The General Collection consists of two parts:

1. Since the Spence and Harborow Collections are now 'closed' collections, any early gloves (pre-1800) or gloves with royal connections that have been acquired in recent years are added to the General Collection. These include, for example, a pair of gloves of circa 1630s associated with Charles I, acquired by the Glovers' Company in 1988 and a pair of long, doeskin evening gloves belonging to the late Duchess of Windsor purchased in 1998.

2. Secondly, the General Collection provides for the acquisition of gloves from the 'modern' period (c.1800 to the present day). To date, this collection consists of over 100 pairs of gloves but it is being added to regularly by gifts or purchases. Gloves in this section date mainly from the late Victorian period (the last quarter of the nineteenth century) through to the 1950s. Example of fashionable gloves from the 1920s and 1930s are well represented, some unworn or in excellent condition.

In 1993 the Glovers' Company drew up Guidelines for a Gloves Acquisition Policy based on a commissioned survey of gloves 1815-1960s and gloves surviving in UK collections. Gloves are now acquired for the General Collection in line with this collecting policy.