The Herschel Family Papers largely represent the life and work of Sir John F. W. Herschel (1792-1871), the English mathematician, astronomer, chemist, and experimental photographer/inventor. Also present are manuscripts and correspondence by and about John's father Sir William Herschel (1738-1822), discoverer of the planet Uranus and stellar astronomy pioneer; John's aunt, the noted astronomer Caroline Lucretia Herschel (1750-1848); and many other Herschel family members, scientific colleagues, and friends.

The papers of Sir John Frederick WIlliam Herschel (Series I) contain correspondence, observations, notebooks, diaries, and other manuscript material. Topics discussed include astronomy, chemistry, geology, mathematics, meteorology and barometry, physical optics, and physics. Early works include drafts of his publication "Memoir on a Remarkable Application of Cote's Theorems" and mathematical notebooks from his student years. His diaries and travel journals contain observations from tours in Italy, France, Germany, and England. Herschel's observations at the Cape of Good Hope (1834-1838) are documented by reports, notes, star charts, financial accounts, and diaries. This series also documents his associations with organizations such as the Royal Mint, the English Committee for the Terrestrial Magnetism Survey, the Greenwich Observatory, the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Standards Commission. Correspondents include George Biddle Airy, Charles Babbage, Francis Baily, Francis Beaufort, David Brewster, William Rutter Dawes, Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, James David Forbes, William Rowan Hamilton, John Russell Hind, Humphrey Lloyd, John William Lubbock, Charles Lyell, Thomas Maclear, Roderick Impey Murchison, George Peacock, Benedetto Pistrucci, Edward Sabine, Richard Sheepshanks, William Henry Smyth, George Gabriel Stokes, William Henry Fox Talbot, Charles Edward Trevelyan, William Whewell, and Thomas Young.

The papers of Sir William Herschel (Series II) contain correspondence, essays, notes, and tables. Essays include "Concerning the Central Powers of the Particles of Matter," "My Idea of Matter," "Remarks on Dr. Priestley's Disquisition on Matter and Spirit," "Interference of Light," as well as notes on astronomy and optics. A list of the telescopes Sir William constructed and documents relating to his early musical career are also present.

The papers of Caroline Lucretia Herschel (Series III) consist of correspondence, biographical memoranda, and diaries. Correspondents include Carl Friedrich Gauss, John Haygarth, Alexander von Humboldt, and Joseph Lalande. Her manuscripts include drafts of her autobiography, her astronomical tables, and a commonplace book of astronomical memoranda that records her education as an astronomer.

The papers of other Herschel family members (Series IV) include the correspondence, drawings, biographical memoranda, notebooks and housekeeping books of Sir John's family, including his mother, wife, and several of his children. Notable items include Isabella Herschel's biographical memoranda and extracts from diaries and letters of her father; extensive correspondence between Lady Margaret Herschel and other Herschel family members and friends; and the housekeeping book of John's mother, Mary Pitt Herschel.

The series of third-party works and correspondence (Series V) contains notes, observations, diaries, reports and correspondence of colleagues including George Biddell Airy, Giuseppe Bianchi, William Thomas Brande, Ernst Wilhelm von Br cke, Richard Christopher Carrington, James Russell Hind, Joseph Johann Littrow, Francis Lunn, Thomas Maclear, Gilbert Elliot Minto, George Peacock, Edward Sabine, and William Samuel Stratford. The bulk of the items relate to astronomical topics, but other subjects include actinometry, meteorology, terrestrial magnetism, and the Standards Commission. Other notable items include selections written in King George III's hand for a concert of chamber music and documents relating to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.