Lennox-Boyd's papers largely relate to the period after Boyd's resignation from the Cabinet in 1959. There is a small amount of general correspondence for the period before 1960 but virtually no material relating to his time as Colonial Secretary except a number of letters of encouragement concerning the Parliamentary debates on the Hola Camp massacre and the Devlin Report in the summer of 1959. The principal point of interest to historians of British colonial affairs will probably be the long run of correspondence and papers relating to Rhodesia from the early 1960s to the time of Boyd's death in 1983. The main topics covered by the collection are: British politics, colonial and Commonwealth affairs, the colonial service, Rhodesia, British business, charities and voluntary agencies, secondary and university education, museums and galleries.
The collection is arranged under the following headings:
- Diaries
- Political Career
- General Correspondence
- Special Subjects - Persons
- Special Subjects - Non-Political
- Visits
- Early Life, Personal and Family
- Speeches
- Pamphlets and Leaflets
- Press Cuttings
- Photographs