Collection GB 0074 ACC/0775 - COOPER FAMILY

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0074 ACC/0775

Title

COOPER FAMILY

Date(s)

  • 1730-1892 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

3.2 linear metres (954 documents).

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Lady Cooper, born Isabella Ball Franks, of a rich Jewish business family, married William Henry Cooper, clerk and baronet (as he is frequently described). She inherited a considerable amount of money from her father Moses Franks and her mother's father Aaron Franks. Her considerable property she inherited from her aunt Priscilla (see Franks family tree), both the estate at Isleworth, and several West Indies Plantations.

On the death of her only son, William Henry, without issue (1835) the estate was settled on her eldest surviving daughter, Lady Mary Anne Honywood, who in her will provided that on her death, or that of her mother, if she should survive her (which she did) the estate should be sold and the proceeds divided among her own children, By Lady Cooper's will, apart from numerous pecuniary legacies, she leaves her estate of Chilton Lodge in Berks/Wilts to Lady Honywood's son William.

The sugar plantation of Dukinfield Hall, Jamaica fell into Franks' hands in payment of a mortgage debt and by 1822 belonged to Priscilla who bequeathed it along with her other property to Isabella, one of the original third part shares having belonged to Isabella's father Moses. There is no record at all of any of the owners ever visiting the plantation. It was left by Lady Cooper's will in trust for Mrs. Dawkins and was eventually sold in 1877. Under its earlier owners it was heavily mortgaged, and soon after it passed to Lady Cooper slavery was abolished, so it is unlikely that the family ever derived any great profit from it.

Archival history

GB 0074 ACC/0775 1730-1892 Collection 3.2 linear metres (954 documents). Cooper , family , of Isleworth

Lady Cooper, born Isabella Ball Franks, of a rich Jewish business family, married William Henry Cooper, clerk and baronet (as he is frequently described). She inherited a considerable amount of money from her father Moses Franks and her mother's father Aaron Franks. Her considerable property she inherited from her aunt Priscilla (see Franks family tree), both the estate at Isleworth, and several West Indies Plantations.

On the death of her only son, William Henry, without issue (1835) the estate was settled on her eldest surviving daughter, Lady Mary Anne Honywood, who in her will provided that on her death, or that of her mother, if she should survive her (which she did) the estate should be sold and the proceeds divided among her own children, By Lady Cooper's will, apart from numerous pecuniary legacies, she leaves her estate of Chilton Lodge in Berks/Wilts to Lady Honywood's son William.

The sugar plantation of Dukinfield Hall, Jamaica fell into Franks' hands in payment of a mortgage debt and by 1822 belonged to Priscilla who bequeathed it along with her other property to Isabella, one of the original third part shares having belonged to Isabella's father Moses. There is no record at all of any of the owners ever visiting the plantation. It was left by Lady Cooper's will in trust for Mrs. Dawkins and was eventually sold in 1877. Under its earlier owners it was heavily mortgaged, and soon after it passed to Lady Cooper slavery was abolished, so it is unlikely that the family ever derived any great profit from it.

Records deposited in July 1961.

The collection is of family papers belonging to Isabella, Lady Cooper, her children and grandchildren. The papers include documents detailing Lady Cooper's inheritance and assignments of its stock to her husband and children.There is a collection of title deeds for Isleworth Estate, together with leases of various parts of it, tradesmen's vouchers, accounts and particulars of its eventual sale (1855-78). There are also some 17th century title deeds to property in Hidden, Hungerford, as well as later deeds, accounts, rentals and leases.

Among the personal papers are a group concerning the settlement made on the marriage of William Honywood, Lady Cooper's grandson, with Barbara Whyte, and a group of financial papers chiefly on the subject of loans and securities, the same is true of the papers belonging to William's sisters Elizabeth and Caroline. There are also papers dealing with a mortgage he held from Sir John Shelley on property in Maresfield and Fletching in Sussex and as an executor of his grandmother's will he was forced into lengthy proceedings against the Ware family of Cheltenham for a long outstanding mortgage debt owed to Lady Cooper.

The last group of family papers relates to Elizabeth, Lady Cooper's younger surviving daughter, who married, secondly, the Reverend Edward Henry Dawkins. It includes their marriage settlement, and a number of his financial papers. The most interesting part of the whole collection relates to the sugar plantation of Dukinfield Hall, Jamaica (1719-1877). There are title deeds for a particularly tortuous descent, yearly accounts of crops, letters from the Jamaica agents and inventories of stock, which include slaves and give their names, ages, country of origin, occupation and state of health. There is also the will of Robert Dukinfield (1755), the original owner of the plantation, which makes provision for his negre mistress and their children out of his other property. The family name has a variety of spellings, Dukinfield being the one most frequently applied to the estate, although the main branch of the family comes from Duckenfield, Chester.

There are also a few papers concerned with three plantations on the Island of Grenada, which Lady Cooper also inherited (1773-1867).

Cooper and Honywood wills 1820-1891;
Lady Cooper's Settlement Trust 1777-1855;
Miscellanea: chiefly solicitors letters and accounts to Lady Cooper 1730-1892;
Sir William Henry Cooper and Peregrine Bertie 1816-1835;
Dawkins family papers 1859-1892;
William Honywood's marriage settlement 1844-1892;
William Honywood's financial papers 1851-1892;
Misses Elizabeth and Caroline Honywood's financial papers 1844-1892;
Philip Honywood's papers 1843-1851;
Isleworth Estate Settlement 1836-1885;
Title deeds and abstracts for Isleworth Estate 1768-1880;
Leases of Isleworth Estate property 1750-1878;
Estate Accounts and Vouchers for Isleworth 1833-1856;
Sale of Isleworth Estate 1834-1880;
Maps and Plans of Estate Chilton Lodge Estate and other Berks property 1674-1847;
Mortgages held by Lady Cooper and William Honywood 1830-1855;
Dukinfield Hall Plantation, Jamaica: Franks wills 1777-1832;
Early title deeds 1719-1777;
Abstracts of title to shares in plantation 1736-1818;
Title deeds to Moses Franks moiety 1785-1828;
Title deeds to Arnold Nesbitt's moiety 1773-1841;
Conveyances of Plantation stock 1780-1868;
Accounts and Inventories 1764-1877;
Grenada Plantations 1773-1867.

Available for general access.

Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.

English

Fit

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Records prepared May to September 2011. Slaves Land management Estate management Property Property transfer People by roles Property owners Family archives Agricultural economics Plantation economy Sugar plantations Primary documents Personal papers Family records Information sources Documents Plantation records People People by occupation Personnel Agricultural personnel Plantation workers Title deeds Deeds Estates (land) Land use Property ownership Civil law Right to property Property law Isleworth Middlesex Grenada Caribbean Hounslow London England UK Western Europe Europe Hungerford Berkshire Jamaica Sussex Civil and political rights Legal systems Land economics Human rights Law

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Records deposited in July 1961.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The collection is of family papers belonging to Isabella, Lady Cooper, her children and grandchildren. The papers include documents detailing Lady Cooper's inheritance and assignments of its stock to her husband and children.There is a collection of title deeds for Isleworth Estate, together with leases of various parts of it, tradesmen's vouchers, accounts and particulars of its eventual sale (1855-78). There are also some 17th century title deeds to property in Hidden, Hungerford, as well as later deeds, accounts, rentals and leases.

Among the personal papers are a group concerning the settlement made on the marriage of William Honywood, Lady Cooper's grandson, with Barbara Whyte, and a group of financial papers chiefly on the subject of loans and securities, the same is true of the papers belonging to William's sisters Elizabeth and Caroline. There are also papers dealing with a mortgage he held from Sir John Shelley on property in Maresfield and Fletching in Sussex and as an executor of his grandmother's will he was forced into lengthy proceedings against the Ware family of Cheltenham for a long outstanding mortgage debt owed to Lady Cooper.

The last group of family papers relates to Elizabeth, Lady Cooper's younger surviving daughter, who married, secondly, the Reverend Edward Henry Dawkins. It includes their marriage settlement, and a number of his financial papers. The most interesting part of the whole collection relates to the sugar plantation of Dukinfield Hall, Jamaica (1719-1877). There are title deeds for a particularly tortuous descent, yearly accounts of crops, letters from the Jamaica agents and inventories of stock, which include slaves and give their names, ages, country of origin, occupation and state of health. There is also the will of Robert Dukinfield (1755), the original owner of the plantation, which makes provision for his negre mistress and their children out of his other property. The family name has a variety of spellings, Dukinfield being the one most frequently applied to the estate, although the main branch of the family comes from Duckenfield, Chester.

There are also a few papers concerned with three plantations on the Island of Grenada, which Lady Cooper also inherited (1773-1867).

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Cooper and Honywood wills 1820-1891;
Lady Cooper's Settlement Trust 1777-1855;
Miscellanea: chiefly solicitors letters and accounts to Lady Cooper 1730-1892;
Sir William Henry Cooper and Peregrine Bertie 1816-1835;
Dawkins family papers 1859-1892;
William Honywood's marriage settlement 1844-1892;
William Honywood's financial papers 1851-1892;
Misses Elizabeth and Caroline Honywood's financial papers 1844-1892;
Philip Honywood's papers 1843-1851;
Isleworth Estate Settlement 1836-1885;
Title deeds and abstracts for Isleworth Estate 1768-1880;
Leases of Isleworth Estate property 1750-1878;
Estate Accounts and Vouchers for Isleworth 1833-1856;
Sale of Isleworth Estate 1834-1880;
Maps and Plans of Estate Chilton Lodge Estate and other Berks property 1674-1847;
Mortgages held by Lady Cooper and William Honywood 1830-1855;
Dukinfield Hall Plantation, Jamaica: Franks wills 1777-1832;
Early title deeds 1719-1777;
Abstracts of title to shares in plantation 1736-1818;
Title deeds to Moses Franks moiety 1785-1828;
Title deeds to Arnold Nesbitt's moiety 1773-1841;
Conveyances of Plantation stock 1780-1868;
Accounts and Inventories 1764-1877;
Grenada Plantations 1773-1867.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Available for general access.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

London Metropolitan Archives

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area