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A Miscellany of Deeds and Manorial, Estate, Probate and Family Documents

 Collection
Call Number: MS 239

Overview

This collection of miscellaneous documents, written between the 13th to 19th centuries, mostly relate to land and property transactions and maintenance in England. The bulk of the documents are dated from the 16th through 19th centuries. The remaining documents concern legal and official matters, family papers, probate and wills, and accounts and business. The documents pertain to many of the counties in England, as well as some matters taking place in other parts of the British Isles.

Dates

  • Creation: 1230-1900 (bulk 1461-1860)

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Spencer Library Staff may determine use restrictions depending on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

Extent

88 Linear Feet (176 document cases + 40.5 oversize boxes, 17 oversize folders, 2 volumes, 1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Latin

Scope and Contents

In this collection of over 4,600 documents written between the 13th to 19th centuries, about 3,300 of them relate to land and property transactions and maintenance in England. The bulk of the documents are dated from the 16th through 19th centuries. The remaining documents include legal and official matters, family papers, probate and wills, and accounts and business. The documents pertain to many of the counties in England, with the majority from Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Somerset, and Yorkshire. A very few documents pertain to other countries, such as France, Germany, or India, as well as Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The documents are in Latin and English. Variant spellings of names and places in the papers are common and are reflected in this finding aid.

Arrangement

Materials in this collection have been grouped by family name or by location whenever possible; otherwise materials are grouped by document type, such as records in the Apprenticeship or Military series. At the end of the collection is a large set of general records organized by county and further organized by document type, mostly consisting of deeds.

Oversize materials, rolls, and other items not stored with the main collection at the MS 239 call number are described at the end of each series or subseries when relevant. Folder numbers for MS 239 are non-consecutive to reflect items that have been pulled to be stored at these other locations.

The documents have been described to include the following information (if available) for each item: date, names or parties mentioned, general document type (deeds, estate, legal and family matters, etc.): specific document type (bonds, quitclaims, mortgages, marriage settlements, wills, etc.), places (counties, cities/villages and parishes), and notes. Dates are usually the earliest date associated with the document; however, the document may contain later dates as well. Places identified in the collection frequently have a (place name) in parentheses; this is typically the standardized spelling for a parish name. The notes may also include summaries of content, partial transcriptions or translations, paraphrases, information about the physical state of the documents, names and places not mentioned elsewhere, etc.

Physical Location

MS 239

Physical Location

MS A42

Physical Location

MS Carmarthen Roll

Physical Location

MS Case

Physical Location

MS E112

Physical Location

MS Flat

Physical Location

MS Q16, MS Q21, MS Q58-66

Physical Location

MS Qa1, MS Qa15, MS Qa35

Physical Location

MS Roll Small (MS RS), MS Roll Large (MS RL)

Physical Location

MS P543

Physical Location

MS S1

Other Finding Aids

For a listing of all items in the collection in strict folder number order, see ksrl.sc.ehdmiscellany.pdf. This list indicates when items have been moved to a different call number but also includes the original MS 239 folder number.

Custodial History

The Special Collections Department of Kenneth Spencer Research Library bought the bulk of this collection, along with several other manuscript collections of mostly English legal documents, in 1969 from the booksellers Hofmann & Freeman. Most of the items had been the remaining stock of the late Leicester, England-based bookseller Bernard Halliday, and most of the material appears to have been wrapped for storage in 1942. Halliday had apparently bought the materials at the Gurney sale of 1936 (Hudson Gurney (1775-1864) was a Norfolk antiquarian).

The original purchase had been divided into three consignments: Consignment I of various small manuscript collections; Consignment II, which has mostly remained in this Miscellany collection (previously known as Hofmann-Freeman or HF); and Consignment III, the North family papers.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, Hofmann and Freeman Antiquarian Booksellers, 1969, 1977.

Separated Materials

These collections were acquired at the same time as this miscellaneous collection from the bookseller Hofmann and Freeman in June 1969:

  1. Abbey Dore Collection, 1225-circa 1300, MS 191, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  2. Bolton Company Letters, 1695-1710, MS 84, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  3. Carter, Henry John (1812?-1895); Letters to William Sharpey, 1752-1857, 1872-1873; MS P61, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  4. East India Company Collection, 1701-1819; MS E94-E97, MS R3, MS Roll 1, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  5. Fleet Prison, 1604-1637, 1677; MS D114, MS R2, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  6. Frampton, Robert, Bishop of Gloucester (1622-1708), Letters, 1682/83, 1697-1702; MS Q23, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  7. Great Britain. Court of Chancery, Decrees, 1733-1783, MS 135, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  8. Great Britain. Court of Chancery, Records of 3 causes heard before the Lord Chancellor, 1671-1728; MS Roll 1, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  9. Great Britain. Exchequer. Declared accounts, 1730-1749; MS Q8, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  10. Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Committee appointed to enquire into the State of [Gaols], Copies of evidence concerning the Eyre-Bambridge case, 29 Oct 1729 - 30 April 1730, MS 106, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  11. Great Britain. Parliamentary Debates and Common-Place Book, 1618, MS E103, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  12. Great Britain. Royal Subsidies Collection, 1605-1627, MS Q1, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  13. Grover, George Edward; Chaplin Family notes on genealogy, circa 1881, MS E115, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  14. Harcourt, George Simon, Earl (1736-1809); An account of the Church and Remains of the Manor House of Stanton Harcourt in the county of Oxford, 1808?, MS C202, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  15. The Kaye Family Papers, 1200-1779, MS 240B, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  16. Levant Company Handbook, 1606-1720, MS E101, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  17. Arthur Moore Collection, 1503-1760, MS 143, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  18. Norfolk Recusants Collection. Records of official inquiries into church-attendance, etc, 1591, MS 106, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  19. North Family Papers, 1250-1856, MS 240A, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  20. Russia Company Collection, circa 1696-1698, MS 104, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.
  21. Spelman-Macro Miscellany, circa 1640-1670, MS E107, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.

Alternate title

English Historical Documents - Miscellany

Title
Guide to the English Historical Documents Collection
Subtitle
A Miscellany of Deeds and Manorial, Estate, Probate and Family Documents
Author
Finding aid prepared by alh, mwc, sm, gfr, nwa, acs, mce, ksc, eeh, mab. Finding aid encoded by mab, mwh, 2020, 2021.
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in English.
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/2696245763
Preferred citation
A Miscellany of Deeds and Manorial, Estate, Probate and Family Documents, MS 239, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334