will be considered.

This document forms part of a catalogue

Ordering the Document