The India Office Records are the repository of the archives of the East India Company (1600-1858), the Board of Control or Board of Commissioners for the Affairs of India (1784-1858), the India Office (1858-1947), the Burma Office (1937-1948), and a number of related British agencies overseas. The focus of the India Office Records is in the territories now included in India, Pakistan, Burma and Bangladesh and their administration before 1947. The Records also include source materials for neighbouring or connected areas at different times, covering not only South Asia, but also Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. The official archives of the India Office Records are complemented by over 300 collections and over 3000 smaller deposits of Private Papers relating to the British experience in India.
The India Office Records are administered by The British Library as part of the Public Records of the United Kingdom, and are open for public consultation.
The majority of the India Office Records are described on Search Our Catalogue Archives and Manuscripts.
Arms of the United Company of Merchants Trading to the East Indies © The British Library Board
East India Company and India Office: historical outline
Geographical scope of the India Office Records
Arrangement of the records, and list of classes of documents
Further Reading on the East India Company and India Office
India Office Select Material online catalogue
Botany in British India Material
Genealogical sources
Sources for Family History Research in the India Office Records
Regional guides
General guide to sources for areas outside India
Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim, and Nepal
External links:
British Intelligence on the North-West frontier, 1901-49 - India Office Records finding aid published by IDC Publishers, 2008
British Colonial Policy and Intelligence Files on Asia and Middle East, c.1880-1950 - India Office Records finding aid published by IDC Publishers, 2006
Educational sources
Further Information
The India Office Records may be consulted in the Asian and African Studies where the services and facilities of the Reading Room are available to researchers.
Contact
Asian and African Studies enquiries
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7873
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7641
E-mail: Ask the Reference Team
