Various documents collected by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society relating to the history of York, York property and land, and prominent York individuals. The collection includes historical notes and accounts, and original documents collected by the society in the course of their antiquarian research. These original documents include estate correspondence and papers, land and property deeds, civic and official documents, guild records, personal and business papers, papers of Eustace Strickland, papers of the Whitehead family, and papers from the Yorkshire Musical Festival.

Notably, the collection includes YPS/5/1 [c. 1525-1550]: The guild's own manuscript copy of The Scrivener' Play, originally performed as part of the cycle of York Mystery Plays, also know as 'The Sykes Manuscript. This is the only known surviving guild copy of a York Mystery Play.

Until 1752, Great Britain used the Julian calendar, with the first day of the new year falling on March 25th. Dates in this catalogue have all been expressed as 'new style' dates, in line with the Gregorian calendar, unless otherwise stated.