The cuttings, dated between 1780 and 1847, were for the most part collected by Beckford, and folded into packets inside wrappers. A list of the contents by Beckford on the front of each wrapper gives the subject of each cutting (sometimes within a pen-and-ink frame or border), the name and date of the newspaper, and occasionally a comment. Many of the cuttings were made in 1839-44; many of the earlier ones were evidently arranged, or re-arranged, years after their dates - for example, a cutting of 1819 is enclosed in wrappers watermarked 1838 (MS. Beckford c. 69, fol. 1). A few of the earlier wrappers have subject headings by Beckford 'Fonthill Abbey', or 'Miscellaneous'. Some of the principal subjects covered are: theatre and opera; books - mainly travel, biography and novels; royalty - especially the travels of Queen Victoria in 1842-3; obituaries - especially of aristocrats and collectors; Napoleon; Portugal; Spain; some politics; examples of intolerance; oddities; dukes and duchesses; and some crime. There are a few small sketches by Beckford on some wrappers, including (c. 63, fol. 121) a pen-and-ink caricature, possibly of the Duke of Sussex, and pen-and-ink sketches of (c. 83, fol. 109) an 'antediluvian caterpillar 27 yards long', and (c. 67, fol. 139, c. 82, fol. 39, c. 83, fol. 13) small landscapes. A few letters and papers found amongst the cuttings have been removed and placed with other manuscripts; drawings by Beckford on scraps of newspapers, and printed items found here are now MS. Beckford c. 84, fols. 118-41, 152-97.