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Publications
of Parliament
Parliamentary
Proceedings
Parliamentary
Debates
House
of Commons
Sessional
Papers
Looking Up British Sessional Papers
Parliamentary
Proceedings
Parliamentary
"proceedings"
refer to
the record
of Parliamentary
action rather
than the
record of
Parliamentary
debate.
Parliamentary
proceedings
have been
recorded
in the following:
Rotuli
Parliamentorum;
ut et Petitiones
et placita
in Parlimento
6 volumes
and index
(1771-1783)
Government
UK Folio
J301 .H12
Rolls
of Parliament,
to Supply
the Deficiencies
in the Journals
of the House
of Lords
(1771)
Government
UK Folio
J301 .H13
The Rotuli
Parliamentorum
are the
extant records
of Parliament
from 1278-1503.
The basic
six-volume
set (the
supplementary
volume was
issued in
1771) contains
most of
the available
manuscript
rolls of
the early
Parliaments
as well
as some
of the petitions
to Parliament
that have
been preserved
at the Public
Record Office.
The index
was published
in 1832.
Journals
of the House
of Commons
(1547 to
present;
except for
1584-1601)
Emory has:
Government
UK J301
.K3 (1547-1772)
Government
UK Microprint
11 (1774-1780)
Government
UK J301
.K3 (1780-1795)
Government
UK Microprint
11 (1795-1900)
Government
UK J301
.K3 (1958
to present)
The Journals
are the
permanent,
official
record of
Parliament.
They are
an authority
for procedure
within the
House of
Commons
and provide
a rich source
of historical
information,
much of
which is
unavailable
elsewhere.
Each volume
of the Journals
contains
its own
index, and
a series
of General
Indexes
cover several
sessions.
Because
of the many
idiosyncrasies
of indexing,
changes
in content,
and unusual
seventeenth-century
narrative
style (only
somewhat
modified
in 1969),
researchers
may wish
to consult
David Menhennet's
The Journal
of the House
of Commons:
A Bibliographic
and Historical
Guide, 1971
(JN673 .M45).
Menhennet
is also
useful for
identifying
non-official
accounts
of Parliamentary
activity
for the
period 1584-1601
when the
Journals
are missing.
Parliamentary
Debates
Refer to the Bibliography of
Parliamentary Debates of Great Britain, above, for a detailed
study of the sources of Parliamentary debates.
The
Parliamentary
History
of England
from the
Earliest
Period to
the Year
1803...
36 volumes
(1806-1820)
Government
UK J301
.H5
Begun
by William
Cobbett
and completed
by T.C.
Hansard
and J. Wright,
this work
is the best
single source
for Parliamentary
debate for
the period
1066-1803.
Cobbett,
as the collection
is popularly
called,
was compiled
from a number
of sources,
official
(Journal
of the House
of Commons)
and unofficial
(diaries,
etc.). While
extensive,
Cobbett
is not always
definitive
and authorities
have claimed
that it
lacks significant
source material.
Researchers
may wish
to check
a number
of Cobbett's
sources
(listed
in his Preface)
that are
available
in the Library.
The arrangement
of Cobbett
is chronological.
There is
no index
but there
is a fairly
detailed
Table of
Contents
whose "Index
of Names
of Several
Speakers"
and breakdown
of contents
by category
("Kings
Messages,"
"Kings
Speeches,"
etc. are
helpful.
Parliamentary
Debates
(Authorized
Edition)
(1803-1908)
Microfilm
3332
Parliamentary
Debates
(Hansard)
Official
Report,
House of
Commons
(1909 to
present)
Government
UK J301
.K22
Parliamentary
Debates
(Hansard)
Official
Report,
House of
Lords
Government
UK J301
.J22
Hansard's
was begun
by William
Cobbett
in 1803
and, in
1811, sold
to Thomas
C. Hansard,
whose descendents
published
the reports
of Parliamentary
debates
until 1898.
In the beginning,
Hansard's
was based
on reports
published
in the contemporary
press but
as time
went on
the reports
became more
and more
accurate.
In 1909,
the Stationary
Office took
over Hansard's
and produced
a full,
official
transcript
of the debates.
In 1909,
also, the
debates
in the House
of Lords,
up to that
time published
in summary
form with
those of
the House
of Commons,
began to
be reported
and published
separately.
The Woodruff
Library
receives
the final
bound edition
of the debates
for both
the House
of Commons
and the
House of
Lords. Each
volume has
an index
of speakers
and subjects.
From 1830
on, each
session
is indexed
either at
the end
of the last
volume of
the session
or in an
additional
volume.
It is important
to note
that Hansard's
is numbered
by columns,
not by pages.
Also, researchers
should be
aware that
the pages
for the
oral debate
and the
pages for
the answers
to written
questions
are numbered
separately;
the index
placing
a "w"
after items
listed in
the written
answer section.
Hansard
(House of Commons Daily Debates) (1988-89 to present)
This web site offers the full text of debates going back
to the 1988-89 session, including oral and written questions,
bills, and commitee reports. A search engine offered by this
site allows researchers to search by keyword and by item type.
Lords
Hansard Full Text Database (1994-95 to present)
Offers the full text of Lords Hansard from November, 1994
to the current day.
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House
of Commons
Sessional
Papers
The British
House of
Commons
Sessional
Papers form
one of the
richest
collections
of government
publications
in existence.
Consisting
of Bills,
Reports
of Committees
and Commissions,
and Accounts
and Papers,
the Sessional
Papers cover
a wide range
of political,
historical
and economic
information
important
not only
to students
of British
history
but also,
because
of Britain's
role in
world affairs,
to students
of world
history
as well.
Included
in the Sessional
Papers are
the so-called
Command
Papers,
papers non-Parliamentary
in origin
but presented
to Parliament
"By
Command"
of His/Her
Majesty.
Usually
such documents
deal with
issues likely
to be the
subject
of legislation.
Often they
will include
government
"White"
or position
papers and
significant
Royal Commission
reports.
Also found
in the Command
Papers is
the British
Treaty Series
containing
the text
of treaties,
agreements
and notes
exchanged
between
Britain
and various
foreign
powers.
Although
the Library
possesses
a small
number of
duplicate
Command
Papers in
paper and
microfilm
and some
reprints
(all listed
in EUCLID),
the bulk
of Emory's
collection
of House
of Commons
Sessional
Papers is
in microformat.
See above
for indexes
to the Sessional
Papers
British
Parliamentary
Papers.
House of
Commons
Sessional
Papers
Microfiche 684 (1731-1960)
Microprint 8 (1956/57-1978/79)
Microfiche
684 (1979
to present)
This is the library's most complete collection of Sessional
Papers, containing all the bills, reports, accounts, and various
papers. See
Looking up British Sessional Papers for tips on how to
find materials in this collection.
House
of Commons
Home Page
Offers
links to
many sources
providing
full text
of publications
of both
House of
Parliament.
Another
source of
Sessional
Papers is
in the Irish
University
Press series
of reprints.
These reproduce
selected
documents
on various
topics:
Irish
University
Press Series
of British
Parliamentary
Papers.
Anthropology:
Aborigines
3 volumes
(1968-69)
GN4 .I74
Reproduces
selected
documents
from the
Sessions
of 1834,
1836, and
1837.
Irish
University
Press Series
of British
Parliamentary
Papers.
Colonies:
Africa 70
volumes
(1968-71)
JQ1881
.A2I73 1968
These
volumes
cover the
period 1801-1899.
Irish
University
Press Series
of British
Parliamentary
Papers.
Colonies:
General
(1968-1971)
Government
UK Folio
JV33 .G7
I7
The library
has only
volumes
11-19, 21-28,
30-31, 33-37
covering
1864-1899.
Irish
University
Press Series
of British
Parliamentary
Papers.
Slave Trade
95 volumes
(1968-1971)
HT1161
.I73
This set
covers the
period 1810-1899.
The Sessional
Papers have
been issued
annually
as a separate
series by
the House
of Commons
since the
nineteenth
century.
Commons
Papers issued
in the eighteenth
century
and earlier
are also
available.
Prior to
1801, many
of the Papers
were printed
in the Journals
of the House
of Commons.
In addition,
there exist
three official
collections
of eighteenth-century
Commons
Papers:
Reports
from Committees
of the Houses
of Commons
Reprinted
by Order
of the House
16 volumes
(1803-1806)
Government
UK J301
.K55
Often referred to as the "First Series," this collection
covers the period 1715-1803 and contains reports not found
in the Journals of the House of Commons as well as many which
are not contained in other eighteenth-century Sessional Paper
collections. The set has its own index which was later expanded,
with some loss of detail, into Hansard's
Catalogue and Breviate of Parliamentary Papers, 1696-1834.
House
of Commons
Sessional
Papers
Microfiche
684
The first
part of
the microfiche
edition
of the Sessional
Papers is
commonly
referred
to as the
Abbot Collection
or the "Second
Series."
It covers
the period
1731 to
1800. The
Second Series
is distinguished
from later
Sessional
Papers by
the letter
"A"
on the fiche
and is set
off by divider
cards.
House
of Commons
Sessional
Papers of
the Eighteenth
Century
147 volumes
(1975)
Government
UK J301
.K625 1975
This,
the most
recent and
by far the
most comprehensive
collection
of eighteenth-century
Sessional
Papers,
covers the
period 1715
to 1800.
The subject
index in
List (Index)
Volume 2
indicates
the year
of a document
and its
number within
a year.
Other Lists
will locate
a document
within this
collection
as well
as in Abbott
or the First
Series.
Sessional
Papers of
both Houses
of Parliament
for the
period 1531-1714
are listed
and often
fully transcribed
in the various
calendars
of manuscripts
of the House
of Lords
published
by the Royal
Commission
on Historical
Manuscripts.
A briefly
annotated
list of
these calendars
is found
in the abovementioned
The
Records
of Parliament:
A Guide
for Genealogists
and Local
Historians.
For the
period 1509-June,
1715, Sessional
Papers can
also be
found in
the following
collection:
Main
Papers of
the House
of Lords
9 parts
on 174 reels
Micfilm
1743
This set
contains
the working
records
of the House
of Lords
for the
period 1509-1715.
In some
cases this
set acts
as the only
record of
parliamentary
activity
since a
huge range
of Parliamentary
records
was lost
to fire
in 1834.
Most of
these documents
are listed
in various
calendars
of the Royal
Commission
on Historical
Manuscripts.
(The Calendars
are located
at Government
UK DA25
.M1. A guide
to the microfilm
set is the
following
title:
The
Main Papers
of the House
of Lords:
Parts 1
thru 9,
Years 1509
thru June
1715
Microguides
JN621 .M35
1986
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