The papers consist of an order book, 1803 to 1805, official service documents and private and semi-official letters from many important officers of the time. Among them is one from Nelson (q.v.), 1805, from the Duke of Wellington, 1811, and a series of thirty-five from William, Duke of Clarence, 1827 to 1828, when Lord High Admiral. For the Mediterranean command there are letters from the 2nd Earl of Minto (q.v.) and Lord Ponsonby (1770-1855), ambassador at Constantinople. Finally, there is a volume of letters from well-known literary and social figures received by Stopford and Field-Marshal Thomas Grosvenor (1764-1851) between 1791 and 1850, including one from Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). Stopford and Grosvenor both lived at Richmond, Surrey. An additional volume was presented to the Museum in 1996, the log of HMS SPENCER, kept while Captain Stopford was attached to the Channel Fleet in 1803-1804.

Administrative / biographical background
Stopford entered the Navy in 1780, passed as lieutenant in 1784 and was promoted to captain in 1790. He served in the Channel and the West Indies until 1802 but on the resumption of hostilities was appointed to the Spencer in the Channel Fleet until 1805. Between 1806 and 1807 he was Member of Parliament for Ipswich. After further service in the West Indies, he was promoted to rear-admiral in 1808 and went to the East Indies as Commander-in-Chief until 1813. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1812 and admiral in 1825. In 1827 Stopford was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, and after holding office for the usual term of three years, was on half-pay until 1837 when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean. His period of command included the Syrian campaign and the bombardment of Acre, 1840. In 1841 be was appointed Governor of Greenwich Hospital.