Scope and Content Note
The London Newsletters Collection spans the years 1665-1685 and consists of volumes of letters written from the offices of the English ministry at Whitehall Palace chiefly to Sir William Scott, 5th Laird of Harden (died 1707). The letters, many with the signature “These,” are from several different hands, including one at the beginning of the first volume that was written by Thomas St. Serf.
The authors of the letters discussed such matters as royal travel and itinerary, military operations, diplomatic meetings, religious movements, shipping and commercial agreements and restrictions, and social events occurring in London. One volume contains several handbills relating to Parliamentary acts and chronicles actions in Parliament. Another aspect of the letters concerns sources of information and communication in London in the seventeenth century, and the authors frequently noted from whom particular rumors originated.