Robert Dudley Oliver's papers consist of three standing orderbooks; two logbooks and two Nelson letters written in August 1805.

Richard Aldworth Oliver's papers consist of a notebook kept in the QUEEN; a general order and memoranda book, 1840 to 1850; a letterbook, 1847 to 1851, and a diary, 1848 to 1850, kept in the FLY, describing Oliver's time in New Zealand and a voyage to the New Hebrides.

Algernon Hardy Oliver's papers comprise a series of logs, some watch, station and quarter bills, a sights book, 1872 to 1876, three diaries, 1879 to 1881, and a notebook, 1888.

Captain Richard Oliver-Bellasis's papers consist of standing orders, routines of ships in which he served, and there is a complete set of notes and precis for the syllabus of the Staff College in 1936, as well as some notes of lectures.

The arrangement of the papers has been carried out in the museum.

Administrative / biographical background
The earliest papers are for Admiral Robert Dudley Oliver (1766-1850) who entered the Navy in 1779 and remained in active employment until 1815. His son Richard Aldworth Oliver, who joined the Navy in 1825, saw some service in New Zealand and Australian waters, and undertook surveying duties. He reached the rank of Admiral on the retired list and died in 1889. Commander Algernon Hardy Oliver, the third generation of the family, joined his first ship as a midshipman in 1871, and his career for the next twenty years can be traced through a series of logs, journals and watch bills. His last employment was in the LION, a training ship, where he served as a lieutenant from 1891 to 1893. He was promoted commander on the retired list in 1900, and retired in 1934. The papers of Richard Aldworth Oliver and Algernon Hardy Oliver presents a useful general picture of the activity of the Royal Navy during the nineteenth century. Captain Richard Oliver-Bellasis specialised in torpedo and mine-sweeping duties, and was Director of Underwater Weapons at the Admiralty from 1947 to 1950, when he retired.