IOR/R/1/4

The General Branch was one of the four branches created by the abolition in 1884 of the old subject branches in the Foreign Department. The General Branch was concerned with personal and miscellaneous matters, such as appointments, leave and pay, political pensions, etc.

Under the General Branch heading were recorded papers of the Registrar's Branch, formed about 1900 to deal with departmental establishment and pay questions and various routine matters. The Registrar's Branch continued to record papers under the General Branch heading until 1922.

A separate Establishment Branch was formed in 1908 to deal with establishment and accounts questions. The General Branch took over honours business from Internal Branch, Section C, in 1921 [see IOR/R/1/1] and consequently divided into two sections, Section A continuing to handle matters previously dealt with by the General Branch, and Section B dealing with the honours work of Internal Branch, Section C.

Only Confidential proceedings were registered in separate sequences for each section of the General Branch. It is not possible to attribute other proceedings to their originating sections, except by an assessment of their subject matter.

When the file system replaced the proceedings system in the Foreign and Political Department branch registries in 1922, the work of the General Branch was recorded in a single sequence of General files, although often with an identifying 'A' or 'B' on the original papers. In April 1923, the General Branch divided: Section A retained the name General Branch and Section B became the new Honours Branch. Files continued to be recorded in a joint sequence until the end of 1923, the suffixes 'G' and 'H' to the numbers serving as identification. In 1924, new file numbering cycles were started, separately for each branch and continuing to 1927, after which each branch operated separate annual file numbering cycles.

The Foreign Office Branch, formed in 1922, took over the recording of papers previously handled in the Registrar's Branch. On the division of the Foreign and Political Department in 1937 into the Political and External Affairs departments, a Crown Office Branch took over these functions for the Political Department.

With the creation of the Political Department, the Honours Branch ceased to function, as its work on Indian titles was assumed by the Office of the Private Secretary to the Viceroy [for some 1937-1947 files of the Honours Branch of the Private Secretary to the Viceroy, see IOR/R/3/1/210-269]. The remaining honours work, chiefly the recommendation of Political Service officers for English honours, was recovered by the General Branch. This work was in turn taken over, shortly before the transfer of power in 1947, by the newly created Honours and Publications Branch.

The Establishment Branch divided into two sections shortly after its formation in 1908, Section A dealing with personnel questions and Section B dealing with accounts matters. It is not possible to attribute proceedings to their originating sections, except by an assessment of their subject matter.

When the file system replaced the proceedings system, the work of the Establishment Branch was recorded in a single sequence of Establishment files, though often with an identifying 'A' or 'B' on the original papers.

In April 1923, the Establishment Branch divided, Section A retaining the name Establishment Branch and Section B becoming the new Accounts Branch. Files continued to be recorded in a joint sequence until the end of 1923, the suffixes 'E' and 'A' to the numbers serving as identification. In 1924 new file numbering cycles were started, separately for each branch and continuing until 1927, after which each branch operated separate annual file numbering cycles.

The Establishment Branch maintained, in its Confidential proceedings and files series, a sequence of the personal files of retired, promoted, and serving officers of the Indian Political Service.