This series contains principally the following records of the Ordnance Office:

• entry books of reports of the Surveyor General with the decisions of The Board of Ordnance thereon, 1753-1859;
• entry books of warrants from the Master General of the Ordnance, and Orders in Council together with originals of the same, 1568-1857;
• orders, 1744-1863, including Military Orders, 1822-1855;
• engineer papers and letter books, 1785-1868;
• artillery letters and letter books, 1773-1862;
• observations, reports, etc on defence, fortifications, etc, 1681-1879;
• registers of issues of stores and arms at the Tower of London, Portsmouth, Chatham and elsewhere, 1571-1858 (but mostly dating from the seventeenth century);
• entry books of in- and out- letters, minutes, accounts, store ledgers etc of the Ordnance Office, Portsmouth, 1699-1890;
• the seal of the Ordnance Board, 1806;
• papers relating to patents, 1876-1904;
• lands, rents and buildings, 1732-1923, and the king's works at Purfleet, 1793-1834.