Cecil Papers
The Cecil Papers are the core collection in Hatfield House Archives. They consist of the papers of William Cecil (1521-98) Lord Burghley and his son Robert Cecil (1563-1612) First Earl of Salisbury. There are also a few papers of William Cecil (1591-1668) Second Earl of Salisbury. The Cecil Papers comprise about 30,000 documents. They include grants from the Crown, legal documents, state papers, treaties, correspondence and political memoranda. There are some papers of the Earl of Essex and letters from Sir Walter Ralegh and Queen Elizabeth I. Other papers of Lord Burghley survive amongst the State Papers in The National Archives and in the Lansdowne Collection in the British Library . Similarly, many of the papers of Robert Cecil are to be found in the State Papers in The National Archives.  The Cecil Papers have been comprehensively catalogued and described in the Calendar of the Salisbury (Cecil) Manuscripts which was published in 24 volumes by the Historical Manuscripts Commission between 1883 and 1976. It is advisable to look at the calendar before making any inquiry about the Cecil Papers. Sets are available at The National Archives, the British Library and in various academic and reference libraries.