Stories from the collection

These intricate 1716 drawings were submitted by Sybilla Masters in the final stage of securing a patent for machinery for 'cleaning and curing Indian corn'.

The government tried to keep the details of the Bethnal Green Tube shelter disaster of 1943 private – but a court case brought the terrible story to light.

Records from the 1930s describe attempts to police sexual activities between men in public toilets – and officers’ thoughts on when to enforce the rules.

Sophia Duleep Singh (1876–1948) was an Indian princess and a formidable figure in the women's suffrage movement.

Pre-trial statements from this 1776 dispute between the Chevalier d’Eon and Charles de Morande provide intricate details about these two French spies.

Security Service files paint a vivid picture of what happened when Anthony Blunt – then employed in the royal household – admitted spying for the Soviet Union.

When can a lemon have fatal consequences? If it proves you are, in fact, a wartime spy…

Following the Napoleonic Wars, smuggling became a major concern for the British government.

This letter, sent by Princess Anne during the height of the Glorious Revolution, confirmed the betrayal of her father, King James II.

On 16 December 1773, 340 chests of tea were thrown into Boston harbour by protesting colonists. This letter from the East India Company requests reimbursement.

This 17th-century mince pie recipe contains spices, eggs and raisins, but also something slightly stranger.

This Second World War War Office document assessed the British Indian Army's battle readiness and made recommendations for its development.