Library Research Guide for British Colonial and Foreign Relations Sources

General Bibliographies and Guides

Bibliographical guide to the history of the British Empire, 1748-1776, by Lawrence Henry Gipson. (The British Empire before the American Revolution. v. 14) New York, Knopf, 1969, xxiii, 478 pp.
Widener Br 397.30.5 vol.14
HOLLIS Record

History: Primary Sources for Canadian History (Mt Royal)

Canadian History: Primary Sources (Queen’s)

Teaching History with Online Primary Documents (Toronto)

Canadian History Research Guide: Primary Sources (Brandon)

Archival Sources

A guide to manuscripts relating to the history of the British empire, 1748-1776, by Lawrence Henry Gipson. (The British empire before the American revolution, v. 15) New York, Knopf, 1970, xxii, 490, xxxvi pp.
Widener Br 397.30.5 vol.15
HOLLIS Record

Offers an overview of manuscripts related to the British American colonies in British, Canadian and American archives, with subject, largely name, index.  Useful in isolating pertinent material in much larger colletions (e.g., the UK National Archives, formerly the Public Record Office).  Includes an easily browsable list of the contents of CO 5: correspondence between the Board of Trade and Secretaries of State and the English, later British, colonies in North America and the Caribbean.  Much of his material is still only in the home repository, but much had been microfilmed or digitized.  We can help find this accessible material.

Confidential Print, North America, 1824-1961 contains printed material, from single letters to large volumes, circulated to officials in the Foreign or Colonial Office, to the Cabinet, and to heads of British missions abroad. Includes all material contained in the following National Archives record classes: CO 880/1-32 North America, 1839-1914; CO 884/1-38 West Indies, 1826-1961; FO 414/1-278 North America 1824-1941; FO 461/1-13 America, 1942-1956; FO 462/1-10 USA, 1947-1956.

Proceedings and debates of the British parliaments respecting North America, 1542-1754, ed. by Leo Francis Stock. Washington, D.C., The Carnegie institution of Washington, 1924-
HOLLIS Record
In Hein
HathiTrust Version

Proceedings and debates of the British Parliaments respecting North America, 1754-1783, ed. by Richard C. Simmons and Peter D.G. Thomas. Millwood, N.Y. : Kraus International Publications, 1982-
HOLLIS Record

Colonial State Papers (1574-1739) provides access to documents related to English activities in North America and the West Indies. There is a digitized version of Calendar of State Papers, Colonial: North America and the West Indies 1574-1739 which provides summaries, not full text, of documents.

Colonial America: Early Settlement, Expansion and Rivalries (1606-1822) offers the National Archives CO 5 series which includes correspondence between the British government and the governments of the American colonies.

Early Canadiana Online - Harvard does not have a subscription, but this can be used for searching.