Catalogue description Signet Office and Home Office: Sign Manual Letter Books Largely Relating to Ireland

Entries in full of letters sent under the royal sign manual to the lord lieutenant and other authorities in Ireland. Some entries relating to other matters, such as letters recommendatory for elections to bishoprics in England and Wales and letters to lords lieutenant of counties, judges of assize and various commissioners, etc, will also be found in the volumes.

From 1776 onwards the entries are largely duplicated in the Irish series of king's letter books in HO 101

Indexes to SO 1/4-38 are in SO 2

Down to the end of the year 1670 the volumes have been calendared in the Calendar of State Papers, Ireland and subsequent to that year in the volumes of the Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series .

SO 2 contains indexes to SO 1/4-38