Sir James Brooke (1803-1868) entered the army of the East India Company in 1819 but was severely wounded in the first Burmese war and invalided home in 1825. On his return voyage to Bengal (West Bengal and Bangladesh) on the Castle Huntley in 1830, he befriended John Keith Jolly, one of the ship's officer's, starting a correspondence with him which continued until 1857. Resigning his commission, he sailed on in the Castle Huntley, visiting China, Panang (Penang), Malacca (Melaka), and Singapore before returning to England. However, a second voyage to the East in 1834 proved a financial failure.

In 1835, his father died, leaving him a legacy of £30,000 and the means to explore the East Indies (Southeast Asia). In 1838, he sailed for Borneo with the goal of promoting trade and British ascendancy. On his arrival at Singapore the following year, he was asked by the colony's Governor to convey thanks and gifts to Rajah Muda Hassim, Governor of Sarawak. Brooke accomplished his task and friendly relations were established. On a second visit about a year later, he gave assistance in subduing insurrection. In return, he was offered the government and trade of Sarawak, to be held under the sovereignty of Brunei, in return for a small annual payment to its Sultan. In 1841, therefore, he was proclaimed Rajah of Sarawak.

During the late 1840s, he befriended Charles Grant, midshipman in HMS Agincourt, taking an interest in his career, and appointing him his aide-de-camp and then private secretary. Sir James chose his nephew, [John] Brooke Johnson, son of his sister Emma Johnson, as his heir, proposing in 1845 that he should join him as aide-de-camp. Brooke left the army and joined the Sarawak Service in 1848, assuming his uncle's last name. In time, Sir James gathered a group of similar men around him, chiefly from the families of Brooke, Johnson, and Grant, all strengthening their ties through inter-marriage: Brooke married Annie Grant, Charles Grant's sister; and Grant married Matilda Hay, whose brother Robert Hay also moved to Sarawak and became Brooke's good friend and supporter. Brooke's brothers Charles and Stuart also joined the service, as did his sister Mary's brother-in-law Harry Nicholetts.

Recurrent themes in the letters and journals are the deaths of children and mothers. Annie Brooke died in 1858, shortly after the birth of their second son Hope, and Brooke's second wife Julia (née Welstead) died after the birth of their daughter, Matilda Agnes. Brooke's eldest son Basil died of dysentery in 1860.

During the Rajah's negotiations with the British Government, Holland, France, and Belgium, a rift appeared between uncle and nephew over Sarawak's ability to maintain her independence unsupported. The differences between them increased after 1858, when Sir James suffered a stroke while in England and Brooke took responsibility for governing Sarawak. The constant letters of instruction and criticism from the Rajah led to a confrontation in Singapore in 1863, after which Brooke took a leave of absence from Sarawak. Brooke continued to fight for his position, and the publication of his pamphlet A Statement regarding Sarawak (s.l., s.d., s.n.) led to his disinheritance by his uncle. Brooke's brother Charles was installed in his place, given the last name Brooke, and in 1868, on the death of Sir James, became second Rajah. Brooke Brooke died soon afterwards.

The papers offer first-hand accounts of many contemporary events and developments, including the insurrection of the Chinese gold workers in 1857; the suppression of 'piracy'; the conduct of the Borneo Mission; the Commission of Enquiry appointed by the British Government to examine accusations brought against the Rajah by Joseph Hume, MP; the Muka (Mukah) Incident of 1860; relations with the Borneo Company; and prolonged negotiations to obtain recognition and protection for Sarawak.

We gratefully acknowledge our indebtedness to Mrs Margaret Noble, who initiated the deposit of these papers, and warmly record her most generous response to all our calls upon her specialised knowledge of the Brooke family and their history.