The collection was purchased by University College Nottingham in October 1946 at the sale of contents from Cuckney House in Cuckney, Nottinghamshire. The sale was ordered by Mrs. T. Warner Turner, arranged by Henry Spencer and Sons (auctioneers), and described in a sale catalogue (East Midlands Collection: Pamphlet Not 109 D64 HOU). The resident of Cuckney House in 1941 was Major Douglas W. Turner, Justice of the Peace. The two plans of Yorkshire (Sp 10 and 11) were drawn by F.J. Turner.
The provenance of the collection prior to it being in the hands of the Turner family and its sale to the University is not known. The collection has been known in The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections as the 'Spencer of Cuckney House' collection.