The Stuart Papers were acquired by George IV when Prince Regent following the death of Henry Benedict Stuart, Cardinal York, and were originally kept in the Prince’s Library at Carlton House.

Comprising 541 bound volumes with a further eleven boxes of material, the Stuart Papers are an invaluable collection detailing the fortunes of the last Stuarts after the exile of James II in 1688. The majority of these papers concern the period 1713 to 1770, and provide an insight into Jacobite attempts to regain the throne, while later papers concern Cardinal York’s relations with the Vatican until his death in 1807.

The Stuart Papers are now digitised and available to view on State Papers Online (institutional subscription required, or available to view at The National Archives).