Calendar of State Papers Domestic Series. Of the Reign of Anne, Preserved in the Public Record Office. Volume IV. 1705-1706 (review)

This volume is the second to appear within a year of the revived series of calendars of state papers domestic for Anne's reign. (Volume III appeared in 2005, and was reviewed in ante, XXV, 416-18, and much of that review applies to the present volume.)¹ The first two volumes of the calendars appeared as far back as 1916 and 1924. The work on this volume and its immediate predecessor was revived in the 1970s, followed by a yet another hiatus and it was completed recently (p. vi). Thus these two volumes represent a triumph of perseverance over what one must presume was financial dearth. It is particularly encouraging to see the revival of the series in hardcopy in an age obsessed with electronic publication. The National Archives hopes to raise money to continue the series to the end of the reign in 1714. This reviewer wishes the project every success, hoping that if more volumes appear they will also be available in a hardcopy format (plus possibly an electronic version for ease of searching).

What is odd about this volume as opposed to its immediate predecessor is its lack of an introduction. I particularly noticed this omission as I am the author of the introduction to volume III. However, what was said in general terms about the state papers for 1704-5 in that introduction applies equally to the papers for 1705-6.

One important thing to remember is that it was common practice in the early eighteenth century for secretaries of state when they left office to take part of the official archive with them. Thus what remains in the state archive calendared here is not the complete papers for the period. Nevertheless, what remains is a rich source for historians interested in all the aspects of government: from Aberdovey in Merionethshire, near where a packet boat was lost, to a privateer from Zealand in the Netherlands.

At the end of this volume, as with its predecessor, there is a list of passes (pp. 291-387) issued by the secretaries of state for foreign travel both to English men and women and to foreigners: from Abraham Aaron, a German Jew, to Hugo van Zwol, a Dutch seaman.

A few subjects covered in this volume, selected at random, are the admiralty, ambassadors, envoys and consuls, the army, Barcelona, Blenheim palace and battle, Calais, Catalonia, John Churchill, duke of Marlborough, Dublin, elections, excise revenue, France, Lord Godolphin, Sir Charles Hedges (secretary of state), royal household, Ireland, Jersey, Kensington palace, legal forms, Lisbon, London, Maryland, the navy, New York, ordnance, Oxford university, Samuel Pepys, plantations and colonies, post office, prisoners of war, privateers, queen's bench prison, Ivan Rosenkrantz (Danish envoy), St Germain-en-Laye (jacobite court at), Scotland, ships, sick and wounded, Spain, trade, United Provinces of the Netherlands, Venice, Welsh riots, West Indies, Westminster, York and Zelle (Celle).

Perhaps the most notable absence from this volume is any substantial material (there are only a few minor references) on the negotiations for the Anglo-Scottish union, which came into being on 1 May 1707. Some such papers were certainly carried off by Charles Spencer, 3rd earl of Sunderland (secretary of state from 3 December 1706, the very end of the period covered by this volume): notes on the negotiations for the union are to be found in the Blenheim papers (unfortunately not amongst those transferred to the British Library in the 1980s, but still at Blenheim palace).

However, the material that will most interest the readers of this journal is that on the parliament of England, though there is less in this volume than there was in the previous one. Surprisingly there is virtually nothing on the Irish...