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Cope Collection, Special Collections, Hartley Library: Official Publications

The Cope Collection includes books, pamphlets, journals, prints, photographs and postcards on all aspects of life in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Official Publications

Official Publications or Parliamentary Papers contain information on education, health, poor relief, charities and public works at a local level.

Particularly useful are the House of Commons Sessional Papers, which include reports of Royal Commissions whilst the Local and Personal Acts deal with enclosure, estates, canals, railways and other similar undertakings.

Guides to the use of Official Publications include:

  • Bond, M. The Records of Parliament: a Guide for Genealogists and Local Historians (1964) P.P. Ref J 301.H8
  • Stevens, W.B. Sources for English Local History (1994) DA 670 STE

Hartley Library Official Publications

Parliamentary Papers are available in the Hartley Library as follows:

Sessional Papers

  • House of Commons Sessional Papers 1801-1921 are on microfiche, on level 3, and there is a facsimile reprint of those from 1715-1760 shelved at stack Ford Coll.

Indexes

  • The Fords' Select Lists and Breviates of Parliamentary Papers provide a subject approach to major House of Commons Sessional Papers and are shelved at P.P. Ref J 301.H9
  • Cockton, Peter The Subject Catalogue of the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers 1801-1900 (1988) is arranged by broad subject areas and gives references to the microfiche edition of the Parliamentary Papers. P.P. Ref J 301.M3 COC

Acts of Parliament

  • Public General Acts 1801- are shelved at Reports KB 200, level 3. Texts of earlier Acts (1220-1800) are given in Statutes at Large, also shelved at Reports KB 200. Authoritative texts of Acts prior to 1713 are given in Statutes of the Realm 1278-1714 shelved at Hist S. folio DA 25.R3
  • Local and Personal Acts 1836/7-1938/9, 1960-, with indexes for 1797-1849, 1801-1947 and 1948-1966 are shelved at Reports KB 200

Cope Collection - Local and Personal Acts

A number of local and personal acts from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries can be found in Rare Books Cope. Check Library Search to find out which are included in the collection.

London to Southampton Railway Act 1843

Local Act title

Rare Books Cope quarto 43.3

Electronic Access

Access to some collections is restricted to members of the University.

  • vLex Justis: UK Statutes Full-text access to all Acts of Parliament from 1235-

See also

For more information see the Subject Support pages for British Official Publications and Law.