The outstanding feature of the archive is the correspondence of Sir David Dalrymple, 3rd Baronet, Lord Hailes (1726-1792) relating to his intellectual pursuits and legal career. But the archive also contains material concerning early eighteenth century Scotland and British politics in the correspondence of the 1st and 2nd Baronets of Hailes; the very rich personal correspondence and journals of Lord Hailes' daughter and heiress, Christian Dalrymple (died 1838); correspondence and papers of and concerning members of the Fergusson of Kilkerran family, 18th-19th century; the voluminous correspondence and papers of Sir Charles Dalrymple (1839-1916), including much political material and an almost unbroken series of journals between 1856 and 1916; correspondence and papers of General the Honourable James St Clair of Sinclair and Balblair (1688-1762), including military and diplomatic material relating to the War of the Austrian Succession; papers concerning the financial affairs of Sir James Stansfield (died 1687); in addition to estate papers and an extensive series of charters. The correspondence of Sir Charles Dalrymple includes five volumes of correspondence of Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, of Kilkerran, written mostly from abroad while he was serving as colonial governor in Australia, New Zealand and Bombay. Other correspondents of Sir Charles Dalrymple include George David Boyle, members of the Hunter Blair family, Charles John Vaughan, Brooke Fosse Westcott, Henry Montagu Butler, Randall Davidson, Cosmo Gordon Lang, Sir George Otto Trvelyan, Lord Randolph Churchill, the 1st and 2nd Earls of Balfour, Lord George Francis Hamilton and Joseph and Austen Chamberlain.