The Loyalist Collection

This is a special collection of British and Colonial North American sources, including the British West Indies, predominantly from 1750-1850, published mainly in microformat and limited digital format. Though the study of American Revolutionary War loyalists is the primary focus, the materials transcend beyond this to provide a range of sources for colonial studies in the British Atlantic World for the 18th and 19th centuries. Descriptions of these titles are found by searching or browsing the catalogue; whereas, access to our published material in print is found separately by visiting our Print Materials page.

The Loyalist Collection is found in open stacks on the 5th floor (Room 520 A) of the Harriet Irving Library and is available for self-service use whenever the Library is open. Research appointments are required for staff assistance.

New Research Aids

Finding aids are key to finding the documents you need in archival collections. Listed below are new finding aids, usually included as PDFs in the catalogue records of The Loyalist Collection, which have been developed recently by UNB Archives & Special Collections.

Black History Sources

Visit the Collection’s Black History Guide for primary sources related to Black History in the Atlantic World and the African Diaspora.

For documents specifically related to the history of enslaved people and slavery in what became the Maritime Provinces of Canada, see…

British West Indies: Subject Guide

This guide provides a sample of the wide variety of materials in The Loyalist Collection relating to the islands making up the West Indies, today referred to as the Caribbean, and specifically the British island colonies, with an overview of what they contain and how to search them. The material provides a window into this region during the 18th and early 19th centuries, and its place in the wider British Atlantic World.

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