Catalogue description PETRE

123M/TB Title Deeds (Early : Buckfast)

West Alvington

South Brent

Buckfastleigh

Churchstow

Herberton

Kingsbridge

Unidentified

Title Deeds (Early : Bruton)

Charlton Adam

Title Deeds (Early : Bonville)

Axminster

Axminster, Downhumfravile, and Bruckland in Axmouth, Combpyne and Seaton

Combpyne

Seaton

Borcomb etc. in Colyton, Southleigh, Branscombe

Sperkeheys in Colyton

Blackley in Farway

Kilmington

Hembury

Husbury

Northleigh

Shute

Southleigh (excluding Wiscombe)

Wiscombe

Tatworth, Somerset

Miscellaneous

General

Personal and religious

Indented witnesses of homage

Title Deeds (Early : Howard)

Title Deeds (Early : Dynham)

TP Title Deeds (Petre)

F Family

O Office

M Courts

South Brent Manor

Churchstow Manor

Kingsbridge

Churchstow Manor and Kingsbridge

Kingsbridge

Axminster

Haccombfee Manor

Humfravile Axminster Manor

Northleigh Manor

Shute Manor

Whitford with Womborne

Somerset: Ayshecote Manor; Tintenhull and Montague, Tatworth

Sir Thomas West's lands in E. Devon, Dorset and Somerset

E Estate Papers

Index to manors etc.

Index to parishes

General

Civil War

Surveys and Rentals (general)

Surveys, Rentals and Maps

(Individual properties)

Inventories

Accounts

Documents probably closely connected with accounts

Miscellaneous

Legal papers

Z Miscellaneous

S. Brent

Buckfastleigh

Bere Ferrers

Cornwall and Devon

L Leases

Enrolment Books

General

South Brent Manor

Churchstow Manor

East Allington

Kingsbridge

Torbryan

Axminster Manor

Colyford Manor

Colyton Manor

Combpyne and Downhumfravile Manors

Downhumfravile Manor

Combpyne Manor

Dowleshayes Manor, Kilmington

Haccombfee Manor, Axminster

Hitway Manor, Sidbury

Humfravile Axminster Manor

Northleigh Manor

Shute Manor

Southleigh Manor

Branscombe Parish

Uphay Manor

Kilmington

Membury

Axminster

Werringstone Manor

Whitford Manor

Osmington Manor, Dorset

Charlton Adam Manor, Somerset

Titenhull Manor, Somerset

Bargains and Sales of Presentations, Advowsons

Draft Leases

Draft Licences

Miscellaneous

Listing conventions

Spelling a) Christian names have been translated from Latin into English where necessary and the spelling of names in English modernised, except where there is no modern equivalent, the name having gone out of use e.g. Wilmot a feminine name used in 17th century Devon, or the original spelling is significantly different from the modern version e.g. Garthmed probably the modern Gertrude. In such cases, the original spelling is retained.

b) Surnames. All surnames have been spelt as in the documents. Abbreviated forms in mediaeval Latin documents (chiefly in 123M/TB - Title Deeds: Early) have not been extended.

c) Place names. In 123M/TB (Title Deeds: Early) all place names are spelt as in the documents. Abbreviated forms have not been extended. This practice has been followed for all mediaeval documents in other parts of the list. In the other sections the spellings of parish names have been modernised unless these are significantly different from modern forms. In that case, the spelling in the document is given as well as the modern form in square brackets. The spelling of farm names, field names and small place names is as found in the documents.

General a) Signatures, seals and endorsements are noted at the end of the calendar of each document.

b) The majority of the documents are written on parchment, and therefore only the exceptions are noted.

c) Square brackets are used for editors notes additions and explanations.

d) All abbreviations in the text are shown by apostrophe.

The Leases The following conventions have been observed in listing the leases:-

1) the lessor has not been given, except in the rare instances where the lessor is neither the head of the Petre family nor his trustees.

2) "Premises": this heading includes all concessions to the lessee (as well as the property itself) with unusual reservations made by the lessor. Normally timber and hunting rights were reserved, but in the list only the absence of such reservations is noted. The spelling of "boot" or "bote" etc. has been standardised as "bote" in the list.

3) "Rent" etc.: the paragraph beginning with "Rent" includes all the payments, services and duties owed by the lessee (excluding the consideration which is treated separately before Premises). The various spellings of heriot have not been reproduced except where there is any significant variation e.g. an 'a' for the first vowel. The spelling of farlive (farlief etc.) is always as found in each lease. The variant spelled in the list "farlive" presents some difficulty, as it could be read farlieue in many leases. It is impossible to distinguish between 'v' and 'u' in these leases, but where it is possible to distinguish these letters there is no doubt that a 'v' is intended. Moreover, there is a frequent form ending in 'f' (or 'fe') and an occasional one ending in 'ey'. Where, therefore, there is any doubt, a 'v' not a 'u' has been read. In a very few East Devon leases a 'u' has been read. In a very few East Devon leases a 'u' has been read. In a very few East Devon leases a 'u' may have been intended. The following three clauses are not calendared in the list, the clause exacting suit of court, the repair clause and the clause inhibiting sub-leasing, because they are found in almost every lease, but their absence is noted.

4) Signatures, marks and seals are always of the lesses in the counterpart leases, and of the lessor in the few surrendered leases.

5) The counterparts were nearly always endorsed "Enrolled" (usually in Latin) with the folio number of the Lease Enrolment Book in which they had been entered. Only the absence of this endorsement is noted in the list.

Numbering and classification

The documents were received in bundles, each of which was given an accession number. The documents making up a bundle were each given the bundle number and a sub-number: e.g. the twentieth document in bundle 34 was numbered 34/20. Volumes received a "bundle" number in the same sequence as the bundles and enclosures were treated as constituents of a bundle. As, on examination, the documents were found to be in some confusion, most of the bundles were broken up and their contents rearranged according to the classification and numbering listed below. Each document is now identified by a letter or letters showing its classification, followed by a number:- Title Deeds (Early) 123M/TB1-562; Title Deeds (Petre) TP 1-224; Family F 1-9; Office O 1-3; Courts M 1-110; Estate Papers E 1-1226; Leases L 1-1623; and Miscellaneous Z 1-6. The accession numbers described above have been kept, but lightly crossed through, so that a record of the order in which the documents were received is preserved.

The only unusual feature of the classification is the division of the Title Deeds into two groups (Early 123M/TB and Petre TP). This is explained in Section D Arrangement immediately below.

Arrangement

The list has been divided into four sections:- Section I containing this Introduction and the list of Early Title Deeds (classification 123M/TB); Section II the lists of Petre Title Deeds (TP), Family papers (F), and Office papers (O); Section III the lists of Courts documents (M), Estate Papers (E) and Miscellaneous papers (Z); Section IV the list of Leases (L).

The documents have been classified as explained above in C Numbering and Classification. In more detail, their arrangement is as follows:-

Title Deeds (Early 123M/TB and Petre TP). Broadly, the "Early" deeds concern the Petre lands before they came into the possession of the family and are the deeds of their predecessors in title. The "Petre" deeds consist of the documents relating to the family's purchases, mortgages, settlements and sales.

The "Early" deeds divide into five groups, the deeds relating to properties of the Abbey of Buckfast (123M/TB1-109), the Priory of Bruton in Somerset (123M/TB110-158), the Bonville (later Grey) family (123M/TB159-555), Howard (Dukes of Norfolk) (123M/TB556-561) and Roger Dynham (123M/TB562). The Buckfast deeds are divided according to parish and within the parish groupings are chronologically arranged, by deed or group of deeds. The Bruton deeds, almost entirely concerning Charlton Adam, Somerset, are in chronological order so far as is possible (for many are undated), by deed or group of deeds. The Bonville documents are more complicated and numerous. First, the title deeds to the various manors and other properties are arranged according to parish alphabetically and within the parish chronologically. The miscellaneous deeds following are those relating to Bonville properties which, so far as is known, did not come into the hands of the Petre family. These, the General deeds following (family settlements, arbitrations etc.), the Personal and religious and the Indented Witnesses of homage sections are all arranged chronologically. The Howard and Dynham groups are very small and need no explanation.

The arrangement of the "Petre" title deeds (TP) is chronological according to the date of the transaction concerned, whatever the nature of the transaction - purchase, division of lands, mortgage, settlement or sale.

Leases (L) The Western estate was administered within a manorial framework. Suit of court was specified in almost all the leases, which have been arranged according to the court to which the lessee owed suit and not according to the parish in which the property concerned was situated. Thus, the East Allington leases form a sub-section of the Churchstow leases and the Branscombe leases of the Southleigh group, because the lessees of the East Allington and Branscombe properties owed suit respectively to Churchstow and Southleigh manorial courts. The only Torbryan property, Kellench, is an exception, as suit of court is not specified in the two leases concerning it. The South Devon Manors (with Torbryan) have been placed first, followed by the East Devon Manors, Dorset and Somerset. This arrangement of properties was adopted by the Petres' agents in surveys, rentals and accounts as early as 1564 (see E 31). Within the manorial grouping the order is chronological. The original arrangement of the leases is uncertain, although they may have been kept in annual, biennial or triennial bundles in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. They were entered into the Enrolment Books in rough chronological order.

Other classifications The list of contents is sufficient guide to the arrangement of classifications other than the Title Deeds and Leases. The documents listed under Courts (M) are arranged by manor in the same way as the Leases (above).

See also deposit 49/26 at Devon Record Office.

Petre family of Writtle and Ingatestone Hall, Essex

Deposited by Joseph William Lionel 17th Baron Petre of Writtle.

• Devon

The 123M collection contains documents relating to the Western estates of the Petre family of Ingatestone Hall, Essex, and covers Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Gloucestershire. The founder of the estate was Sir William Petre, c.1505-1572, who was born at Torbryan in South Devon. He became tutor to the brother of Anne Boleyn, later entered the service of Henry VIII, acted as a commissioner for the dissolution of the monasteries and was a principal secretary of state to Henry, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth. He began to purchase properties in Devon in the 1540s and by his death the substantial part of the Western estate had been established and was to remain, with the important additions of Axminster (including the site of Newenham Abbey)and part of Colyton by his son Sir John, created Baron Petre of Writtle in 1603, intact without any important additions until its dispersal out of the family starting in the 1780s and completed in 1826. The family seat was and still is at Ingatestone and the head of the family never lived in the West.

The South Devon properties included land in Blackawton, the former Buckfast Abbey manors of South Brent, Churchstow, and Kingsbridge (also the borough), the manor of Harberton and land in East Allington and Torbryan. The properties in East Devon had nearly all belonged to the Bonville family, descended to Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, and on his attainder escheated to the crown. They included the manor and hundred of Axminster as well as other Axminster manors and properties, manors in or of Awliscombe, Axmouth, Combpyne, Kilmington, Membury, Northleigh, Shute, Sidbury and Southleigh, and half the hundred and manor of Colyton with the manor of Whitford and borough of Colyford. Nearly all the Petre properties in Devon were former lands of dissolved monastic houses or were lands which had escheated to the crown and many of the conveyances relating to their disposal and ultimate acquisition by the Petres can be found in deposit 49/26, also in Devon Record Office.

Most of the 123M collection consists of deeds and of title, leases and documents relating to estate management. From the time of the 1st Baron Writtle the family were Roman Catholic and as such, therefore, before the 19th century, did not hold any legal or administrative office either nationally or locally, and the collection reflects this. The deeds date from the 12th century and amongst them are groups relating to the estates of Buckfast Abbey and Bruton Priory in Somerset. Those dating from before the middle of the 16th century contain many references to mills and miscellaneous interesting subjects of note include a vineyard in 1359 and an arbitration and award of 1428 concerning an inclosure of a large part of Wycrofft manor in Axminster hundred for a park. There are some pre-17th century manorial court rolls for, in particular, South Brent, Churchstow, and Kingsbridge with accounts also for the last two manors. Estate papers for the most part date from the late 16th to the 18th century and consist of incomplete series of surveys and rentals of the whole Western estate and individual manors and properties, accounts (the bulk of them dating from the late 17th century), a few maps and some correspondence. Of particular interest in this group of records are the detailed surveys of the whole estate dating between 1555 and 1625, a detailed map and survey of the Axminster, Newenham and other lands of Thomas Howard, late Duke of Norfolk, and papers relating to the sequestration by Parliament of the Devon properties, c.1645-c.1650. Miscellaneous estate records include the very informative 16th century inventories of the manor house at Shute, formerly a home of the Bonville family.

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