Catalogue description DUCKWORTH OF ORCHARDLEIGH, DEEDS, ETC

This collection consists of the records received by William Duckworth in support of the title made to him upon his acquisition of the Orchardleigh Park estate c.1855, but excluding his actual purchase deed or deeds and significant deeds from the next previous major transaction earlier in the century[see next paragraph].

The records received for the main Orchardleigh estate(including also the manor and advowson) survive from 1670, by which date it had long been in the possession of the Champneys family. By the early 19th century the estate had become hopelessly encumbered by debts[see DD\DU 3-5,7] and in 1814 Thomas Swymmer Champneys agreed to convey to Richard Henry Cox the reversionary interest in his estates in return for the latter taking on his debts to a limit of £65,000[DD\DU 3], but the deed following this agreement does not form part of this deposit.

Both Champneys and Cox made additions to the estate, notably in Lullington[DD\DU 8-19; 42-49], where Cox purchased the manor from the Marquess of Bath in 1820, and the presence of undated abstracts of Cox's title to all these suggests that they formed part of the main purchase by Duckworth.

William Duckworth and his son the Reverend William A. Duckworth continued to enlarge the estate in the neighbourhood[DD\DU 54-67], and in the Return of Owners of Land 1873 William's holding in the county is recorded as 2174 acres, the whole forming a very compact estate (Note that the Marston Bigot properties all lie in the detached part bordering on Frome, Orchardleigh or Buckland Dinham [see map: DD\DU 70])

The arrangement of this collection in the catalogue following attempts to trace the patterns of acquisition outlined above.

33-37 1612-1776

Leases for years and lives of properties held of the Champneys manor of Frome Selwood, arranged in five chronological bundles.

There are references to lands in or enclosed out of the arable fields, to properties in Cheap St., the Market Place, on the N. side of the bridge, at Old Ford and at St.Katherine's Hill. There are occasional properties outside Frome, including a tucking mill at Oldfield in Marston Bigot, a cottage near Lullington mill and land in Orchardleigh. Lessees are listed below for each bundle and unless otherwise stated are of Frome; ages of lives are given from c.1727.

DUCKWORTH or ORCHARDLEIGH MSS

88-227 This element of the Duckworth achive comprises mainly deeds of the family's Lancashire properties. Those relating to Chorlton Row, 1793-1853, are extremely useful in documenting the development of that part of Manchester. These deposits are particularly rich in the personal correspondence of the family from the 1830's and in the diaries of Rev.W.A.Duckworth from 1846-1917. Worthy of note also are the photographic record of the construction of Orchardleigh House, 1856-1859(DD\DU 129), and the papers of Geo.D., incl. his diary kept up to the time of his death from cholera while serving in the Crimea in 1854.(DD\DU 181).

Accession No.G/133 comprises diaries, except for 1905-1908,1910-1911,1914,1916,1917(DD\DU 192-194).

RECORDS OF PROPERTY TENURE

1-7 Main Champneys inheritance, subsequently acquired by Cox

8-24 Additional acquisitions by Thos. Swymmer Champneys

25-41 Subordinate deeds relating to Champneys interests

42-51 Additional acquisitions by Richard Henry Cox

52,53 Subordinate deeds relating to Cox interests

54-63 Additional acquisitions by William Duckworth

64-67 Additional acquisitions by Rev.William A.Duckworth

68,69 Other Somerset deeds

70-73 Estate and personal records

74-79 Deeds for non-Somerset properties, not immediately to be associated with the above main families

80-87 Somerset deeds

S/41; S/31

S/332

S/412

G/426

S/2689, G/133

G/339

G/426

G/1763

• Duckworth family of Orchardleigh, Somerset
• Champneys family of Orchardleigh, Somerset
• Cox family of Somerset
• Somerset
• Lancashire

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