Private estate records
You do not have to trace a house far back to discover that most land and property in Britain was owned by a few hundred elite landed families. Some entire villages were controlled by one family. Thus private estate papers are likely to be useful at some stage.
Trouble was that a landowner could have ownership of property just about anywhere in the UK and often stretching through several counties. It is said that a great part of the population in Wales live on land once owned by just two estates.
The records created from estates refer on the whole to aspects of local life. Often, these records are held in local archives, but some estates still retain their papers in an estate office.
Estate archives can include deeds, plans, leases, rentals, surveys, accounts, valuations, maps, architectural drawings, correspondence, household records, wages, books and other working papers.
Tenants can be found in listed estate records, whilst leases often name family members as the estate is handed down through the family.
Sometimes large estates were broken up, sold off and taken over or redeveloped by local authorities. Therefore look at their records for plans and maps they made of their holdings
These records will be found just about anywhere. You should try the local Record Office and Library first. They will be able to offer you more advice about what they hold or which records may help to point you in the right direction.
The records created from estates refer on the whole to aspects of local life. Often, these records are held in local archives, but some estates still retain their papers in an estate office.
Estate archives can include deeds, plans, leases, rentals, surveys, accounts, valuations, maps, architectural drawings, correspondence, household records, wages, books and other working papers.
Tenants can be found in listed estate records, whilst leases often name family members as the estate is handed down through the family.
Sometimes large estates were broken up, sold off and taken over or redeveloped by local authorities. Therefore look at their records for plans and maps they made of their holdings
These records will be found just about anywhere. You should try the local Record Office and Library first. They will be able to offer you more advice about what they hold or which records may help to point you in the right direction.
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