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Spelthorne was one of the Middlesex Hundreds, containing the parishes of Ashfrod, East Bedfont, Feltham, Hampton, Hanworth, Laleham, Littleton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington and Shepperton. The hundred was held by the Crown.

1805 was during the Napoleonic Wars when many militia forces and volunteer forces were formed to participate in the war effort.

Prince William, the third son of King George the Third, was made Duke of Clarence in 1789. From 1797 he lived in Bushy House, Teddington, as ranger of Bushy Park. He became King William IV in 1830.

In 1438 King Henry VI granted Ruislip Manor to the University of Cambridge. The University gave up its interest in 1441 and the king granted the manor to the new College of St Mary and St Nicholas, later known as King's College Cambridge. This was made an outright grant in 1451. The estate remained in the possession of the college until the early 20th century.

Ralph Hawtrey acquired the lease of the manor in 1669. The Hawtreys and their descendants, the Rogerses and Deanes, kept the lease of the manor until the late 19th century when it was taken up by the College.

From: 'Ruislip: 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. 134-137.

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.

Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

Common Recovery was a process by which land was transferred from one owner to another. It was a piece of legal fiction involving the party transferring the land, a notional tenant and the party acquiring the land; the tenant was ejected to effect the transfer. An exemplification was a formal copy of a court record issued with the court's seal.

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

Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

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. An assignment of a lease is the transfer of the rights laid out in the lease to another party, usually for a consideration (a sum of money).

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

Ruislip parish included a large number of open fields to the south of Eastcote Road. These comprised around 2,200 acres when they were enclosed.

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. 127-134.

The Cross Keys Inn, Uxbridge, was in existence by 1548.

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 'indenture' was a deed or agreement between two or more parties. Two or more copies were written out, usually on one piece of parchment or paper, and then cut in a jagged or curvy line, so that when brought together again at any time, the two edges exactly matched and showed that they were parts of one and the same original document. A 'right hand indenture' is therefore the copy of the document which was on the right hand side when the parchment was cut in two.

A 'fine' was a fee, separate from the rent, paid by the tenant or vassal to the landlord on some alteration of the tenancy, or a sum of money paid for the granting of a lease or for admission to a copyhold tenement.

Common Recovery was a process by which land was transferred from one owner to another. It was a piece of legal fiction involving the party transferring the land, a notional tenant and the party acquiring the land; the tenant was ejected to effect the transfer. An exemplification was a formal copy of a court record issued with the court's seal.

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

The manor of Enfield is first recorded as held by Ansgar the staller in 1066. In 1086 it was owned by Geoffrey de Mandeville and stayed in his family until 1419 when it became the property of King Henry V. Subsequently it was assigned to various female members of the Royal family, including Margaret of Anjou; and was leased out until the lease was acquired by the Duke of Chandos in 1742.

John Pardoe, by deed of 1757, left his great tithes on some 230 acres in Hendon to ten poor widows aged 40 or over on Stanmore. A rent-charge payable in lieu of great tithes was gradually redeemed for stock between 1909 and 1943.

Source: 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 Friern Barnet was also known as the Manor of Whetstone. In 1336 it was owned by the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem. In 1540, when the Order of St John was closed, the lands passed to the Crown. In 1544 the Crown granted the manor to the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral, London. The Chapter sold the lands in 1800, while the manorial rights passed to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

Information from 'Friern Barnet: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6: Friern Barnet, Finchley, Hornsey with Highgate (1980), pp. 15-17 (available online).

Sir George Stephen, lawyer and slavery abolitionist, was born on 17 January 1794 on St Kitts, West Indies. His parents returned to England with him when he was an infant. He was educated at private schools at Clapham Common and Cheam. He was placed in the office of J. W. Freshfield, afterwards solicitor to the Bank of England. On 17 March 1821 he married Henrietta (1797-1869), the daughter of Revd William Ravenscroft; they had seven children.

During five years' articles, Stephen managed his firm's extensive bankruptcy business and, when he began practice on his own, the firm handed much of that business to him. During the parliamentary inquiry in 1820 into the conduct of Queen Caroline he was employed by the government to collect evidence against her on the continent.

In 1826, declining remuneration, Stephen was retained by the House of Commons to investigate allegations that slaves were being traded at Mauritius. That had been made unlawful in 1807, but slavery itself was still prevalent in some British colonies, notably in the West Indies. Stephen, following his father, had become prominent in the Anti-Slavery Society and was its honorary solicitor. Hitherto, the committee had worked towards abolition by direct persuasion of parliamentarians; in 1831 Stephen proposed appealing to the people. His proposal was rejected by the committee but taken up by James Cropper and others, who provided funds. A small working group, including Stephen, employed agents to arrange and address public meetings and to inspire press publicity, the formation of local societies, and the promotion of petitions. The ensuing agitation persuaded the government: the act to abolish slavery in British colonies was passed in 1833. Stephen was knighted in 1838 for his services.

Stephen was solicitor in a scheme for the relief of paupers in contempt of court, without remuneration, and also acted for a society for the purchase of reversions; however, he quarrelled with the directors and was dismissed, losing a considerable sum. Disliking aspects of his profession, resenting its inferior social status, and struggling somewhat in his practice, he decided in 1847 to abandon it. He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn on 6 June 1849 and settled at Liverpool, where he acquired a fair practice in bankruptcy cases.

But Stephen's work fell away on a change in the system, and in 1855 he emigrated to Melbourne, Victoria, where he joined his two younger sons. He was admitted to practise as a barrister there on the same day (9 August 1855) as was his eldest son, James Wilberforce (1822-1881), who emigrated with him and afterwards became a judge of the supreme court of Victoria. Stephen died on 20 June 1879 and was buried in St Kilda cemetery, Melbourne, on 23 June.

Source: Leslie Stephen, 'Stephen, Sir George (1794-1879)', rev. Peter Balmford, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/26371, accessed 6 July 2009].

Sir Lancelot Shadwell, the last Vice Chancellor of England, bought Northolt manor from George Villiers, Earl of Jersey, in 1827. The manor comprised 269 acres. The Shadwell family owned the manor until the early 20th century when the estate was broken up and sold.

From: 'Northolt: 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. 113-116 (available online).

Henry Jermyn, 3rd Baron Dover (1636-1708), was a prominent figure at the Restoration Court. He was a Roman Catholic in the household of James Duke of York and, on James' accession, began to take part in public affairs. In 1685 was raised to the peerage as Baron Dover of Dover and in 1636 became a member of the Privy Council. He followed James into exile in France and was given "Jacobite peerages". After the Battle of the Boyne, where he commanded a troop, Dover was eventually pardoned by William III and spent the rest of his life quietly at his home in Albermarle Buildings near St. James's Park or at his country seat at Cheveley near Newmarket. In 1703 he succeeded his brother as 3rd Baron Jermyn of St. Edmundsbury. He died at Cheveley on 6 April 1708 and his body was taken to Bruges to be buried in the church of the Carmelites. His wife, whom he married in 1675, was Judith daughter of Sir Edmund Poley of Badley, Suffolk.

Sir Thomas Saunders Sebright, 4th baronet, of Flamstead, Herts., was born 11 May 1692 and died 12 April 1736. He succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father in 1702, and was M.P. for Hertfordshire from 1715 until his death.

No historical information can be found for this document.

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.

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 Delme-Radcliffe family were the holders of Hitchin Priory in Hertfordshire. Through various marriages the family estates grew to include land in Cambridgeshire, West Sussex, Bedfordshire, Essex, Croydon and Hampshire as well as the Middlesex and London lands featured in this collection.

The manor of Finchley was owned by the Bishop of London. However, 2 smaller sub-manors, Bibbesworth and Marches, were held separately. In 1622 they were purchased by Edward Allen, an alderman from London, who left the estate to his son Sir Thomas Allen. In 1674 Sir Thomas left the estates to his son Edward, entailing them to the male line. When Edward died childless in 1692 the estates went to Thomas, his nephew. Thomas's son Edward died in 1774 and broke the entail by leaving the manor to his brother Thomas, who had the surname Greenhalgh until 1774. He died in 1780 and left the estate to his son, also Thomas, who died childless in 1830.

The estates were disputed between Edward Cooper under the will of Edward Allen who died in 1774; and descendants of Edward Allen who died in 1692 under the will of Thomas Allen who died in 1780. Cooper's title passed to his son Edward Philip Cooper who bought out the other claimants and settled the Finchley estates on his daughters, who both died in 1888. The estate passed to their cousin Albert Henry Arden, who was succeeded by his son Edward Cooper Arden.

Source of information: 'Finchley: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6: Friern Barnet, Finchley, Hornsey with Highgate (1980), pp. 55-59 (available online).

Adelaide House was built in 1828 on the west side of Forty Green at a time when the area was fashionable. The house has since been destroyed. Forty Green is now known as Forty Hill.

The Bridgen Hall estate was situated between Carterhatch Lane and Goat Lane. It was sold in 1868 and was divided between a housing estate, gravel digging, and open parkland.

Cowley Peachey was a small manor which sat within the lands of Colham Manor. Ownership of the estate was often the same as other small manors in the area, such as Cowley Hall and Hayes Park Hall.

Source of information: '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).

Court baron was an assembly of the freehold tenants of a manor under the presidency of the lord or his steward. Such a court had a jurisdiction in civil actions arising within the manor, especially in such as related to freehold land. This jurisdiction began to decay at an early date, and is now practically obsolete.

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).

The lease of the house in Gower Street featured in these records was assigned to Frances Wombwell and her daughters by a probate of 1809-10. Other Wombwells mentioned in the collection are Walter Wombwell, a stage coach proprietor and horse dealer, and his wife Martha.

C. O. Banks was a local historian, author of Romances of the Finchley Manor and Early Days of Whetstone, Friern Barnet, North End and East End, Finchley, Barnet and The Story of Finchley, Friern Barnet and Whetstone. He founded Finchley Record Society in 1925.

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).

Robert Williams was an upholsterer and cabinet maker of Bow Street, Covent Garden. He appears to have produced furniture, furnishings and fittings, funeral undertakings, packing cases, compass rods and other ship's fittings.

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).

The Manors featured in these papers were all held by the interconnected Paget family. William Paget, first Baron Paget, (1505-1563) rose to prominence in the court of Henry VIII despite coming from a modest London family, acting as diplomat, ambassador, secretary of state and member of the Privy Council. As he became more successful Paget began to accumulate lands and estates, starting with the manor of West Drayton in 1536. The Manor of Harmondsworth was granted in 1547 and joined to his West Drayton estates. He later acquired estates in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Worcestershire.

The eighth Baron Paget, Henry Paget (1663-1743), an official in the Royal household, was made first Earl of Uxbridge in 1714. His son, also Henry (1719-1769), was the second Earl of Uxbridge and added to the family estates with the purchase of the Manors of Dawley and Harlington in 1755. Henry died unmarried and childless, so the barony of Paget passed to Henry Bayly (1744-1812), the great-great-grandson of William, the sixth baron Paget. Bayly, who changed his name to Paget, sold the manor of West Drayton in 1786, the manor of Dawley in 1772 and the manor of Harlington in 1773. His son Henry William Paget (1768-1854) became the marquess of Anglesey after losing a leg at the Battle of Waterloo. His son sold the Manor of Harmondsworth in the mid-nineteenth century.

Sources: 'Harlington: Manors' and 'West Drayton: 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. 191-195 and pp. 261-267; and 'Harmondsworth: 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. 7-10. See also entries for the Paget family in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

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 and Volume 4 (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.

The parish of Saint Mary, Harrow, was served by several charitable bequests which provided for the local poor. The governors of Harrow School gave the parish £20 a year for poor relief.

Harrow Weald National School was founded in 1845 and was situated next to All Saint Church. It was controlled by the curate and offered lessons for boys and girls.

For more information see: 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).

The Manor of Laleham was purchased in 1802 by Richard Bingham, the second Earl of Lucan (1764-1839). His son George Charles Bingham, the third Earl of Lucan (1800-1888), was famous for ordering the 'Charge of the Light Brigade' during the Crimean War.

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 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.

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 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. Sarah was a prominent society hostess; while her husband preferred to stay on the family estates and breed horses.

Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust.

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). For biographies of the Earls of Jersey see the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Harrow Manor belonged to the archbishops of Canterbury from the early middle ages until 1545 when Henry VIII forced Cranmer to sell the manor to him. Henry sold the estate to Sir Edward North. The North family sold the manor to the Pitt family, whence it came to Alice Pitt and her husbands, Edward Palmer and then Sir James Rushout. The Rushouts acquired the barony of Northwick in 1797. Harrow stayed in the family until the death of the 3rd Baron, Sir George Rushout-Bowles, in 1887. His widow left the estate to her grandson Captain E G Spencer-Churchill. He sold the land in the 1920s.

Harrow Manor described both the manorial rights over the whole area and the chief demesne farm in the centre of the parish. This was known as Sudbury Manor or Sudbury Court. The ownership of Sudbury Manor followed that of Harrow, hence the name Harrow alias Sudbury.

From: '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 (available online).

The Manor of Harrow Rectory alias Harrow-on-the-Hill originated in land owned by priest Werhardt in the 9th century. From 1094-1845 Harrow Rectory was a peculiar of the archbishopric of Canterbury within the deanery of Croydon. The rector had sole manorial jurisdiction over Harrow-on-the-Hill and Roxborough, and collected tithes from a large area. This was a prized position which attracted ambitious and important men, and the rectory house was accordingly fine and spacious. In 1546 the rectory was impropriated to Christ Church, Oxford, but in 1547 the college alienated the rectory, the advowson of the vicarage, and (from 1550) the tithes to Sir Edward North, lord of Harrow alias Sudbury Manor. The grant was made in fee farm in perpetuity, North paying the College an annual fee. North sublet the rectory and tithes while retaining the manorial rights, and enjoyed the rights and profits of the rectory. In 1630 the rectory was conveyed to George Pitt and thereafter descended with Sudbury Court Manor until 1807, when the rectory house and 121 acres of land north of it were sold to James Edwards; the remaining land becoming part of Harrow Park.

'Harrow, including Pinner : Harrow church', 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. 249-255 (available online).

The History of the County of Middlesex notes that Sir Gilbert Gerard, elder brother of William Gerard of Flambard, and Gilbert's son Sir Charles Gerard, owned lands near Harrow.

From: 'Harrow, including Pinner : 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. 211-218.

The Berkeley family's seat was at Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire built in 1153 by Lord Maurice Berkeley. Lord Berkeley of Stratton (died 1678) ran the Duke of York's household and built himself a magnificent London house in Piccadilly. His descendants laid out Berkeley Square in the grounds. In 1679 George Berkeley made first Earl of Berkeley by King Charles II.

The fifth Earl of Berkeley, Frederick Augustus (1745-1810) took Mary Cole, a butcher's daughter as his mistress. In 1796 they married, Mary having borne the earl five children and later that year their legitimate son Thomas Moreton was born. Mary was anxious about the legitimacy of her adored eldest son William Fitzharding (1786-1857). In 1799 she and the Earl forged the Berkeley parish register with a false entry for a secret marriage 1785 to make all their children legitimate. On the death of the earl in 1810, the Berkeley Peerage Case was heard in the House of Lords and in 1811 the earldom passed to Thomas Moreton. In 1841 William Fitzharding was given the title Earl Fitzhardinge.

The family held estates throughout England.

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.

In medieval times Saint Mary's was one of the most important churches in Middlesex. There is a twelfth-century tower with tall octagonal lead spires. The nave was re-built in the thirteenth-century when the rector was Elias de Dereham, the canon of Salisbury. Various additions and embellishments took place under John Byrkhead, rector from 1437 to 1468, then restored heavily in the nineteenth century. Many brasses including a small brass of John Lyons, founder of Harrow School.

The modern Arnos Grove originated in woods known as Arnolds which consisted of a house and 24 acres of land. In 1584 this was conveyed to Humphrey Weld (later knighted), a grocer from London. Weld added to the estates with 13 acres purchased from Robert Cecil in 1610. He died in 1611 and his son, Sir John Weld, bought a further 150 acres from William Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, in 1614, including the Minchenden woods in Southgate. John Weld died in 1623 and his widow Frances sold the property in 1645.

From: 'Edmonton: 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. 154-161 (available online).

The Manor of Harlesden was leased to Sir William Roberts from 1649, and presumably formed part of the Harlesden estate which was sold to Richard Taylor, a London vintner, from 1689. The lease was renewed by Richard's son John in 1717, by John's son, also John, in 1729 and 1760, and his son Richard in 1771. Richard died in 1835 and the lease expired and was taken up by John Belemore, a local gentleman.

In 1665 and 1671 Sir William Roberts also sold Richard Taylor 128 acres in Harlesden. Richard's great-grandson, also Richard, held the land in 1823. His daughter Emily sold parts of it in 1878-79, holding 76 acres in 1887. The remainder of the estate was sold off in 1925 by Frederick Gibbons, a relation.

From: 'Willesden: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 208-216 and 'Willesden: Other estates', pp. 216-220 (available online).

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.

The pardon frees Thomas Moss, James Moss, Thomas Clements, John Walker and Henry Lubbett, Joseph Roberts and Mary Coran who were all awaiting transportation.

Robert Heelis, of no 14 Church Row, Limehouse, was a surgeon and apothecary.

Edwin Ashdown Limited took over the earlier output of smaller music publishing firms including Enoch and Sons (1927) and was based at 19 Hanover Square, W1.

B.B. Franklin FSI, architect and surveyor of King Street, Luton, carried out building work at various properties in Greater London.

The Gascherie and Gashry families were related by the marriage of Suzanne Gascherie, daughter of Estienne and Suzanne Gascherie to Francois Gashry, a parfumier, at the church of St Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, London on 10 December 1696. Gashry appears to be an anglicised form of Gasherie, and it is possible that the two families are related but their connection is not apparent from the documents in this collection.

Francois and Suzanne Gashry had 12 children. The eldest, Susanne Gashry (Gascherie) returned to La Rochelle and died there in 1762 (see ACC/2079/A1). Her sister, Madeleine Gashry (Gascherie) brought the law suit to claim inheritance of lands in La Rochelle against more distant relatives, the Bonneau family (see ACC/2079/A1). Documents relating to the Gashry family were produced to prove Madeline's title to the lands, as a direct descendant of Estienne Gascherie through her mother Suzanne Gascherie, wife of Francois Gashry (see ACC/2079/A1) and to show that Gashry and Gascherie were variant spellings of the same name. As these documents refer principally to the Gascherie branch of the family they have been put with other documents relating to the legal case.

Francois and Suzanne Gashry's son Francis Gashry was a commissioner of the Navy in 1741 and Treasurer and Paymaster of His Majesty's Ordnance in 1751 (ACC/2079/B1/004). He married Martha ,whose will survives (ACC/2079/B1/007) and died in 1762 (ACC/2079/B1/002-003). A daughter, Margaret Gashry married Abraham Ogier in 1767 and her will also survives (ACC/2079/B2/001). Another daughter, Mary Martha married Henry Henrott, thus making the connection with the Hanrott family (see ACC/2079/C).

The Hanrott family is another Huguenot family. Jonas Hanrot came to England from Sedan. The Hanrott family name is a corruption of the original Henreau and is found in various forms including Henrott and Hanrot. Jonas Hanrot married Marie Anne Bocquet (Bauquer, Boque) in 1688 and their son Henry Hanrott married Marie Marthe Gascherie in 1724. They had two sons and a daughter. One of their sons, Francis Hanrott, (ACC/2079/C1/001) had seven children, including Francis Gashry Hanrott (ACC/2079/C2/001) and Philip Augustus Hanrott (ACC/2079/C3). Philip Augustus Hanrott was apprenticed as a solicitor's clerk to the firm of Dunn Lancaster and Dunn (see ACC/2079/D) and later formed his own firms, Hanrott and Metcalfe and Hanrott and Son (see ACC/2079/E,F). He married Caroline Cory and had several children including Henry Augustus Hanrott (ACC/2079/C5) with whom he had the solicitor's partnership, and Philip Augustus Hanrott Jnr. (ACC/2079/C6). Henry Augustus married his cousin Louisa Cory and had two sons, Howard Augustus, and Robert Cory (ACC/2079/C7) who married Julia Hanson and had several children, including Conrad Hanrott (ACC/2079/C8).

Philip Augustus Hanrott was articled to the firm of Dunn, Lancaster and Dunn in 1795 (ACC/2079/C3/001). The papers in this group relate to cases dealt with by Dunn, Lancaster and Dunn, and retained by P A Hanrott. The Penn papers (ACC/2079/D/003) include the Cremorne papers which do not appear to have a clear connection with the solicitor's firm, but which may have been kept with other Penn papers as the Penns were related to the Cremornes by marriage.

Philip Augustus Hanrott formed his own solicitors firm after leaving Dunn, Lancaster and Dunn. The first partnership was with a Mr Metcalfe and it broke up around 1837 (see ACC/2079/E6/005). The second partnership was with his son Henry Augustus Hanrott, and there seems also to have been a partnership with Charles Cory, Henry's brother-in-law. The last partnership was dissolved on Henry's death in 1852, although the settlement of accounts took until 1857 (see ACC/2079/E6/008).

The Archbishop of York held extensive estates in Battersea, Penge and Wandsworth partly derived from the Bridge Court Estate. Hanrott and Metcalfe acted as stewards for the Archbishop, collecting rents etc. In 1813 and 1837 the Archbishop of York applied for Acts of Parliament to allow him to sell off the Battersea and Wandsworth estates, to keep the revenue in trust for purchasing similar estates near the home estates of Bishopthorpe in Yorkshire (see ACC/2079/F1/008-012). Hanrott and Metcalfe were involved in valuing the land, calculating fines and arranging the sale of the estates to the tenants. The Archbishop also purchased a London house in 1809.

The documents relate to property in Paddington owned by a Frederick Mayner: 48 Cambridge Street [now Kendal Street] and 29 Torrington Mews.

The Metropolitan Electric Supply Company Limited provided electricity to the 'metropolitan' parts of Middlesex, which are now part of London. It was taken over by the Eastern Electricity Board in 1947 when electricty services were nationalised.