The mission of the Archives is to preserve and celebrate the rich history of Queens’ College by systematically collecting, safeguarding, and providing access to the College’s historical records. This encompasses not only the official records of the College but also related artefacts, photographs, and private papers that reflect the institution’s heritage and contributions to the University of Cambridge’s scholarly community. By maintaining these resources, the Archives aims to support research, foster a deeper understanding of the College’s legacy, and ensure that future generations can access and appreciate the historical importance of Queens’ College.
The archive maintains an Archive Management Policy, which can be consulted here.
Founded in 1448, Queens’ College possesses extensive archive collections dating from its foundation in 1448 to the present. These include a large collection of medieval and early modern collections currently on permanent loan to Cambridge University Library. Although the collections are currently uncatalogued and unsorted, creating a digital catalogue of all Queens’ related items is a key priority of the recently established Archivist position. Taken as a whole, the college’s archives are widely recognised to be of enormous historical value, and not only as a source for Queens’ College history, since they contain documents dating back to the twelfth century. Of particular note are account-rolls and manor court-rolls relating to various estates of Crowland Abbey dating from around 1258 onwards. Extensive series of bursars’ and cooks’ accounts, buttery books, manorial records, and foundation documents are recognised as being among the richest of any Cambridge college as a household. More generally, the College Archives comprise extensive management and tutorial records which, when catalogued, will open up huge possibilities in terms of research.
The college archivist is creating a catalogue for the records held in the college archives. The first instance will involve just the records kept in the college archives and will not include records held in the University Library. This catalogue will be accessible via is Queens’ College Archives | ArchiveSearch, the University of Cambridge Archives online database.
For more guidance on using ArchivesSearch, please consult this LibGuide.
The collection mainly involves governance and administrative records of the day-to-day running of the college, tutorial and academic, personal papers of several former Queens’ members, estates records, and clubs and societies.
College records and estates prior to the 19th-century are held in the Department of Manuscripts and University Archives of Cambridge University Library. In 2019, a handlist of the collections held there was created, which can be consulted here.
For enquiries in relation to Queens’ College archives, contact the College Archivist at archivist@queens.cam.ac.uk or by post to Queens’ College Archives, Silver Street, Cambridge, CB3 9ET.
Please note the Archivist works for the College on a part-time basis, so there is sometimes a delay in responding to enquiries.
Researchers interested in individuals who were at Queens’ College before 1900 should consult Venn’s Alumni Cantabrigiense in the first instance.
For enquiries of the records held in the University Library, please contact them at mss@lib.cam.ac.uk to make sure the records are accessible to readers. Due to conservation efforts, certain records are currently not available for consultation.
The College Archivist, has created a thoroughly considered Access Policy for the collection held in the College and College Archives. This policy is aligned is aligned with all the relevant regulations, and international and UK laws regarding records retention. For more information on how the college archive grant access, please see here.
The archives are open to readers who wish to consult our collection. Readers must book an appointment with the Archivist. Please send an email to archivist@queens.cam.ac.uk. Visiting times may vary based on staff availability and commitments. Please contact us to schedule an appointment well in advance of your intended visit to ensure your access. In the day of your visit, you would need to read and agree to our Archives Readers Guidelines in how to treat and handle our material.
Photography of materials in the archive is permitted for the purpose of private research, but you must ask the archivist first. Some restrictions may apply; for more information, please consult our access policy. If any images are to be used in publications, copyright licences and relevant permission forms will also need to be completed. Depending on the nature of the publication, there may also be a fee associated with the reproduction.
The College welcomes donations of materials connected to its history. If you’d like to donate items relevant to Queens’ College for the Archive, please reach out to the Archivist (archivist@queens.cam.ac.uk) and review our Queens’ College Archive Management Policy, which can be consulted here.
The Archive is especially eager to receive the following collections: papers of alumni and fellows; records from student societies, including term cards and photographs; materials related to College Balls; records in relation to previous and actual estates and college buildings; and drawings.
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