The Manorial Documents Register (MDR) is an index of English and Welsh manorial records, providing brief descriptions of documents and details of their locations in public and private hands.
Manorial records include court rolls, surveys, maps, terriers and all other documents relating to the boundaries, franchises, wastes, customs or courts of a manor.
We have recently created a digital guide on manorial documents.
We have completed our programme to revise and update our paper-based Manorial Documents Register and make it available online. We have worked in collaboration with external partners on a county-by-county basis to achieve this.
We will continue to take in information that will allow us to provide accurate and up-to-date information about manorial records and their locations. The new owner of manorial documents must report any change of ownership to the Secretary of the Historical Manuscripts Commission (HMC) and Head of Archives Sector Leadership at The National Archives, as stated in the Manorial Document Rules.
Notify us of a change in manorial document ownership by emailing mdr@nationalarchives.gov.uk. Alternatively you can write to us: Archives Sector Leadership, The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU.
View the Manorial Documents Register counties map (PDF, 1.0 MB)
Searching the Manorial Documents Register
You can search only the data held within the Manorial Documents Register by using the register’s homepage within Discovery. It is far more detailed and accurate than the original paper indexes, improving both the quality and quantity of the information, and providing wider access to this resource. This benefits researchers wherever they are based in the world, enabling them to search for manorial records by manor, parish, type of record, or by date, and identifying the relevant records.
Listen to our podcast which provides an introduction to the various types of manorial records and offers a practical guide to using the Manorial Documents Register.
Manorial Documents Register conference 2022
2022 marked the centenary of the Law of Property Act (Royal Assent 29 June 1922) that abolished copyhold tenure and, through subsequent legislation in 1924, gave the Master of the Rolls jurisdiction over manorial records. The National Archives administers these responsibilities on behalf of the Master of the Rolls. The centenary is a significant milestone, providing an occasion to look back and reflect on a century of work protecting and promoting access to manorial records, as well as an opportunity to mark the completion of 30 years of work to computerise the Manorial Documents Register for England and Wales.
A one-day conference, ‘Manors and their records – why do they matter?’, was co-hosted by The National Archives and University of Nottingham’s Manuscripts and Special Collections. The event was held on 6 September 2022 at University of Nottingham.
Manorial Documents Register conference 2018
In 2018, the Manorial Documents Register Advisory Panel and The National Archives held a collaborative one-day conference entitled ‘Manorial Documents: Past, present and into the future’. The aims of the conference were to:
- promote the Manorial Documents Register as a valuable research tool
- Begin to explore its research potential
- Inspire inter-disciplinary research activities of all kinds
Audio recordings of the conference‘s panel sessions and keynote address by Professor Chris Dyer are available.
Find out more
Read more about the Manorial Documents Register and the legislation that explains why we maintain these registers.
- Historical and legislative background of the Manorial Documents Register
- Manorial definitions
- Manorial Document rules
Other guides: