The papers in this subseries relate to Benjamin and Sara Austen. Benjamin Austen was a solicitor and he married Sara (née Rickett) in 1816. Their nephew was the archaeologist Austen Henry Layard, who lived with them for a time, before he left to travel. The couple remained in contact with Layard throughout the rest of their lives.

In this series, there are letters of both Benjamin and Sara to Austen Henry Layard, which cover many topics of interest, including Layard's published works and the public reaction to his discoveries at Nineveh. In addition to the letters to their nephew, there are also many letters to the Austens from a wide variety of correspondents, including French diplomat Felix-Sebastian Feuillet de Conches; novelist Theodore Hook; publishers John Murray [II] and John Murray [III]; army officer Henry Storks; politician and writer Robert Plumer Ward; novelist Samuel Warren; and General Sir William Fenwick Williams.

In addition to the correspondence, there are also two commonplace books of Sara Austen.