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MANORIAL RECORDS - WHAT THEY ARE AND HOW TO USE THEM
(Plus examples to show the results)

This article is the result of my request to a gentleman in Norwich, for a little article to help the readers with understanding the fundamental use of the Manorial records Brian who clearly states he is not a professional, but does admit to being an ardent researcher of family genealogy for over 20 years, has shown that anything is possible and with the help from County Record Staff in finding the material, and a good translator, some excellent data can be found. Written in lay language, it is easily understood by all. The following was prepared from Manorial records in the Norfolk Record Office which were deposited there. However, it is clear that not all Manorial records are deposited there and many are in Private hands as has been stated below. Search these out from the secondary markets and for a small cost a wealth of pertinent data can be had. Other manorial records will be displayed on my site and I encourage those who have small translations to share them with us.

Honor Jones

 

MANORIAL RECORDS
A POTENTIAL GOLDMINE FOR THE FAMILY HISTORIAN
By Brian Larkman

IF you can find the Manor in which your ancestor lived.

IF the records for that Manor have survived and are accessible.

IF your ancestors held land in the Manor.

THE MANOR: The English Manor was an agricultural estate dating back to the Middle Ages. Manors varied considerably in size and did not always match parish boundaries, indeed some parishes could contain two or three manors. Equally, some manors were a collection of parishes. The Manor formed a convenient unit of local government at the head of which was the Lord of the Manor, lord in the sense of landlord and not necessarily, a titled person. The Manor was administered by the MANOR COURT, a periodic meeting of tenants presided over by the Lord, or his representative – his Steward. There were two kinds of court; the COURT LEET, and the COURT BARON, each with a different function. The LEET appointed officials, such as Constable or Ale-tastor, to serve for a year and also dealt with law and order issues. Practical matters such as maintaining roads, clearing ditches and repairing hedges were also LEET functions. Gradually these duties were taken over by the Parishes and the influence of the LEET declined. Ancestors might be found in the LEET COURT ROLLS, (or books), in several places. One, the list of those attending known as the Jury or “Homage “; two, named as Officials or three, law breakers, drunks, brawlers and slanderers.

Much more important from the perspective of the family historian are the names appearing in the “minutes” of the COURT BARON. The function of this Court was to oversee the transfer of land from one tenant to another. By tradition when a tenant died his land was symbolically handed back to the Lord of the Manor and immediately a tenant taking over was admitted on the payment of fairly modest sum called a “fine “. This transaction was recorded in the roll or book and a copy of it made for the new tenant; thus his tenure was known as “ copyhold “. Frequently, the Court was attended by the surviving members of the deceased tenants’ family and wills produced to prove that the deceased had intended that his copyhold should pass to a close relative. The dates of the BARON COURT give important clues as to when to search for a possible will.

In addition to the transfer of copyhold, precise descriptions of the holding were recorded. These might include the names of previous tenants, the names of existing neighbours and often the location (in relation to main features such as “north of the Church“) and the size of the plot. With good fortune this information links up with contemporary maps of the manor, and can allow the family historian to actually “ walk the ground “where their ancestors had lived. One imagines that the jury or homage acted as a kind of corporate memory bank across the generations.

PRACTICALITIES

1. Finding the manor. Most searchers will start with the knowledge of a parish where ancestors are recorded in the church registers. Fitting the parish to a Manor (or Manors) starts with the County Record Office. (CRO) – for Norwich this is known as the NRO or Norfolk Record Office, which should hold detailed lists or, at least, know of their whereabouts.

2. What records exist ? The CRO (County Record Office), should also be able to answer this question. Many rolls or books are held at the CRO’s, others in private hands, although these should all be recorded in the NATIONAL MANORIAL DOCUMENTS REGISTER. Access might be very simple or very complicated. Like Parish registers may Manorial Records have been lost or destroyed over time. It really is something of a lottery.

3. If records exist and are accessible. Until 1733 the documents are likely to be in legal latin and you may need to employ a reliable and cost-effective expert to help. If your family were copyholders over several generations this is money well spent. In the Commonwealth Period 1653 – 1660, when the monarchy was overthrown, the records are in English but likely to be written in “ old hand “, very unlike modern handwriting so, again, expert help may be needed. Many BARON COURT BOOKS have a surname index and in addition when writing up new copyholds marginal notes of names and dates would be added to the previous entry for this tenancy. Remembering that traditionally Manors were formed in small strips in an “open field“ system you may expect to find ancestors with several small holdings dotted around the manor.

Good Hunting.

Copyright © Brian Larkman 2005
Norwich, Norfolk, UK.