The papers of the Beverley solicitor, Henry John Shepherd, are very rich in correspondence about local affairs as well as diaries and papers related to local government and the judiciary.
U DDSH comprises a section of John Henry Shepherd's general papers including accounts (1809-1847); correspondence (1806-1847) and this comprises about one third of the total number of papers in the collection and includes letters from friends and business associates filled with business and legal information as well as some news about family affairs and the war with America as well as a few original bundles of letters for example settling the affairs of Elizabeth Sage in the 1830s before she left for India and letters relating to the will of Anne Willis of Scarborough; diaries and journals (1824-1847); miscellaneous papers (1802-1847) including Shepherd's articles of co-partnership with John Lockwood in 1802 and 1811 and John Myers in 1833 and a number of articles of clerkship, the terms of the dissolution of his partnership with John Lockwood in 1821, various parliamentary bills including the 1827 bill allowing women to dispose of their personal property, a notebook containing medicinal recipes as well as others loose, local advertisements for chemists and confectioners and the prospectus information of a number of local associations. U DDSH also contains Henry John Shepherd's papers from his time as deputy clerk of the peace and county treasurer and these comprise correspondence (1827-1848) which includes letters relating to his bankruptcy in 1832 and letters about the maintenance of a patient in an assylum in 1841 and miscellaneous papers (1800-1847) and these include an original bundle of certificates of oaths of allegiance and supremacy and office as justice of the peace 1826-1843 and bills relating to the local constabulary.
U DDSH2 is a deposit of a slightly different complexion and has been differently catalogued, firstly by geographical location and then by archive type. Again, it is rich in correspondence. It divides as follows: Beverley (1829-1844) largely comprising miscellaneous material like trade notices and sale bills; Cherry Burton (1621-1837) comprising sale bills, about 100 accounts and vouchers 1821-7 and an original bundle relating to the estate of Henry John Shepherd; Driffield (1836) being a local petition to the lord of the manor; Hull (1843-1847) including a catalogue of A D English's sale books and a paper about the financial arrangements of the Hull Dock Company; Leeds (1824-1836) including an account book for the improvements made at Kirk Ings 1827-30 and some accounts of James Bulmer; Middleton-on-the-Wolds (1845) being information about the rainfall; Walkington (1811-1826) comprising papers of the Crathorne family; Woodmansey (1805, 1825) comprising sale bills; various townships (1834) comprising a Beverley sale bill; accounts and vouchers (1826-1844) and this represents about a quarter of Henry John Shepherd's papers throwing light on his legal work and all other business and connections; correspondence (1821-1847) comprising almost 1000 items from various correspondents and largely being about local affairs; miscellaneous papers (1735-1847) including genealogical information of the Stephenson, Constable, Tatham, Watts (Harrison) and Collinson families, local catalogues, more papers about the maintenance of lunatics, 12 poems written by Shepherd, papers in Shepherd's bankruptcy case and some printed material.
U DDSH3 is a small deposit comprising a section of papers from Henry John Shepherd's time as county treasurer of the East Riding (1801-1848); correspondence (1824-1838) being 75 letters from various people about legal cases; Beverley (1837) being a copy of the commission of the peace; Seaton Ross (1839) being a grant of William Constable Maxwell for presentation to the rectory.