Administering the Empire 1801‐1968: A Guide to the Records of the Colonial Office in The National Archives of the UK

Researchers of aspects of colonial history, or of the history of areas that were at some time under British administration, will often stumble when they first attempt to use or search for Colonial Office records. The size and scope of the records held at The National Archives, and the arrangement of these, is far more complex than many researchers' previous experience of archival research. Researchers too are often unaware of what records may contain – in some cases expecting to find material that is not held, and equally being unaware of records that will be critical to their research question....