The bulk of the collection is formed of correspondence relating to Laughton's research on various naval historical subjects, from his time as a lecturer at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and as a professor at King’s College, London, 1873-1914. Correspondence became a critical part of his research. A number of these letters relate to Laughton’s role with the Navy Records Society; biographical and genealogical information relating to entries for the 'Dictionary of National Biography'; and his research on Lord Nelson. This includes correspondence from a number of key figures associated with the Navy Records Society and published biographies. The collection also includes various research notes, some of which relate to his work on heraldry and flags, including a lecture on ‘The Heraldry of the Sea: Ensigns, Colours and Flags’ from 1879. For more information see 'The Letters and Papers of Professor Sir John Knox Laughton, 1830-1915', edited by Andrew Lambert and published by Ashgate for The Navy Records Society in 2002 (NRS Vol. 143).

Administrative / biographical background
Laughton entered the Royal Navy as a naval instructor in 1853, having graduated from Cambridge with a degree in mathematics in the previous year. He gained the Baltic Medal and the Second Chinese War Medal (with clasps) after active service in the Baltic theatre of the Crimean War and in the Far East between 1854 and 1858. He was appointed to HMS ALGIERS in the Mediterranean in 1859. He went on to teach at the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth as mathematical and naval instructor between 1866 and 1873. His chief subject was meteorology, and as there were no suitable texts on this subject, he wrote some of his own. In 1873 Laughton was promoted to the role of head of the Department of Meteorology and Marine Surveying at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich. In 1876 he obtained permission to lecture on naval history. In 1885 he retired from the Navy and later in the same year was appointed Professor of Modern History at King’s College, London. He became a regular contributor to 'The Edinburgh Review' and the 'Dictionary of National Biography'. He was involved in the DNB from the time it started in 1882, and wrote memoirs of more than 900 naval men, contributing an article to every volume. In 1893 Laughton led a group of naval officers and historians in establishing the Navy Records Society, with the purpose of publishing original documents on the history of the Royal Navy. He remained secretary of the Society until 1912 and contributed to several volumes. In addition, he wrote two volumes on Lord Nelson, and through this research he became a leading authority. Laughton's 'Studies in Naval History' was published in 1887 and became a key text. In 1907 he received a knighthood and in 1910 on his eightieth birthday he was given a testimonial addressed as a pioneer in the revival of naval history. Laughton continued to lecture at King’s College until he was forced to retire due to ill health at the age of 85 in 1914.