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Admiral Sir William Rowley purchased the Tendring Hall estate in Stoke by Nayland in 1750 from the bankrupt Sir Richard Williams. By his will Sir William established a trust for the estate under John Sherwin and Daniel Gregory for his eldest son, Rear-Admiral Sir Joshua Rowley, who was created baronet in 1786. The trustees purchased another substantial estate in Stoke by Nayland, the Shardelowes estate, from trustees of the estate of the late Sir John Williams in 1785. The family continued to add to the estate over the years and the large number of title deeds reflect its growth (HA 108/2). In addition in 1782 the trustees had purchased the estate of another bankrupt, Samuel Cooke in Rattlesden (HA 108/4). Finally in 1788 they acquired the Holbecks estate in Hadleigh and Layham (HA 108/3).
Sir Joshua was succeeded by his second son, Sir William Rowley in 1790 and he acquired a further estate in Newbourne in 1792 (HA 108/5). In 1832 Sir Joshua Ricketts Rowley succeeded to the estates. He died without children and so the property passed to his brother, Sir Charles Robert Rowley. He died in 1888 and was succeeded by his son, Sir Joshua Thelluson Rowley, the fifth baronet.

The manorial records (HA 108/1) include those of the manors connected with these estates at Buxhall, Nayland, Newbourne, Polstead, Rattlesden, Stoke by Nayland and Stratford St Mary. In addition the collection includes the manors purchased in the 1880s by Richard Henry Wood including those at Hadleigh, Layham, Lindsey, Nedging and Wattisham. It is not clear how these records were acquired by the Rowley family since they do not appear to have been lords of any of these manors. The records of the manor of Watfield are present, as are deeds relating to it (HA 108/7) because Sir William Rowley was a trustee of the marriage settlement of Mary Anne Cooke, lady of the manor.
The remainder of the collection consists of miscellaneous family settlements (HA 108/8) and estate papers (HA 108/9). These are relatively peripheral in nature with the exception of a fine collection of estate maps and surveys (HA 108/10)
HA 108 Contents
HA 108/1 MANORIAL RECORDS
HA 108/1/1 Manor of Fennhall in Buxhall
HA 108/1/2 Manor of Cosford Hall in Hadleigh
HA 108/1/3 Manor of Lindsey
HA 108/1/4 Manor of Nayland with Downings
HA 108/1/5 Manor of Nedging with Newton
HA 108/1/6 Manor of Martlesham cum Newbourne
HA 108/1/7 Manor of Sprotts in Polstead
HA 108/1/8 Manor of Polstead
HA 108/1/9 Manor of Woodhall in Rattlesden
HA 108/1/10 Manor of Giffords and Chamberlaynes in Stoke by Nayland
HA 108/1/11 Rectory of Stoke by Nayland
HA 108/1/12 Manor of Levenhey als Netherhall in Stoke by Nayland
HA 108/1/13 Manor of Netherhall in Stoke by Nayland
HA 108/1/14 Manor of Stoke by Nayland with Shardelowes and Withermarsh
HA 108/1/15 Manor of Veseys in Stratford St Mary
HA 108/1/16 Manor of Wattisham Hall
HA 108/1/17 Manor of Whatfield Hall
HA 108/1/18 Combined manors
HA 108/2 TENDRING HALL ESTATE TITLE DEEDS
HA 108/3 HOLBECKS ESTATE TITLE DEEDS
HA 108/4 RATTLESDEN ESTATE TITLE DEEDS
HA 108/5 NEWBOURNE ESTATE TITLE DEEDS
HA 108/6 MISCELLANEOUS DEEDS AND RELATED PAPERS
HA 108/7 WHATFIELD HALL MANOR TITLE DEEDS
HA 108/8 FAMILY SETTLEMENTS
HA 108/9 MISCELLANEOUS ESTATE PAPERS
HA 108/10 MAPS, PLANS AND SURVEYS
HA 108/11 PARISH RECORDS
HA 108/12 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS