Catalogue description Military Correspondence with India

The series comprises 35 sub-series. In addition to the main sub-series of Military Letters received and Despatches sent, Marine Letters received are included from 1867. There are also separate sub-series of Secret Military Letters (1906-35) and Despatches (1904-30) and Secret and Confidential Military Telegrams received (1914-35) and sent (1914-37). Additional information on these sub-series may be found below.

Earlier military letters can be found among the various sets of general correspondence with the presidencies in East India Company General Correspondence: Correspondence with India IOR: E/4. For later file copies of letters on military matters in the India Office, see L/MIL/6-7. From 1867 Marine letters were received in the India Office Military Department, (see also L/MIL/16). For registers and Indexes see Z/L/MIL/3.

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Anthony Farrington, Guide to the records of the India Office Military Department IOR L/MIL and L/WS (London 1982), pp. 21-41

Separate series of military letters from and to Bengal and India, Madras, and Bombay, began to be kept in London between 1803 and 1806, with sets at both the Company's Headquarters at East India House and at the Board of Control.

Following the demise of the Company and the Board, records duplicated at the two former headquarters were extensively weeded. The pre-India Office sets originated in the archives of both the Company and the Board of Control. In the case of military letters from India up to 1858 the Board copies were retained in preference to the set held by the Company, while from 1858 to 1935 originals received by the India Office survive (although it must be remembered that 'originals' were normally received in multiple copy). Military letters to India, however, are extant both as Board's and Company's fair copies, and as India Office fair copies and original drafts, so that there is a great deal of duplication between the various sets.

Between 1835 and 1900 (1895 for Madras and Bombay) the Military Department at East India House and the India Office removed the enclosures from incoming letters and bound them separately, unfortunately with a great deal of overlapping because of the presence of multiple 'originals'.

Contrary to the usual India Office practice, letters from the Government of India were called 'despatches' after 1887.