The state papers are the correspondence and papers of the
ministers of the Crown during the early modern period. For the
first time individuals and personalities emerge from obscurity
and we are able to go behind the scenes of government and
explore motives, policy-making, and ideas. The state papers are
the backbone of early modern records transforming the
historians’ approach to this lively period. The talk begins with
an overview of the state papers, followed by their use over
time, and how the State Papers Office was run. The podcast ends
with a summary of finding aids available, including what is
accessible on State Papers Online. Dr Adrian Ailes is a
principal records specialist in early modern records and is
particularly interested in local history, the gentry, heraldry
and seals. Dr Katy Mair is an early modern records specialist
whose research interests include the Jacobites, the history of
reading, and the religious culture of women. Her doctorate
examined the correspondence of the 16th century gent