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Samuel Hood, first Viscount Hood (1724-1816), was a successful naval officer, trusted to train Prince William in his Naval career, and a patron of Horatio Nelson. In 1784, as a popular admiral, he was nominated for the Westminster Parliamentary seat, opposing Charles James Fox. The election was marked by violence and fraud, and Hood described it as 'the most arduous and unpleasant business I ever took in hand' (Rutland MSS, 3.134, quoted in DNB entry cited below). Hood won the election and held the seat until 1796, but disliked Parliament and found London expensive. From 1788 to 1795, he served on the Admiralty board. When war was declared in February 1793 he was appointed commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean.

Source of information: Daniel A. Baugh Michael Duffy, 'Hood, Samuel, first Viscount Hood (1724-1816)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009.

The Royal Aquarium was opened in 1876 for entertainments. The main hall held palm trees, sculptures, tanks of sea creatures and an orchestra. There were also rooms for reading, smoking, and eating; an art gallery; a skating rink; and a theatre. It was hoped that an intellectual clientele would be attracted to the Aquarium, but they did not materialise, and instead it was given over to 'music hall' type entertainments including acrobats and female swimmers performing aquatic feats in the tanks. In 1903 the site was sold and the buildings demolished.

Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).

Duncan Sinclair died in the 1840s.

A concert hall in Ealing Broadway, adjoining an older building, was opened in 1881. Known as the Lyric Hall by 1883, it was replaced in 1899 by the Lyric restaurant and the New or Ealing Theatre, later called Ealing Hippodrome. In May 1900 Mr Herbert Sleath's company performed at the Ealing Theatre.

These papers relating to the local history of Middlesex were collected for their general or antiquarian interest and relevance to the subject, rather than having a united provenance (that is, being produced by the same institution or business).

Admission: a person with title to a piece of copyhold land was admitted at a Manorial Court and this admission was taken as proof of their title to the land.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

The Carus Wilson family papers in this accession probably refer to relatives or descendants of William Carus Wilson, (1791-1859). He was born on 7 July 1791 at Heversham, Westmorland, the eldest of the eight surviving children of William Carus (1764-1851) of Casterton Hall, Westmorland, and his wife, Margaret (d. 1832). His father, MP for Cockermouth (1821-6), added Wilson to his surname on inheriting the Casterton estates from his aunt in 1793. Two of William Carus Wilson's three brothers became clergyman. William Carus Wilson married Anne (1786-1859), daughter of Major-General Charles Neville, on 31 January 1815. He was a clergyman well known for writing accessible religious literature aimed at children and the semi-literate; and for founding several charity schools.

Richard Ellis and Son, chartered surveyors, estate agents and auctioneers, were based in Fenchurch Street and West Ferry Road.

Large-scale industries were limited to the eastern side of Enfield parish, initially because of access to the Lea River. Most of the early factories were at Ponders End, where the London Jute Works opened in 1865 and closed in 1882. By 1882 there was also a steam dye-works at a house in South Street called Bylocks Hall. By 1904 Bylocks Hall was the registered office of the Paternoster Printing Company.

A militia force was raised from the civilian population of a county, in order to supplement the regular army in cases of emergency. In Middlesex they were called out at times of unrest. They came to be supplemented by volunteer forces, such as those raised by the 1794 Bill for "encouraging and disciplining such corps and companies of men as shall voluntarily enrol for the defence of their counties, towns and coasts or for the general defence of the Kingdom during the Present War [with France]".

There were around 300 militiamen in Middlesex in 1802. During the Napoleonic Wars this number rose to over 2000 by 1808 and 12,000 by 1812. More volunteer corps were raised in 1859, again in response to threat of French invasion. In 1881 the Army was organised into territorial regiments formed of regular, militia and volunteer battalions. Middlesex militia and volunteer battalions came under the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own).

North of Enfield Wash the 33-acre Putney Lodge estate was conveyed by James Bennett to the British Land Company in 1867. Mandeville, Totteridge, and Putney roads had been laid out by 1867, when 296 building plots were for sale, and 6-roomed houses were offered in 1869, when the proximity of the Royal Small Arms factory was stressed. Plots were still available in 1893 but the estate was almost completely built up by 1897.

From: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 218-224 (available online).

The Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice deals with business law, trust law, probate law, and land law in relation to issues of equity; while the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice (or King's Bench Division when the monarch is male) has two roles. It hears a wide range of contract law and personal injury and general negligence cases, but also has special responsibility as a supervisory court.

Winchmore Hill is a district in the Borough of Enfield, North London.

The Convalescent Home for Children was founded in 1869 in Cromwell House, Highgate, once owned by Oliver Cromwell's eldest daughter. It was established by the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, as a rest home outside the City where children could recuperate. There were 52 beds.

From: 'Highgate: Part 1 of 2', Old and New London: Volume 5 (1878), pp. 389-405.

The privileges of the Freedom of the City of London were sought for centuries by those who wished to exercise a retail trade or handicraft within the City. Among the privileges were immunity from toll at markets and fairs throughout London, freedom from impressment into the armed forces and the right to vote at ward and parliamentary elections.

J. and F. Grover were builders, undertakers and window blind makers based near the Old Church, Ealing.

Edmonton Manor was held by Geoffrey de Mandeville in 1086 and descended with the manor of Enfield until 1189 when William de Mandeville died. Edmonton Manor passed to Beatrice de Mandeville, widow of William de Say; and was later claimed by their son Geoffrey de Say. In 1284 this division of the Mandeville lands was formalised by the family, so that the descendants of Geoffrey de Say held Edmonton of the Crown as a knight's fee. In the 1360s the manor was granted to Adam Francis, and stayed in the Francis family, passing to Sir Thomas Charlton, the son of Elizabeth Francis, in 1461. Sir Thomas' son Sir Richard inherited the manor but was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, and the estate passed to the Crown.

The manor was granted to Sir Thomas Bourchier in 1485, and in 1521 to Henry Courtenay, earl of Devon and marquess of Exeter. By 1535 the manor was returned to the Crown and was managed by Thomas Cromwell on behalf of the King. It remained with the Crown thereafter, usually part of the queen's jointure. By 1716 the connection with the Crown consisted of a nominal rent and the lessee was regarded as lord of the manor. In 1800 the manor was conveyed to Sir William Curtis and was still in that family in 1943.

'Edmonton: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 149-154 (available online).

The manor of Tottenham was owned by the earls of Huntingdon from 1065. In 1219 the earldom passed to John the Scot and the manor was assigned to his mother Maud. John died without children and the manor was granted to his widow, Helen, as a customary dower of a countess of Huntingdon. On Helen's death in 1253 the manor, as part of the honor of Huntingdon, passed to the descendants of John's married sisters Margaret, mother of Devorgild, wife of John de Balliol; Isabel, wife of Robert de Bruce; and Ada, wife of Henry de Hastings. The manor was therefore divided into three separate manors known as Balliols or Daubeneys; Bruces; and Hastings or Pembrokes.

John Gedney, a London draper, bought Balliols/Daubeneys in 1433, and Bruces and Hastings/Pembrokes in 1427. Gedney also acquired a fourth manor, Mockings, which had been created out of Bruces. After this the manors remained united. The manor remained in the possession of descendants of Gedney until 1513 when it was granted to Sir William Compton. By 1626 the manor was owned by Hugh Hare, Lord Coleraine, and remained in the Hare family for over a century. In 1749 the Coleraine peerage became extinct when Henry, Lord Coleraine, died without legitimate children. The manor was left to his illegitimate daughter Henrietta Rose Peregrina Duplessis. The manor passed to her son Henry Hare Townsend, who auctioned most of the land in 1789 and sold the lordships to Thomas Smith, who sold them to Sir William Curtis. The lordships then stayed in the Curtis family, who also held the lordship of Edmonton.

'Tottenham: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 324-330 (available online).

These papers relating to the local history of Middlesex and Westminster were collected for their general or antiquarian interest and relevance to the subject, rather than having a united provenance (that is, being produced by the same institution or business).

A small tremor struck London on 8 February 1750; followed on 8 March 1750 by a more powerful earthquake. Thomas Sherlock (1677-1761), bishop of London, preached a sermon at Saint Paul's Cathedral in which he claimed that the earthquakes were sent by God as punishment for the sinfulness of London's citizens; criticising their drinking, lewdness, idleness, debauchery, wantonness and blasphemy. The sermon was published and proved extremely popular, selling thousands of copies. On 8 April many citizens fled London, expecting another, even greater earthquake to strike.

The firm of Jessop and Gough was based at 29 High Bridge Street, Waltham Abbey, Essex. Frederick Charles Edenborough Jessop was a solicitor, commissioner for oaths, vestry clerk for the local church of Waltham Holy Cross, clerk to the Urban District Council, the burial board and the committee for education. Hubert Gough was a solicitor and clerk to the justices of Edmonton Petty Sessions division for over fifty years. They were joined by John Bolle Tyndale Gough, solicitor.

In 1086 Stanwell Manor was held by William fitz Other and in the time of King Edward it had belonged to Azor. The estate recorded in Domesday Book probably comprises most of the ancient parish except the manor of West Bedfont, which was already separate. In 1796 there were 539 acres copyhold of the manor, nearly all lying east of Stanwellmoor. By 1844 the lord of the manor owned Hammonds farm, Merricks farm (later known as Southern farm), and Park farm (later Stanhope farm), as well as about 84 acres around his house and a few other small areas. The manorial rights, house, and lands were separated in 1933.

Source: 'Stanwell: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 36-41 (available online).

Hounslow Friary received the grant of a market and fair in 1296. The market was to be held on Tuesdays and the fair for eight days at Trinity Sunday. The fair was still held in the 16th century, but the market had been given up. In 1686 John Shales, commissary-general of provisions for the army, was granted the right to hold a market in Hounslow on every day while the military camp was there, and on Thursdays for ever. A year later he received another grant, this time of a fair to be held on 1-12 May; the first two days were to be principally for the selling of horses, the next two for cattle, and the rest for all goods. The Thursday market was still held in 1798 when it was said to have a considerable show of fat cattle, but it was discontinued early in the 19th century.

John Shales owned a market-house in Hounslow in 1692. In 1818 the market-house stood in Fair Street, and belonged to one Sarah Brown. It consisted of a gable-ended roof supported on fluted columns of a composite order; the royal arms were displayed on the gable end. The building had disappeared by 1840.

From: 'Heston and Isleworth: Markets and fairs', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 112 (available online).

In 1086 Stanwell Manor was held by William fitz Other and in the time of King Edward it had belonged to Azor. The estate recorded in Domesday Book probably comprises most of the ancient parish except the manor of West Bedfont, which was already separate. In 1796 there were 539 acres copyhold of the manor, nearly all lying east of Stanwellmoor. By 1844 the lord of the manor owned Hammonds farm, Merricks farm (later known as Southern farm), and Park farm (later Stanhope farm), as well as about 84 acres around his house and a few other small areas. The manorial rights, house, and lands were separated in 1933.

William fitz Other, the Domesday tenant, was constable of Windsor castle and his descendants took the name of Windsor. They held Stanwell of Windsor castle for over four centuries, together with lands principally in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. In 1485 Thomas Windsor left a widow, Elizabeth, who held Stanwell with her second husband Sir Robert Lytton. Thomas's son Andrew was summoned to parliament as Lord Windsor from 1529. Henry VIII compelled him in 1542 to surrender Stanwell in exchange for monastic lands in Gloucestershire and elsewhere. Sir Philip Hobby was made chief steward of the manor in 1545. Sir Thomas Paston was granted a 50-year lease during Edward VI's reign, and Edward Fitzgarret in 1588 secured a lease to run for 30 years from the end of Paston's term. In fact Fitzgarret was in possession when he died before 1590. His estate was much embarrassed and after litigation Stanwell passed to his son Garret subject to certain rent-charges to his daughter.

In 1603 the freehold was granted to Sir Thomas Knyvett, who became Lord Knyvett in 1607. Knyvett and his wife both died in 1622, leaving their property to be shared between John Cary, the grandson of one of Knyvett's sisters, and Elizabeth Leigh, the granddaughter of another. Elizabeth married Sir Humphrey Tracy, and she and Cary held Stanwell jointly until her death. In 1678 the Knyvett estates were divided between Cary and Sir Francis Leigh, who was apparently Elizabeth's heir. Cary retained Stanwell, which he left to his great-niece Elizabeth Willoughby on condition that she married Lord Guildford; otherwise it was to pass to Lord Falkland. After Elizabeth's marriage to James Bertie she held the manor under a chancery decree until her death in 1715.

It then passed to Lucius Cary, Viscount Falkland (d. 1730), who sold it in 1720 to John, Earl of Dunmore (d. 1752). His trustees sold it in 1754 to Sir John Gibbons. It descended in the Gibbons family with the baronetcy until 1933, when the manorial rights were sold to H. Scott Freeman, clerk of Staines urban district council, who still held them in 1956.

Source: 'Stanwell: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 36-41 (available online).

The Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, designed by Christopher Wren, opened on 26 March 1674. In 1747 the theatre and a patent renewal were purchased by renowned actor David Garrick and partner James Lacy. Garrick served as manager and lead actor of the theatre until roughly 1766, and continued on in the management role for another ten years after.

Garrick commissioned Robert Adam and his brother James to renovate the theatre's interior, which they did in 1775. Their additions included an ornate ceiling and a stucco facade facing Bridges Street.

Garrick left the stage in 1776 and sold his shares in the theatre to the Irish playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

Source: http://www.theatre-royal.com

The account book includes details of clients in Hornsey, Wood Green, Ponders End, Holloway, Stepney, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Shoreditch, Hoxton, Finsbury, Mile End, Peckham and Lambeth.

For a detailed history of the growth and development of Enfield and South Mimms, please see the Victoria County History for Middlesex ("A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham", 1976; available online).

The Manor of Kingsbury belonged to Baldwin Poleyn of Tebworth in 1317. After various changes of owner, Thomas Chichele, archdeacon of Canterbury, granted the manor in 1441 to Henry VI, who granted it in 1442 to All Souls College, Oxford, still the owners of some property in Kingsbury in 1970. In 1597 All Souls College owned 418 acres scattered through Kingsbury. Purchases and exchanges during the 19th century extended and consolidated the All Souls College estate. In the twentieth century All Souls College sold most of the land, for development and for use as parkland. Some land was retained by the College, let on building leases for houses and shops.

'Cofers' or 'Coferers' was the name of part of the land which made up the manor of Kingsbury, owned by the Page family.

Source: 'Kingsbury: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), available online.

Spring Bridge Road runs between The Broadway and Haven Green, Ealing.

Ford Bridge Road is probably Fordbridge Road in Ashford, Surrey, running between Church Road and the Staines Bypass. Acton Hill is now the High Street, Acton.

Wright's Buildings were cottages, numbered 1 to 14, situated on the east side of Crouch End Hill. They were constructed in the early 19th century.

Park Road leads from Crouch End to Muswell Hill. It was called Maynard Street from 1503 until 1854, after a prominent local family.

From: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6: Friern Barnet, Finchley, Hornsey with Highgate (1980).

A bond was a deed, by which person A binds himself, his heirs, executors, or assigns to pay a certain sum of money to person B, or his heirs.

A quitclaim is a deed renouncing any possible right to a property.

A bargain and sale was an early form of conveyance often used by executors to convey land. The bargainee or person to whom the land was bargained and sold, became seised of the land.

A Final Concord (or Fine) was a fictitious legal case in which the person transferring the land (the deforciant) was deprived of the land which was given to the purchaser of the land (the querent).

Source: British Records Association Guidelines 3: How to interpret deeds (available online).

Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd was formed in 1898 when a merger was negotiated between Watney and Co Ltd of the Stag Brewery, Pimlico; Combe and Co Ltd of the Wood Yard Brewery, Long Acre and Reid's Brewery Co Ltd, of the Griffin Brewery, Clerkenwell. Following the merger the company was the largest brewing concern in the United Kingdom, and was based at Watney's Stag Brewery in Pimlico.

The Stag Brewhouse and Brewery, Pimlico, was founded in 1636 by John Greene and his son Sir William Greene. In 1837 James Watney, a miller, bought a quarter share in the Stag Brewery, alongside John Elliot. From 1849 the firm was known as Elliot, Watney and Co. John Elliot withdrew from the business in 1850, remaining a partner in name only until 1858 when he retired. The firm became known as James Watney and Co. In 1885 Watney and Co Ltd was registered as a limited liability company.

Combe and Co Ltd was founded in 1722 by John Shackley in a former timber yard off Long Acre, London. In 1739 the business was acquired by William Gyfford who enlarged the premises, trading as Gyfford and Co. In 1787 the brewery was purchased by Harvey Christian Combe, a malt factor, but it was not until 1839 that the firm began to trade as Combe and Co. The Wood Yard Brewery closed in 1905 but the Combe family continued to take a major role in the management of Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd.

In 1757 Richard Meux and Mungo Murray acquired the Jackson's Brewery in Mercer Street. When this was damaged in a major fire they constructed new premises at Liquorpond Street (now Clerkenwell Road). In 1793 Andrew Reid joined the business which became known as Meux, Reid and Co. In 1816 the Meux family left the business which changed its name to Reid and Co. The company was registered in 1888 as Reid's Brewery Co Ltd. On the merger with Watney and Combe it ceased to brew.

In 1956 Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd decided that the Stag Brewery offered no further scope for expansion. Mann, Crossman and Paulin Ltd of Whitechapel was acquired to provide a new London brewery, and the company name was changed to Watney Mann Ltd.

A 'messuage' is defined as a portion of land occupied, or intended to be occupied, as the site for a dwelling house and associated buildings. It later came to refer to a dwelling house together with its outbuildings and the adjacent land assigned to its use.

Clay Hill existed near Enfield in 1572 as a small settlement. In the 19th century there was a Claysmore house in the area; and there is still a school in Enfield called Clayesmore.

The New River was a man-made channel bringing water to London from fresh springs in Chadwell and Amwell in Hertfordshire, via reservoirs in Clerkenwell and Islington. It was begun in 1606 as a private enterprise by Hugh Myddleton, but was taken over by the New River Company in 1619.

The documents relate to Radnor Road, Pinner; Mason's Avenue, Wealdstone; Welldon Crescent, Harrow and Northolt Road, Harrow.

The Mann family were market gardeners and most of the records relate to the land they cultivated.

Colham manor was in 1086 assessed at 8 hides, 6 of which were in demesne. Part of the manor lands was probably granted away in the mid-13th century to form the basis of the sub-manor later known as Cowley Hall. At some time before 1594, however, Hillingdon manor was incorporated in that of Colham. The location of the manor lands before the assimilation of Hillingdon manor is uncertain. Fourteenth-century surveys of Colham include land in Great Whatworth Field, Hanger Field, and Strode Field, a warren on Uxbridge Common, and woodland at Highseat in the north-west. By 1636, however, Colham and Hillingdon manors had been consolidated, so that the lands of Colham then covered approximately two-thirds of Hillingdon parish. At this date the outer boundaries of Colham appear to have substantially respected those of the parish, except in the north-east where the manor boundary followed the Pinn southward from Ickenham Bridge to Hercies Lane and then ran south-eastward to rejoin the parish boundary south of Pole Hill Farm. Insulated within the lands of Colham lay the 'three little manors' of Cowley Hall, Colham Garden, and Cowley Peachey, and freehold estates belonging to a number of manors in other parishes, including Swakeleys in Ickenham.

The manor passed through several owners before, in 1787, John Dodd sold the whole manor to Fysh de Burgh, lord of the manor of West Drayton. Fysh de Burgh died in 1800 leaving Colham, subject to the life interest of his widow Easter (d 1823), in trust for his daughter Catherine (d 1809), wife of James G Lill who assumed the name of De Burgh, with remainder to their son Hubert. The manor passed to Hubert de Burgh in 1832 and he immediately mortgaged the estate. Hubert retained actual possession of the property, which was seldom if ever during this period unencumbered by mortgages, until his death in 1872.

In the 12th century the dean and chapter claimed that ten manse at West Drayton had been given by Athelstan to the cathedral church of Saint Paul, and the date 939 has been given for this grant. Though both the transcribed grant and the date are suspect, Saint Paul's appears to have been in possession by about 1000, when West Drayton supplied one of a number of 'shipmen' for a muster drawn from estates in Essex, Middlesex, and Surrey, most of which can be shown to have belonged, then or later, to the Bishop of London or to Saint Paul's. Various tenants farmed the estate on behalf of Saint Paul's until the lease was acquired in 1537 by William Paget (c 1506-63), secretary to Jane Seymour. In 1546 Henry VIII, having 'by the diligence and industry' of Paget acquired the manor with all appurtenances, granted it to him in fee, and the interest of the chapter ceased.

From 1546 to 1786 the manor descended with the other Paget honors and estates, apart from a brief period at the end of the 16th century. In 1786 Henry Paget (1744-1812), 1st Earl of Uxbridge, sold the manor and estate to Fysh Coppinger, a London merchant, who assumed his wife's name de Burgh. His widow, Easter de Burgh, owned the manor in 1800. She died in 1823 and it passed to her grandson Hubert de Burgh, who died in 1872. The next heir, Francis (d 1874), devised it jointly to his daughters, Minna Edith Elizabeth, and Eva Elizabeth, who was sole owner when she died unmarried in 1939.

From: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962) and A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971) (available online).

Probate is defined as the official proving of a will and the legal process involving this. It also refers to the officially verified copy of the will delivered to the executors, together with a document issued under the seal of the court, certifying that it has been proved and granting them authority.

Greyfriars Franciscan monastery was situated in Farringdon near Newgate. It was suppressed during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538 and given to the Lord Mayor and citizens of London in December 1547. It was decided to convert the monastery into an orphanage and school for poor children. By November 1552 the building was ready and 340 fatherless children were admitted (at this date a child was considered orphaned if the father had died, even if the mother was still alive). The school became known as the 'Blue Coat School' because the children were required to wear a uniform of blue gown, red belt and yellow stockings. In 1553 a Charter was signed to confirm the transformation of Greyfriars into Christ's Hospital (a hospital in the older sense of 'a charitable institution for the housing and maintenance of the needy; an asylum for the destitute, infirm, or aged' O.E.D.)

Branches of the school existed at Hertford from at least 1653, at Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, from 1666 to c 1690, and at Ware, Hertfordshire, from about the same period until 1760. From 1778 the Hertford premises were used as the girls' school and as a preparatory school for boys. The Royal Mathematical School, founded in 1673, was an integral part of Christ's Hospital, from which its pupils, all boys, were chosen at the age of 11 or 12. They were educated in mathematics and navigation, and were intended for service in the Royal Navy. Christ's Hospital moved from the City of London to Horsham in 1902, and at the same time the boys' preparatory school also moved from Hertford to Horsham. The girls' school remained at Hertford until 1985, when it also moved to Horsham.

A Robert Tubbs is mentioned in several of the documents in this collection. According to The Times (Weds Aug 20 1884) a Robert Tubbs died on 15th August 1884 at 55 Harley Street, aged 88. Tubbs was from Harlesden and also held Mayertorne Manor, Wendover, Buckinghamshire. He was a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant for Middlesex, and was the eldest and last surviving son of Robert Tubbs of Harlesden. His wealth at death was over £10,000. It seems likely this was the same individual. Other notices in The Times"mention a Charles Tubbs, younger brother of Robert Tubbs, who died in March 1861; and a Sophia Tubbs, wife of Robert Tubbs senior, who died in 1841 after a 'short but severe' illness.

The manor of Great Stanmore was owned by St Alban's Abbey at the time of the Norman Conquest. The manor was initially known as Stanmore-the first recorded division of Stanmore into "Great" and "Little" is in the Domesday Book. The Manor of Little Stanmore was also known as Canons. In 1709 Little Stanmore, and in 1715 Great Stanmore, were sold to James Brydges, who became duke of Chandos in 1719. He rebuilt the mansion house of Canons in ostentatious style, including marbles, rare woods, ceiling paintings and tapestries. The grounds included canals, hothouses, an aviary and sculptures. His son Henry was forced by debts to break up the Canons estate, much of the furniture and collections of fine art were sold and the house was pulled down in 1753. The family retained the lordship of the manors.

The third and last Duke of Chandos was James Brydges. His daughter, Lady Anna Elizabeth (1780-1836), was married to Richard Temple Nugent Grenville, (1776-1839), known as Earl Temple, the son of the Marquess of Buckingham. Richard adopted the surname Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville and was made 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos in 1822. Their son Richard Plantagenet Temple-Nugent-BrydgesChandos-Grenville sold the manor in 1840.

Information from: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976) (available online).

The Court roll for the Manor of Enfield is a memorandum of the conditional surrender of a messuage with orchard, garden and appurtenances on East part of Windmill Field next the Highway from London to Ware, by Susanna Moodie to John Moore.

The Sessions Paper is a petition of John Harling, hosier, to the Lord Mayor of London, requesting payment of reward for his share in securing arrest and conviction of John Crofts who had burgled his house.

The Court of King's Bench (or Queen's Bench, depending on the monarch) was founded circa 1200 to hear common pleas, although it came to specialise in pleas of special interest and concern to the king, such as those which involved his own property interests, or breach of his peace, or an error of judgment by another royal court. By 1675 the King's Bench was the highest court of common law in England and Wales, with jurisdiction over both civil and criminal actions. Civil business was conducted on the 'Plea Side' and criminal business on the 'Crown Side'. It was absorbed into the High Court in 1875 (source of information: The National Archives Research Guides "Legal Records Information 34" and "Legal Records Information 36").

Palgrave is located on the south bank of the River Waveney, opposite Diss.

Sir Robert Buckes Clifton may be Sir Robert Clifton (1826-1869) of Clifton Hall, Nottingham. Sir Robert was known for his large gambling debts and spent much time abroad to avoid his creditors.

Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 was marked by extensive public celebrations.

President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on the 14th April, 1865.

The manor of Ickenham was formed by joining two holdings, both described in the Domeday Book as "Ticheham", which were united under Earl Roger some time before 1094. The manor passed through various owners until 1334 when it was purchased by merchant John Charlton. He left the estate to his daughter Juette, wife of Nicholas Shorediche. The Shorediche family retained the manor until 1812 when it passed to George Robinson, probably after foreclosure on a mortgage debt. George Robinson's will was disputed and Chancery ordered that his property be sold in 1857. Ickenham was purchased by Thomas Truesdale Clarke and merged with his neighbouring manor of Swakeley's.

'Ickenham: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 102-104 (available online).

Paul Rycaut Stanbury Churchward was born in 1858. He joined the army in 1878 and served in the Afghan war, 1877-80; the Bechuanaland expedition, 1884-85; the South African war (Boer war), 1899-1902; and the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, 1915-1917. He retired with the rank of Colonel, and died in 1935.

Lease and release was the most common method of conveying freehold property from the later seventeenth century onwards, before the introduction of the modern conveyance in the late nineteenth century. The lease was granted for a year (sometimes six months), then on the following day the lessor released their right of ownership in return for the consideration (the thing for which land was transferred from one party to another, usually, of course, a sum of money).

A bargain and sale was an early form of conveyance often used by executors to convey land. The bargainee or person to whom the land was bargained and sold, became seised of the land.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

The land was leased by John Pateman of 4 Weymouth Terrace, Hertford Road, Lower Edmonton, a nurseryman and florist, to be cultivated as nursery or market garden ground, with greenhouses, fixtures and fittings.

In 1852 Preston Farm consisted of 243 acres, most of which was later bought by Harrow School and used for playing fields. The rest of the farm was sold for development in the 1920s.

The manor of Uxendon, first so named in 1373, consisted of a collection of interests and property on the eastern borders of Harrow parish. In 1606 the manor was passed to Richard Page [mentioned in the documents in this collection] and remained the property of the Page family until 1825; when Henry Page, of weak intellect and frequently drunk, was cheated out of the deeds by a Henry Young, who lived in the house until 1869. He left instructions that the estates were to be sold for the benefit of his wife and children. By 1914 the house was being used by the Lancaster Shooting Club. It fell into decay and in 1933 the railway line from Wembley Park to Stanmore was built across the site.

Source: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971).

Lease and release was the most common method of conveying freehold property from the later seventeenth century onwards, before the introduction of the modern conveyance in the late nineteenth century. The lease was granted for a year (sometimes six months), then on the following day the lessor released their right of ownership in return for the consideration (the thing for which land was transferred from one party to another, usually, of course, a sum of money).

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".