The RCVS Archives offer a unique insight into the history of the British veterinary profession and the lives of the members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Cataloguing of the collections started in October 2015, and the first papers to be processed are those of Major General Sir Frederick Smith. Other collections relating to the history of the RCVS and other notable individuals will follow. For progress updates, please read our blog, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The archive catalogue provides descriptions of material held within our collections, to help researchers decide which items are most relevant to their interest, before consulting the actual documents. Archive catalogues are arranged hierarchically, from the general to the specific, and so a general search will return many results, which you can then narrow down to specific items. Catalogue records at 'Fonds', 'SubFonds', and 'Series' are broad descriptions of a lot of material, and provide contextual information. Records at 'File' and 'Item' level describe individual folders and pages. Once you have identified which files and items you would like to see, either follow the link to digitised versions (where available) or make note of the RefNo and contact us to arrange a visit.

Published material, such as books and journals, are not included in the archive catalogue. To find material of this nature, please search the RCVS Knowledge Library catalogue here.

The cataloguing of our collections is a work in progress, and more records are added periodically. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please contact us, as we may have relevant material not yet catalogued.