The correspondence files contain letters from a wide variety of people - academics, particularly historians, prominent women's movement activists, politicians, publishers and others - from the UK, the USA and many other countries. Many of the writers were friends of Rowbotham, and surnames are not given.
Identified correspondents include Arielle Aberson, Sally Alexander, Bonnie S Anderson, Paul Anderson, Margery Corbett Ashby, Logie Barrow, Ros Baxandall, Tony Benn, Rosie Boycott, Wini Breines, Fenner Brockway, Mari Jo Buhle, Carmen Callil, Esta Carter, Ray Challinor, Valerie Clark, Tony Cliff, Dina Copelman, Flora Corrigan, Philip Corrigan, Gloden Dallas, Sean Damer, Chhaya Datar, Margery Davies, Olga Domanski, Raya Dunayevskaya, Zillah Eisenstein, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Ingrid Essien-Obot, Morris Ferguson (widower of Lily Webb), Suzie Fleming, Jenny Fortune, Charlene Gannage, Jean Gardiner, Linda Gordon, Germaine Greer, [Lois Graessle], Gill Hague, Joan Hartman, Christopher Hill, Esther Hodge, Ann Howard, Alun Howkins, Andree Hoyle, Angela John, Preben Kaarsholm, Katarina Katz, Joan Kelly-Gadol, Nicole Kernan, Jenny Knauss, Oonagh Lahr, Diane LeFevre, Jane Lewis, Toni Liversage, Ethel Mannin, Jean McCrindle, Ruth Milkman, Juliet Mitchell, Elisabetta Molinari, Theresa Moriarty, David Musson, Carita Nyström, Anna Paczuska, Sue O'Sullivan, Ursula Owen, Penny Pollitt, Marilyn Porter, Celia Pugh, Paddy Quick, Jolly Robinson, Alan Rooney, Ellen Ross, Marsha Rowe, Bob Rowthorn, Dora Russell, Raphael Samuel, Andrew Sayer, Ann Scott, Peter Sedgwick, Brian Simon, Monica Sjöö, Carol Smart, Virginia Smith, Max Stafford-Clark, Catherine Stimpson, Martin Stott, Keith Thomas, Dorothy Thompson, Louise A Tilly, Brian Trench, Annemarie Tröger, Carole Turbin, Jill Tweedie, Pat Van Twest, Hilary Wainwright, Michelene Wandor, Lucy Waugh, Jeffrey Weeks, Raymond Williams, Barbara Winslow, Sheli Wortis, Martha Vicinus, Stephen Yeo.
The subjects covered are equally varied. Publications and manuscript by Rowbotham and others are discussed, often with detailed commentary or criticism. Socialist ideas and principles are debated. Correspondents suggest sources for future research, and ask for references for their own work. Letters give news of activities particularly of women's groups, and there is much discussion of the evolution of the women's movement and of the direction(s) in which it should go. All files contain numerous invitations to Rowbotham from groups and institutions all over the world, asking her to speak, write or otherwise contribute to books, seminars, courses and workshops. Often the letters are marked with a tick or a cross - a tick indicating that Sheila attended, a cross indicating she declined. There is a small amount of material relating to the National Childcare Campaign in several of the files, also, personal letters from banks and building societies and documents related to Single Parent benefit payments.
Some letters are incomplete or damaged.
The subjects in the two boxes overlap considerably, but the correspondence files have been left as sorted by Rowbotham. The file titles reflect the titles given by Sheila Rowbotham.