The History of the Parliamentary Archives, Part 1: Origins to 1834

The archives collections held at Westminster date back more than 500 years. The House of Lords kept its most important records for centuries in the Jewel Tower, a stone tower on the parliamentary estate previously used by the royal family to store precious goods. As well as a storage space, it was a place for members, clerks and the wider public to consult the archives. The House of Commons, in contrast, kept its records in the roof space above St Stephen’s Chapel and in various other locations scattered around the estate, wherever room could be found. This article describes the story of record-keeping in the House of Lords and House of Commons from its earliest origins to the fire of 1834, which burned down much of the medieval Palace of Westminster and destroyed virtually all the historic records of the House of Commons.