Catalogue description Records of the Capel and Keats families

1 - 68 This small family accumulation falls outside the normal pattern of deposits, in that it is not centred on a series of title deeds backed by groups of estate papers. Virtually all the records relate to members of related families, their private affairs or public careers, and the form of cataloguing adopted has followed this family pattern. Each family is taken in turn and, where surviving documents warrant it, individual members are separately treated in chronological order.

Records of the Capel family, first of Stroud and from c.1839-40 of Bulland Lodge, date only from c.1800 and a pedigree of the family from John, the first recorded in this collection, is to be found in editions of the Landed Gentry. Arthur Capel, the first owner of Bulland, married Eliz. Catherine Keats, dau. of Col. J.S.Keats of Spring Hill, Wiveliscombe and through that marriage the Capel family inherited the papers of the Keats and related Smith and Goodwin families [see pedigree below].

The Keats family is represented by one outstanding member (Admiral Sir Richard Goodwin Keats, for whom see D.N.B.) and two interesting members - his father Rev. Richard Keats, and his nephew, Colonel John Smith Keats, whose diaries and accounts (including periods in S.Africa) have survived in this deposit. As a young officer in the Navy, the Admiral had the Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) under his wing and a lifelong friendship ensued. Numerous letters from the Duke exist in the deposit, but notes by the Admiral indicate that he had destroyed those containing anything of a political or controversial nature. The collection also includes several autobiographical narratives of his naval career in general and of individual events in particular - notably the unusual engagement of July 1801 off Spain where in attacking the rear of a Spanish squadron he induced two enemy vessels to sink each other.

69-93 The second deposit of Capel MSS supplies the missing element from the previous deposit, the earlier deeds of title to properties acquired by Arthur Capel from 1839 onwards in Chipstable, Raddington and Wiveliscombe. In all cases the final conveyance to him is understandably missing, but insofar as it can be ascertained from other evidence the bundles, with one minor exception [DD/CPL 80], have been arranged in date order of acquisition.

The original and main purchase was made of the Manor, Bulland Lodge, etc. from John Stone in 1839, for which a full schedule of deeds involved was prepared. Its order has been followed in listing the first eight bundles below and it has been used also to replace the occasional document which had strayed in the intervening years from its original bundle.

Several of the Chipstable properties, which had formerly been held of the manor, had to be acquired piece-meal in quarter shares. The reason for this has to be sought in a prior division of larger estates, including Chipstable, between the 4 daughters and co-heiresses of John Bluet of Holcombe Rogus (who d.1634) [for further detail of which see the S.R.O. catalogue DD/SL], but the present title deeds do not go back to the Bluet period.

The final four items, DD/CPL 90-93, relate to parish affairs and have been catalogued also with the parish records under reference D/P/chip. although remaining stored with the Capel MSS. How or when they came into the family's hands is not clear, but they date from the long period when the Richards family were both patrons and rectors and during which they also held the manorial lordship.

96-99 The Gore Arms/Lethbridge Arms Book Club Bishops Lydeard was formed for the benefit of local gentry; Arth. Capel was a longstanding member.

1 - 24 Capel family

25 - 57 Keats family

58 - 62 Smith family

63 - 66 Goodwin, etc., families

67, 68 Miscellaneous items

Capel family of Bulland Lodge, Somerset

Keats family of Wiveliscombe, Somerset

S/568

S/774

S/1888

G/285

• Keats, Richard Goodwin, of Wiveliscombe, Somerset, Admiral
• Somerset