Assignment refers to the transfer of a right, usually a lease, or a mortgage.
Surrender of a lease is the return of property held by lease or by copyhold to the lessor or the lord of the manor.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
Before the Norman Conquest the manor of Ruislip was held by Wlward Wit, a thegn of King Edward, who also held the manors of Kempton and Kingsbury in Middlesex and considerable estates elsewhere. By 1086 it had passed to Ernulf of Hesdin (de Hesding), who granted it to the Abbot and Convent of the Benedictine Abbey of Bec in Normandy. Bec enjoyed possession of it until 1211 when King John sequestrated the properties of the abbey, and were fully confiscated in 1404, when Henry IV granted Ruislip manor, with reversion to the king and his heirs, jointly to his third son John, later Duke of Bedford. On his death in 1435 the manor reverted to the Crown, and although Bec petitioned the king for the restoration of their property, Henry VI in 1437 leased Ruislip manor, with a plot called Northwood, for seven years, later extended to a grant for life, to his chancellor John Somerset. In 1438 the king granted the reversion on this estate to the University of Cambridge. The University surrendered its interest in 1441, and the king granted the reversion to his new foundation, the College of St. Mary and St. Nicholas, later King's College, Cambridge. In 1451, shortly after a Commons petition requesting the dismissal of Somerset, Ruislip manor was granted outright to King's College. In 1461, however, Henry VI was defeated by Edward of York and the Lancastrian grants were declared void. King's College was not included in the list of exemptions; but in the following year Edward IV granted Ruislip manor, with Northwood, in free alms to King's College, in whose possession it remained until the break-up of the college estates in the early 20th century.
From: 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. 134-137 (available online).
Harrow manor was owned by Archbishop Wulfred, who gave the Harrow lands to his kinsman, Werhard, a priest, for life. Werhard in 845 devised the land to the monks of Christ Church, Canterbury. Harrow was held by King Harold's brother, Earl Leofwine, in 1066, but Canterbury regained it after the Conquest. When the Canterbury lands were divided by Lanfranc between the archbishop and Christ Church, Harrow and Hayes were allotted to the former. Except sede vacante, when it was administered by the Crown, Harrow manor was held by the archbishops until Cranmer was forced to exchange it with Henry VIII on 30 December 1545. Six days later, the king sold it to Sir Edward (later Lord) North (d. 1564), Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations. Dudley (d. 1666), the 3rd baron, sold Harrow manor in 1630 to Edmund Phillips and George and Rowland Pitt. In 1636, after Phillips's death, Rowland Pitt quitclaimed his interest to George Pitt and his heirs. George Pitt's son, Edmund, was dead by 1666 and the manor descended to Edmund's daughter, Alice, and her successive husbands, Edward Palmer and Sir James Rushout. The manor remained with the Rushouts, until the 3rd baron, Sir George Rushout-Bowles, died in 1887. His widow, Lady Elizabeth Augusta, sold some of the estate but on her death in 1912 the bulk passed to her grandson, Capt. E. G. Spencer-Churchill. He sold the remaining land in the 1920s but retained the manorial rights until his death in 1964, when they passed to his executors.
'Harrow manor' described both manorial rights over the whole area and the chief demesne farm in the centre of the parish. To distinguish it from the Rectory estate at Harrow-on-the-Hill, the demesne was, from the 14th century, called Sudbury manor or Sudbury Court. Its descent followed that of Harrow manor.
From: 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. 203-211 (available online).
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).
An assignment of term, or assignment to attend the inheritance, was an assignment of the remaining term of years in a mortgage to a trustee after the mortgage itself has been redeemed.
Bargain and sale was an early form of conveyance often used in the sixteenth century and by executors to convey land; the bargainee or person to whom the land was bargained and sold, became seised of the land.
Quitclaim was a deed renouncing any possible right to a property. The name derives from the Latin term Quietus Clamatus.
Feoffment was an early form of conveyance involving a simple transfer of freehold land by deed followed by in a ceremony called livery of seisin.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
The Manor of Hayes was purchased in 1858 by Charles Mills, a member of the distinguished Mills banking family, who were partners in Glyns private banking house. He also acquired the Manors of Norwood and Southall, extending his estate to cover most of Hayes parish, from the Yeading Brook on the east to Hillingdon on the west and Uxbridge Road on the south. Mills was made a baronet in 1868. His son Sir Charles Henry Mills inherited the estate in 1872. In 1886 he was created Lord Hillingdon.
From: 'Hayes: Manors and other estates', 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. 26-29 (available online).
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Probate (also called proving a will) is the process of establishing the validity of a will, which was recorded in the grant of probate.
Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.
Source: British Records Association Guidelines 3: How to interpret deeds (available online).
In 1706 Thomas Twining (1675-1741) took over Tom's Coffee House and decided to make tea more prominent on the menu. His son Daniel Twining (1713-1762) was a dealer in tea, while his son Richard Twining (1749-1824) established the prominence of the Twining label and their lasting association with the import of tea. The family home was Dial House in Twickenham.
The long-standing connection between the Wood family and the parish of Littleton began in the middle of the seventeenth century when Edward Wood, citizen and grocer of London, built his mansion house there. This remained the principal seat of the family until the house was destroyed by fire in December 1874, and Captain Thomas Wood removed permanently to the family estate at Gwernyfed, Brecknockshire, Wales.
The Woods were substantial landowners with property in a number of counties. The Middleham estate in Yorkshire was purchased in the seventeenth century and the estate at Gwernyfed was acquired in 1776 upon the marriage of Thomas Wood to Mary, daughter and heiress of Sir Edward Williams of Langoid Castle. In Middlesex the lordships of Astlam and Littleton were held by the family, and Captain Thomas Wood was lord of the manor of Littleton in 1906 (The Victoria History of the County of Middlesex, Vol. 2., 1911). The Littleton estate, comprising over 1250 acres in Littleton, Shepperton, Ashford and Laleham, was broken up and sold from 1892, although Captain Thomas Wood still owned much of the land in Littleton parish in the early twentieth century.
Members of the family followed careers, for the most part, in law, government, and the armed forces. The first Thomas Wood to live at Littleton (d.1723) continued his father's merchant business and held the appointment of Ranger of Hampton Court. His son Robert was a scholar and Doctor of Laws and, in the next generation, Thomas (1708-99) was Treasurer of the Inner Temple. His descendants entered the government, at home and overseas, often preceding this by military careers. Colonel Thomas Wood (1777-1860), Member of Parliament for Brecon for forty years, commanded the Royal East Middlesex Regiment of Militia for fifty six years and encamped with them at Aldershot in his eightieth year. His son Thomas (1804-72) commanded the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards in the early stages of the Crimean War, prior to this he represented the County of Middlesex in Parliament. Thomas his son (b 1853) followed his father into the Grenadiers and saw action in the Sudan. Upon leaving the regular army he became a colonel in the Brecknockshire Rifle Volunteers and entered local government. Famous soldiers in the family include Charles Wood (1790-1877) who fought in the Peninsula, and at Waterloo, and his nephew General Sir David Wood (1812-94) an officer in the Crimean campaign and the Indian Mutiny.
Throughout the nineteenth century the family consolidated its position among the landed gentry by contracting alliances with the aristocracy. In successive generations three Thomas Woods married, respectively, the daughter of 1st Marquess of Londonderry, the grand-daughter of 4th Duke of Grafton, and the daughter of 1st. Lord Tollemache. Colonel Thomas Wood and his wife enjoyed the friendship of William IV and Queen Adelaide and the King nominated Wood to be one of his executors.
Colonel Wood was host to George IV at Gwernyfed, and members of the royal family visited Littleton. The fire which destroyed the Littleton mansion in 1874 also consumed a fine collection of paintings. The most famous of these was Hogarth's Strolling Actors, which had been purchased in 1745 by Thomas Wood. The artist's signed receipt for the purchase money is among the documents in this collection (ACC.1302/91). It was preserved carefully by the family and is mentioned by James Thorne in his Handbook to the Environs of London, published in 1876.
The manor of Ickenham was conveyed to John Charlton in 1334. The manor was inherited by Charlton's daughter Juette, who was married to Nicholas Shorediche. The estate stayed in the Shorediche family until 1812 when it was passed to George Robinson after Michael Shorediche could not pay the mortgage. Michael married an East Indian heiress in 1813 but the family were unable to regain the manor.
From: '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).
The Manor of Osterley in Heston was purchased by property developer Nicholas Barbon in 1683. Barbon conveyed the Manor to two co-mortgagees including the banker Sir Francis Child the elder (1642-1718). Child took possession of the Manor on Barbon's death in 1698, while his son Robert Child (d 1721) bought out the co-mortgagee, so that the Child family owned the whole estate. The family expanded the estates by purchasing nearby Manors and commissioned Robert Adam to redesign the house.
The estates and Child's Bank were inherited by Sarah Anne (1764-1793), daughter and sole heir of Robert Child (d 1782). Under the terms of Robert Child's will the estates passed to Sarah Anne's daughter Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785-1867), who was said to have an income of £60,000 a year. Lady Sarah married George Villiers, the fifth Earl of Jersey (1773-1859) who took the name Child-Villiers in 1812. Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust.
In 1800 the Manor of Hayes was sold to the executors of Robert Child's will and was therefore added to Osterley and passed to Lady Sarah Sophia Fane and her husband the Earl of Jersey. They sold the Manor in 1829 to Robert Willis Blencowe.
The Manors of Norwood and Southall were united in 1547. In 1754 they were sold to Agatha Child who left them to her son Francis Child. They were united with the Manor of Hayes and followed the same descent-passing to the Jersey family and then sold to Robert Willis Blencowe.
The Manor of Wick (or Wyke) was sold to the Earl of Jersey in 1802 and incorporated into the Osterley estates.
For more information about Osterley Park and Manor see 'Heston and Isleworth: Osterley Park', and 'Heston and Isleworth: 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. 100-111 (available online).
See also 'Hayes: Manors and other estates' and 'Norwood, including Southall: 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. 26-29 and pp. 43-45.
The early history of the estate later known as Swakeleys manor is obscure. In the early 13th century the estate seems to have passed to John de Trumpinton whose son, also called John, still held it about 1260. By 1329, however, part of this land had apparently been acquired by Robert Swalcliffe of Swalcliffe. Four years later Robert and his wife conveyed their lands to William le Gauger of London, but the family name Swalcliffe, later contracted to Swakeleys, continued to attach to the estate. In 1751 the estate was sold to the Reverend Thomas Clarke, Rector of Ickenham. Members of the Clarke family held Swakeleys for over a century. Thomas Clarke died in 1796 and was succeeded by his son Thomas Truesdale Clarke. Thomas Truesdale's son, another Thomas Truesdale, succeeded in 1840 and bought the manor of Ickenham in 1859. He died in 1890 and was succeeded by his son William Capel Clarke, who had married Clara Thornhill and had added his wife's name to his own. William Capel Clarke-Thornhill died in 1898 and in 1922 his son Thomas Bryan Clarke-Thornhill sold most of the Swakeleys estate to agents for development as a residential suburb.
The extent of Swakeleys in the Middle Ages is unknown: from the 14th century the manor included much land outside the parish. In 1531 it was said to comprise more than 1,000 acres and in 1608 over 2,000 acres. At inclosure in 1780 Thomas Clarke held 368 acres in Ickenham. A park is mentioned in 1453 and again in 1517. This presumably was that surrounding Swakeleys manor-house.
The origins of the estate later known as Hercies manor are obscure. The property is first mentioned by name in 1386 when it formed part of the extensive estates of the Charlton family. In 1778 or 1779 Hercies was sold to the trustees of Thomas Bridges under whose will it descended to Thomas Clarke, Rector of Ickenham and lord of Swakeleys manor. At the end of the 18th century Hercies or Herres Farm comprised 222 acres lying north of the farm buildings in the rectangular area bounded by Uxbridge Common, the Ickenham boundary, Long Lane, and Sweetcroft Lane. In 1796 Thomas Clarke died and the property, then described as the site of the manor of Hercies, passed to his son Thomas Truesdale Clarke. Under the inclosure award of 1825 Thomas Truesdale Clarke was allotted approximately 330 acres in lieu of Hercies and Rye Fields farms. The property is not mentioned again until 1922 when Hercies Farm was acquired by the local authority.
From: 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. 69-75 (available online).
There is no unifying factor to these papers (e.g. that they relate to property owned by one estate or family or the legal work of one office), they were simply collected for their antiquarian interest before being passed to the archive.
Albion Lodge was a large house, constructed in 1815, and situated in what was once the rural outskirts of Tottenham parish. In 1861 the new Saint Ann's church, with its schools and model cottages, brought development to the area. The area is now known as Fortis Green and the Lodge has been converted into a residential care home for the elderly.
A 'formulary' is a book of formulas, containing the set form or forms according to which something is to be done or written; in this case indictments, which were legal documents containing the charges or formal accusations against a person. The book would have been used as a handbook or guide for legal professionals.
Bentley Priory was a freehold estate in Harrow. It was originally owned by an Augustinian house but passed into private hands when the priory was dissolved in 1536. In 1788 the estate was sold to John James Hamilton, the Marquess of Abercorn, who died in 1818. In 1857 the estate was sold to builder and railway engineer Sir John Kelk who sold it in 1882.
Aylwards was a tenement of Great Stanmore Manor which later passed into private hands and thence into the ownership of the Marquess of Abercorn.
Source of information: 'Harrow, including Pinner : 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. 203-211 and 'Great Stanmore: Economic history', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 99-102 (available online).
Hillingdon parish included a number of freeholds outside of the local manor of Colham. In 1636 there were 35 freeholds in Colham manor, covering more than 300 acres, mostly on the edge of the heath. From the 17th century a number of these houses were owned by persons of importance, and were noted for pleasure gardens. Hillingdon House had the largest estate, which was owned by the Cox family after 1810. The estate was broken up in 1915 when it comprised over 500 acres including land in Harefield and Ruislip.
From: 'Hillingdon, including Uxbridge: Manors and other estates', 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. 69-75 (available online).
The Ashburnham family lived at Ashburnham Place, East Sussex, from the 12th century onwards. The family rose to a position of prominence during the reign of Charles I, and supported the monarchy in the Civil War. They lost their estates during the Interregnum but regained Ashburnham Place during the Restoration. John Ashburnham was made the 1st Baron Ashburnham in 1689. The line became extinct on the death of Thomas Ashburnham, the 6th Earl, and the estate was broken up and sold.
The family had extensive estates across England and Wales, including a house in Dean's Yard, Westminster, and at Dover Street, Piccadilly (both known as Ashburnham House), and property in Chiswick and Chelsea. The Dean's Yard property is now part of Westminster School. The Dover Street property was constructed by the 2nd Earl, John Ashburnham (1724-1812).
Stanmore Hall, Great Stanmore, was purchased by Robert Hollond, MP, in 1847 and his wife Ellen Julia Hollond, authoress and founder of London's first créche.
From: 'Great Stanmore: Introduction', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 88-96.
In 1719 Henry Gough, M.P., a director of the East India Company, purchased a house in Enfield. His son Richard, an antiquary (1735-1809), recalled many pleasing hours of research in his native parish. The house, which became known as Gough Park, was demolished in 1899.
From: 'Enfield: Growth before 1850', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 212-218.
Old Oak Common in Acton had three wells which were said to have medicinal properties and were briefly fashionable in the eighteenth century.
'Viscount Melbourne' is probably Peniston Lamb (1745-1828), a substantial landowner in Derbyshire and Hertfordshire, for many years an MP, and from 1770 an Irish peer as first Baron Melbourne (Viscount Melbourne from 1781). His son William Lamb became Prime Minister as the second Viscount Melborne.
48th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers was a Temperance Corps, composed of men who had pledged not to drink any alcohol. The 48th Middlesex were originally the 24th Surrey Rifle Volunteers, but were refounded as a Middlesex battalion in 1862.
George Cruikshank was a graphic artist well known for his political and social caricatures and his collaboration with Charles Dickens on Sketches by Boz. From around 1847 Cruikshank was a supporter of the temperance movement, producing propaganda for this cause, speaking at meetings and sitting on the boards of organisations such as the London Temperance League. In 1859 the threat of a French invasion let to the formation of volunteer corps. Cruikshank supported these corps in a pamphlet published in 1860 entitled A Pop-Gun. He joined the 48th Middlesex corps and rose to become their lieutenant-colonel and commanding officer. However the corps encountered many problems, primarily from lack of money, discipline and motivation; and Cruikshank resigned in September 1868.
For more information on Cruikshank see Robert L. Patten, 'Cruikshank, George (1792-1878)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004.
The firm of Woodbridge and Sons, formerly Riches and Woodbridge, seems to have been, if not the sole firm of solicitors in Uxbridge in the 19th century, then certainly the most prominent, and many of the leading Uxbridge families are well represented in the collection. Riches and Woodbridge is listed in the Post Office Directory of 1847 as situated on the High Street, Uxbridge. By 1853 the solicitors is listed as Riches, Woodbridge and Son and by 1859 as Charles Woodbridge and Sons.
In Kelly's Directory of Essex, Hertfordshire and Middlesex of 1908 the important role of the family in local government is revealed. Woodbridge and Sons are listed as "solicitors, and solicitors to Uxbridge Permanent Building Society, 38 High Street". Charles Woodbridge is described as "solicitor, commissioner for oaths, clerk to the magistrates for Uxbridge division, clerk to the commissioners of taxes, to the Joint Hospital Board, Uxbridge Rural District Council, clerk to the guardians and assessment committee of Uxbridge Union and superintendent registrar of Uxbridge district and joint registrar of county court"; his son Algernon Rivers Woodbridge, is listed as a solicitor and deputy superintendent registrar of Uxbridge Union, while Francis Charles Woodbridge is a solicitor and clerk to Uxbridge United Charities and Thomas Hurry Riches Woodbridge is a solicitor and joint registrar of county court. Edgar Thomas Woodbridge is simply listed as 'solicitor'.
The business subsequently expanded. In the 1937 Kelly's Directory of Middlesex their offices are listed at 38 High Street, Uxbridge and 7 New Square, Lincoln's Inn, London. Algernon Rivers Woodbridge is described as a solicitor, clerk to the magistrates for Uxbridge division, clerk to commissioners of taxes and superintendent registrar of Uxbridge district; while Edgar Thomas Woodbridge is listed as deputy superintendent registrar and clerk to the Joint Hospital Board. Francis Charles Woodbridge is listed as clerk to the Uxbridge United Charities.
Although centred on Uxbridge, the firm's business spread over the neighbouring Middlesex and Buckinghamshire parishes, particularly Harlington, Hayes, Hillingdon and Denham.
Chipping Barnet (also known as High Barnet) and South Mimms are situated in Hertfordshire, in a part which runs east, forming a sort of peninsula jutting into the former Middlesex.
The Barons Boston had their seat in Hedsor, Buckinghamshire. William Irby (1707-1775) the first Baron Boston, Frederick Irby (1749-1825) the second Baron and George Irby (1777-1856), the third Baron are all mentioned in the documents in this collection.
Grundey Hooper were a firm of solicitors operating in Middlesex.
A "recognizance" was a bond or obligation by which a person undertook before a court or magistrate to perform some act or observe some condition, in this case to appear at the next quarter sessions. A sum of money was usually paid if the conditions of the recognizance were not met.
The Commission of the Peace gave Justices of the Peace the power to try offences in their courts of Quarter Sessions, appointed them to conserve the peace within a stated area, and to enquire on the oaths of "good and lawfull men" into "all manner of poisonings, enchantments, forestallings, disturbances, abuses of weights and measures" and many other things, and to "chastise and punish" anyone who had offended against laws made in order to keep the peace.
The cases which the justices originally dealt with were offences which could not be dealt with by the manorial court (i.e. misdemeanours), but which were less serious than those which went to the Assize Judges (i.e. felonies). Misdemeanours included breaches of the peace - assault, rioting, defamation, minor theft, vagrancy, lewd and disorderly behaviour, and offences against the licensing laws. In 1388 a statute laid down that the court sessions should meet four times a year (hence the name 'Quarter Sessions'): Epiphany, Easter, Trinity (midsummer) and Michaelmas (autumn) - two or more justices (one at least from the quorum) were to decide exactly where and when.
The judicial process began even before the sessions opened with examinations being taken by the magistrates once the crime had been reported by the constable, the injured party or a common informant. The accused could then be bailed to keep the peace or to appear at the next sessions, be remanded in gaol before a trial, or acquitted. Once the sessions had opened there was still an examination by a Grand Jury as to whether there was a case to answer, before the trial proper could get underway.
Richard Hassell was a Justice of the Peace for the Hundred of Edmonton.
Since 1361 the Justices of the Peace met in their court of Quarter Sessions to try offences, and also, from the mid Sixteenth Century to deal with county administration. It was from this latter date with the increase in their workload that Justices began to do some of their business (minor legal and specific administrative tasks) outside of the formal sessions, either singly or in small groups.
Over the next century meetings outside of sessions became more regular, and more matters were dealt with there which had previously been heard at full sessions. They were often carried out at the magistrates' own homes, sometimes at special session meetings in a local court house, tavern or other meeting place.
An order made by the Middlesex Quarter Sessions in 1705 that the "petty sessions" for the several divisions of the county should be held "at the known and usual place" indicates that their existence must have been well recognised by then. The divisional arrangement in the County was based to a large extent upon the old administrative area known as a 'hundred'. Ossulston was the largest, densely populated and further divided into several smaller parts from at least the 1680s - Holborn Division and Finsbury Division within it remained as petty sessional divisions until the late Twentieth Century. From 1828 all courts of Quarter Sessions were able to create districts or divisions specifically for petty sessions, either new areas or formalising any earlier informal divisions.
Oxgate Farm was part of the estates built up by the Roberts family in Willesden from 1295 onwards. Francis Roberts purchased Oxgate in 1587. The family sold Oxgate in 1700.
'Willesden: Other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 216-220 (available online).
The Volunteer Corps were predecessors of the modern Territorial Army. They were first formed in 1859 to counter French threats of invasion. In 1881 the Army was organised into territorial regiments formed of regular, militia and volunteer battalions. Middlesex volunteer battalions came under the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own).
The Commission (of the Peace) gave Justices of the Peace the power to try offences in their courts of Quarter Sessions, appointed them to conserve the peace within a stated area, and to enquire on the oaths of "good and lawfull men" into "all manner of poisonings, enchantments, forestallings, disturbances, abuses of weights and measures" and many other things, and to "chastise and punish" anyone who had offended against laws made in order to keep the peace.
The Custos Rotulorum (Keeper of the Rolls) was responsible for the care of the county records. Appointed (since the fourteenth century) in the Commission of the Peace, he was a leading justice, unpaid and holding the post for life; and from the seventeenth century usually also holding the office of Lord Lieutenant of the county. His Deputy was the Clerk of the Peace who was in practice the actual keeper of the records, and who drew up, registered and oversaw the storage of the records.
The court case between the Duke of Westminster as Custos Rotulorum of the County of London and the Duke of Bedford as Custos Rotulorum of the County of Middlesex concerned the custody of quarter sessions records relating to those parts of Middlesex which were moved into the new County of London. The Local Government Act of 1888 had given the Middlesex Sessions House at Clerkenwell Green to the new County of London. As part of their vacating of the premises, the Middlesex Clerk of the Peace removed all court records to the Middlesex Guildhall in Westminster. The Duke of Westminster argued that the records should be divided between the two counties, so that records relating to those parts of Middlesex now in London should be handed over to the custody of London County Council. The judgement was that the records created in what was Middlesex at the time should stay in Middlesex, despite later changes of administrative boundary. A full report of the case and the reasoning behind the judgement can be found in The Times newspaper for December 19 1899.
The Bedfont Road Act made provision for repairing the road from Powder Mills on Hounslow Heath to Twenty-milestone at Egham Hill, Surrey.
The Volunteer Corps were predecessors of the modern Territorial Army. They were first formed in 1859 to counter French threats of invasion. In 1881 the Army was organised into territorial regiments formed of regular, militia and volunteer battalions. Middlesex volunteer battalions came under the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own).
An apprenticeship indenture is a legal document, signed by the apprentice and their master, which laid out the terms and conditions of the apprenticeship. The length of service is usually specified; while sometimes the obligations of the master are mentioned (e.g. to provide food, shelter and lodging) and any premiums paid are noted.
The size of Finchley Common is unclear - it was between 500 acres and 1,600 acres in size. When it was enclosed it consisted of 900 acres.
In 1086 South Mimms was held by Geoffrey de Mandeville as a berewick of the manor of Edmonton, and in the time of King Edward it had belonged to Ansgar the staller. The overlordship of South Mimms manor followed the descent of Enfield. The manor seems to have been subinfeudated in 1140-4, when Geoffrey de Mandeville, earl of Essex (d. 1144), granted half of it to Hugh of Eu. By 1210-12 the whole manor was in the hands of Ernulf de Mandeville, probably a descendant of Geoffrey's eldest son, Ernulf, who held it of the honor of Mandeville for one knight's fee. Ernulf seems to have been deprived of his holding, for in 1216 the manor was granted by King John to Henry the Teuton. Ernulf's son, another Ernulf, had regained possession by 1235-6 and from him it apparently passed to his brother Hugh. It was later in the possession of the Lewknor family, who seem to have been connected with the Mandevilles, for in 1268 Sir Roger Lewknor held a Suffolk manor of Hugh de Mandeville. Sir Roger was succeeded in 1295 by his son Thomas, whose heir Thomas secured a grant of free warren in South Mimms in 1313. The first recorded lease of the manor was by Thomas's son, Roger, to John de Byllyngdon in 1394 for 20 years. The manor remained in the Lewknor family until 1483, when Sir Thomas Lewknor was attainted and his lands granted to Robert Scrope. In 1484 Lewknor was pardoned and his lands were restored in 1485.
It is uncertain when the manor was transferred from the Lewknor family to the Windsors. In 1503 the manor court was held in the name of Edmund Dudley, and other feoffees, to the use of Dudley's brother-in-law Andrew Windsor, later Lord Windsor (d. 1543). In 1519, however, Roger Lewknor, who was said to be seised in fee of the manor, leased it to Sir Andrew and George Windsor, during the life of Sir Thomas West and others. In 1525 Sir Edward Neville, who was Sir Andrew's son-in-law and said to be the sole surviving trustee, released the manor to Roger Corbett and Henry Draper. In 1530 South Mimms was conveyed by Draper to Sir Edward Neville, William Windsor, and others. In 1542 it was claimed by Anne Knyvett, a daughter of Roger Lewknor, and her husband John Vaughan, from whom it was eventually conveyed in 1567 to Edward, Lord Windsor (d. 1575). The manor descended in the Windsor family until 1606 when Henry Howard, earl of Northampton, and other executors of Henry, Lord Windsor (d. 1605), sold it to Robert Cecil, earl of Salisbury (d. 1612). The manorial estate has remained largely intact in the hands of the Cecil family.
From: 'South Mimms: 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. 282-285 (available online).
A marriage settlement was a legal agreement drawn up before a marriage by the two parties, setting out terms with respect to rights of property and succession.
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.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
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 Abbey leased the manor to various tenants until 1279 when Robert of Stanmore successfully claimed it. In 1362 it was acquired by the prior of St Bartholomew's, Smithfield, who already held the manor of Little Stanmore. The chief steward of St Bartholomew's, Geoffrey Chamber, leased the manor. He sold some of the property to Sir Pedro de Gamboa, a Spanish mercenary working for the royals. Chamber died in 1544, in heavy debt, and his estates were forfeited and granted to de Gamboa. However, he was murdered in 1550 and the manor was leased to Sir George Blage.
In 1604 the lordship was sold to Sir Thomas Lake, a secretary of state, and the owner of Little Stanmore. A fee farm rent was paid to the Crown, later granted to the chapter of Westminster. Later branches of the Lake family underwent much litigation relating to the ownership of the manor, and it subsequently went through several changes of owner and was subdivided. In 1715 the manor was once again united with Little Stanmore manor, this time under the Brydges family, earls of Carnarvon and dukes of Chandos. The manor was sold to James Hamilton, marquess (later duke) of Abercorn, and the owner of Bentley Priory. It was sold on to John Kelk, then in 1882 sold to Thomas Clutterbuck. The Clutterbuck family held the manor until 1936 when the manorial rights were extinguished.
Information from: 'Great Stanmore: Manor and other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 96-99 (available online).
The Manor of Little Stanmore was also known as Canons. In 1086 the manor belonged to Roger de Rames and remained in his family, although gifts of land were made to St Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield, and to other churches; while parcels of land were sold, leased or transferred. By 1243 the Rames holding in Little Stanmore was divided between three tenants, leasing the land from St Bartholomew's. By 1353 the priory had increased its holdings to 957 and a half acres, the largest single estate of St Bartholomew's until the Dissolution. The priors leased out the manor house and gardens and portions of the estate, from 1501 referring to it as "Little Stanmore called Canons". St Bartholomew's surrendered to the Crown in 1539 and Little Stanmore was granted to Robert Fuller, the last prior. He died in 1540 and the manor reverted to the Crown, who granted it to Hugh Losse and his heirs.
In 1604 one of the Losse heirs sold the manor to Sir Thomas Lake. It remained in the Lake family until 1709 when it was 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 Brydges family (later the dukes of Buckingham and Chandos) retained the lordship of Little Stanmore and Great Stanmore, and kept a small amount of land in the area. William Hallett bought the Canons site and built a new, more modest villa. Canons then passed through various hands, with parcels of land sold off piecemeal, until 1929 when the mansion with 10 acres of land were bought by the North London Collegiate School, while part of the estate was purchased by Harrow Urban District Council to be used as a park.
Information from: 'Little Stanmore: 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. 113-117 (available online).
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).
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).
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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).
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).
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 firm originates from the partnership of Randolph Horne and John Engall which formed and developed throughout the latter nineteenth century. Harry Scott Freeman became a partner in the firm around 1900. Mr. Engall retired about 1910, Mr. Horne having retired some twenty years earlier.
The firm or one of its members acted as clerk to many public bodies, including the Staines-Hampton and the Bedfont-Bagshot Turnpike Trusts, the Staines Bridge Commission, the Cranford Sewer Authority, the Staines Local Board, and the local Tax Commissioners. They were also clerk to private companies and institutions, including Staines Independent Chapel, Staines and Egham Gas and Coke Company, the Staines Scientific and Literary Society and the Spelthorne Militia. Mr. Scott Freeman served as Deputy Acting Returning Officer for the Spelthorne Division in the 1918 and 1922 General Elections.
Horne and Engall were both stewards of local manors, and it is no doubt due to this fact that these archives first came to include court rolls, court books, surveys, and a large number of copies of court rolls for the manors of Staines, Ashford, Stanwell, and Hammonds and Milton in Surrey. However, Mr. Engall acquired the lordship of the manor of Ashford in 1890, and Mr. Scott Freeman subsequently became lord of all the Middlesex manors just mentioned, thus becoming owner of the relevant manorial documents.
