The papers cover only one period of Pocock's career in detail, that of his time in the East Indies, 1754 to 1760, and include letters from the Admiralty, the East India Company Secret Committee at Madras, Company officials and local officials. The papers relating to the capture of Chandernagore in 1757 include the capitulation, papers signed by General Thomas Lally (1702-1766) and letters from Robert Clive (1725-1774). The private correspondence consists of letters received by Pocock between 1763 and 1789 from the Nabob of the Carnatic, 1766, and other local rulers in India. The collection also contains some papers of Pocock's son, Sir George Pocock (1765-1840), and his grandsons, Robert and Edward; this section is mostly of bills, receipts and accounts for the years 1792 to 1862. A further collection of Pocock's papers is in the Huntingdon Library, California.

Administrative / biographical background
Pocock entered the Navy in 1718, became a lieutenant in 1726, a commander in 1734, a captain in 1738 and served almost continuously until the peace in 1748. In 1754 he went to the East Indies in command of the Cumberland and in the following year was promoted to rear-admiral. In 1757 Pocock became a vice-admiral and on the death of Rear-Admiral Charles Watson (1714-1757), succeeded him in command, remaining in the East Indies until 1760. In 1762 he was promoted to admiral, but after he commanded the expedition to capture Havana, 1762 to 1763, had no further employment. He was Member of Parliament for Plymouth from 1760 to 1768.