The papers consist of loose papers mounted in a volume, relating mainly to the TALBOT and ASIA periods, with official service documents and two rolled charts. An additional volume relates to Stopford's time as a midshipman, featuring sailing and wind calculations, together with observations on forts in the Dardanelles and Sevastopol.

Administrative / biographical background
Robert Stopford, son of Admiral Sir Robert Stopford, entered the Navy in 1825 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1831. He was present at the siege of Acre, 1840, and was sent home with his father's despatches after the action. In 1841 he was promoted to captain and commanded HMS TALBOT in the Mediterranean for one year, employed for some of the time in surveying the Skerki Channel off Sardinia. He commanded HMS ASIA, 1848 to 1851, in the Pacific Squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Phipps Hornby. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1860, vice-admiral in 1866 and admiral in 1871.