The correspondence reflects Tierney's interest in Catholic history and contemporary church politics, especially in the period leading up to the establishment of the new Roman Catholic hierarchy in England in 1850. There are extensive series of letters illustrating his dealings with his publishers, especially Booker and Dolman, and series in which Tierney attempts, not always successfully, to borrow manuscripts from the Jesuits, which illustrate the tension in England in the 1830s and 1840s between the Catholic 'secular' and 'regular' clergy. The collection also contains a selection of other papers, including material relating to the building work at the Roman Catholic Church in St Leonard's, 1854-1855.