They consist of an almost complete service record from 1746, including a log, 1759 to 1778, together with letter and order books, 1746 to 1783, 1789 to 1792, and two signal books. There is a very full administrative correspondence during the War of American Independence and the 1790 crisis. There are no personal papers in the collection. Estate and family papers are in the Northumberland Record Office.

Administrative / biographical background
Roddam entered the Navy in 1735 and after serving in the West Indies was promoted to lieutenant in 1741. His first command was the VIPER in the Channel in 1746 and he was promoted to captain in 1747, afterwards commanding the GREYHOUND in the North Sea and in North America. In 1753 Roddam commanded the BRISTOL guardship at Plymouth and in 1755 was appointed to the GREENWICH in the West Indies where, in 1757, she was captured by superior French forces. At his court martial he was honourably acquitted. He commanded the COLCHESTER in the Channel in 1759 and in 1760 went to St. Helena to escort the homecoming East India convoy. Between 1770 and 1773 Roddam commanded the LENOX, for most of the time as guardship at Plymouth. After a period on half-pay he was appointed to the CORNWALL at Portsmouth in 1777 but in 1778 he was promoted to rear-admiral and served as Commander-in-Chief at the Nore for the remainder of the war, being promoted to vice-admiral in 1779. Roddam flew his flag in the ROYAL WILLIAM during the Spanish mobilization, 1790, but was not employed again. He became an admiral in 1793.