Catalogue description Chequers Manuscripts

Title deeds, estate records, family papers, etc., for the Chequers Court estate

The somewhat miscellaneous material covered by this catalogue consists as follows:

(a) Title deeds, etc., formerly kept in the Admiralty Chest (item 148 in the published 1923 Catalogue) at Chequers and listed in the Historical Manuscripts Commission's "Report on the Manuscripts at Chequers Court", 1946, under the references 148A 1-23, 148B 1-14, 148C 15-26, 148D 27-48, 148E 1-29.

(b) Family papers, etc., which were kept in the Cromwell Case (item 451 in the 1923 Catalogue) and listed in the 1946 HMC Report as 451/1-7. 9-16, 18, 21, 23, 25-26, 30-31, 33-37. Several of these documents are separately described in A Catalogue of the Principal Works of Art at Chequers (H.M.S.O., 1923) as items 775 (451/1), 776-781 (451/2-7).

(c) Items 774 and 786 in the 1923 Catalogue.

(d) Additional miscellaneous documents, 1568 - C20th not listed either in the 1923 Catalogue or in the 1946 Report, including 19 architectural and other drawings, 1821-1870 and undated (accession AR 17/80), and map of the estate of Dame Mary Wolley, 1629 (AR 58/74).

(e) Estate papers, various, mostly C19th, presented to the Administrative Trustees by Mrs. P. Astley on behalf of Richard Astley in 1977.

Other manuscript material described in the 1923 Catalogue, mostly collected items but including some estate deeds, 1297-1660 (item 772), remains at Chequers.

Only one document, the notebook of Sir John Croke, 1595-1607 (no. 22/1 in the present catalogue), appears to have been included in the Historical Manuscripts Commission's published report on the manuscripts of Mrs. Frankland-Russell-Astley of Chequers, (H.M.S.O., 1900), pp.1-18, and the remainder of the papers abstracted in that report did not pass to the Trustees.

References to the 1946 Report and the 1923 Catalogue are given, where applicable in square brackets.

1 - 10 DEEDS

Buckinghamshire

1 Aylesbury and Bierton

2 Dinton and Princes Risborough

3 Ellesborough

4 Great and Little Kimble, Bishopstone, Stone

5 Ludgershall

6 Stoke Mandeville

7 Wendover and Great Missenden

Out - county

8 Aldbury (Herts.)

9 Staple, Wingham, Woodnesborough (Kent)

10 Marriage and other settlements

PROBATE

11 Wills and testamentary papers

ESTATE PAPERS

12/1-16 Estate papers

12/17-47 Estate papers, presented by Mrs. Astley [A.R. 82/78]

13 Maps and plans

14 Designs for alterations and additional buildings at Chequers [A.R. 17/80]

FAMILY PAPERS

15 Heraldry and genealogy

16 Commonplace books, notebooks, etc.

17 Sermons

18 Diaries of members of the Frankland family

19 Passport of Sir Robert Frankland Russell

20 Notes, and articles about, and catalogues of MSS at, Chequers Court.

21 Correspondence

22 Official papers

23 Final miscellaneous

Russell family of Buckinghamshire

Astley family of Buckinghamshire

AR 58/74

AR 82/78

AR 17/80

• Ellesborough, Buckinghamshire

The Chequers estate had the distinction of never once having changed hands except by inheritance in over eight hundred years. It was held by the Hawtrey family from 1254 to 1597, after which it eventually passed to Sir Henry Croke, M.P., through his marriage to Bridget Hawtrey (d.1638). His grand-daughter and heiress married John Thurbarne, M.P., Sergeant at Law, from whom the estate passed by marriage to the Russells, close relatives of Oliver Cromwell. It remained in the possession of the Russells until the nineteenth century when two allied families, the Greenhills, and the Franklands succeeded in turn, both of whom assumed the Russell surname. By the beginning of the present century Chequers had descended to the Astleys. Finally, following the death without issue of H.J. Delaval Astley in 1912, it was purchased by Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham who in 1921 presented the entire estate to the nation for the use of successive Prime Ministers as their country residence. For a detailed account of the rather complicated descent see Chequers by J.G. Jenkins (London, 1967).

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