The unpublished materials which he found at his disposal were such as scarcely any historian had ever enjoyed before.
A few months after his return to England, on the 12th of September, 1861, he married his second wife, Henrietta Warre.

Miss Warre, who had been his first wife's intimate friend, was exactly suited to him, and their union was one of perfect happiness.

So long as he was editor of Fraser, Froude felt it his duty to write pretty regularly for it, so that his hands were constantly full.

But of course his main business for the next ten years was the continuation of his History, which involved frequent visits to Simancas, as well as many to the British Museum, the Record Office, and Hatfield House.
From the Marquess of Salisbury, father of the late Prime Minister, Froude received permission to search the Cecil papers at Hatfield, which, though less numerous than those in the Record Office, are invaluable to students of Elizabeth's reign.

His investigations at Hatfield were begun in April, 1862, and led, among other consequences, to one of his most valued friendships.