Estate collections are the archives of the landed estates and the families who owned them. They form a large percentage of the collections held at the Somerset Heritage Centre and can vary in size from a couple of boxes to hundreds of boxes. They often contain a large range of documents which represent the lands owned by the family and the management of those lands including details on tenants, correspondence with the family of a personal and business nature, and information on the family’s roles in society, public office and personal endeavours. Estate collections often detail the management of the estates over several centuries.

Landed families often held estates in different counties, and a rule of thumb is that the archive will be deposited in the county in which their main family seat was located. Therefore, many of the estate collections held at the Somerset Heritage Centre will hold records relating to other counties because the main family seat was located in the historic county of Somerset. Likewise, archives relating to Somerset properties may be found in other county archives.

The Records

Records of property

A large percentage of estate collections are made up of records (known as deeds) detailing land transactions: the purchase, sale and mortgaging of lands, and the leasing of these lands to tenants. These documents can often be complex to understand, the earlier records are at times written in Latin, and by the 19th century they often extend to many large parchment pages (or membranes). The description of the property the deeds concern can at times be incredibly detailed, but at other times just mention the type of property (messuage, tenement, pieces of land etc) and the parish in which it is located. However, at a basic level, these deeds will tell you the lands being purchased or sold by the landowners and the other parties involved in the transaction, but they can also offer up the history of a property over hundreds of years, and can show the development of an estate.

Management of property

The smooth running of large estates was often overseen by an estate manager or steward and this administration often created a lot of documentation. Frequently occurring records are estate surveys, which list the property owned, often divided by parish or manor, and naming the houses or farms, with acreages. Sale particulars were created when a property was offered for sale, and will describe the property, often divided into lots, and will usually include a plan and those for the 20th century, photographs.

Records of litigation often provide details on property, its ownership and management. Cases would first be heard at the local Assize courts (please see our research guide on Assize Records for further details) and could then be elevated to the Court of Chancery. The documentation created can include statements of witnesses, briefs of the case and orders of the court, and often concern the ownership of land, interpretation of previous land transactions and rights of access to land and watercourses.

Estate bills, vouchers and account books show all manner of expenditure on estates, such as payments to workmen for estate repairs, the supply of materials, the cutting and sale of timber and legal advice.

Tenancy records

All estates had tenants, who held their lands through estate leases, which can be found amongst the property deeds. The majority of the leases are ‘leases for lives’ or a term of 99 years, and which not only mention the lands and property subject to the lease, but often list three members of the same family who are the ‘lives’ for the lease, and can therefore be useful for family history research.

Rentals are lists of the tenants with the property they held, and often cite the length of the lease and rents due. Like surveys, they are often arranged by parish or manor.

Other details on tenants can be found in the estate bills and vouchers for payments of disbursements or repairs to their properties and amongst the estate correspondence when their tenancies may be discussed between steward and landowner.

Maps

Prior to the creation of the tithe maps (usually dating from the 1840’s) most of the existing maps of the county are the estate maps. These maps were commissioned by a landowner to create a record or survey of their lands, and therefore rather than showing the whole parish, they often only show the lands owned by the estate owner. These maps can at times show neighbouring landowners, list tenants or detail land usage. Some estate maps are accompanied by books of reference, which can include further details of tenants.

Correspondence

Correspondence within an estate collection can cover a wide variety of topics, from the management of the estate, the purchase and sale of lands, improvements to property including the main family seat, issues with tenants, involvement in regional interests such as the introduction of the railways, or the enclosure of estates, appointment to and involvement in local office, such as election campaigns and serving as a Justice of the Peace, and letters of a personal nature, such as family news, commentary on national events and the management of households. Often these letters are arranged by recipient, and frequently there is no division by topic. However, they can provide considerable insight into the life of an individual, the family, and their interests, locally, regionally and nationally.

Household records

The landed families often had a main family seat, along with other family properties across their estates and at times also a property in London, and details on these properties can be found in estate collections. Inventories list the content of the house, such as portraits, jewellery, books, furniture and plate. Household bills, vouchers and accounts detail the expenditure on running the home, such as the purchase of foods, repairs and re-decoration of the house, and at times servants’ wages. Other records of servants may include wage books, correspondence concerning their appointment or other lists, however, these records are not prevalent.

Family records

The majority of landed estates were held in trust and entailed to a male heir, and the setting up and administration of these trusts led to family settlements. At the time of marriage, marriage settlements were created which made provision for the wife and children and confirmed the entailment of the estate. Both of these types of documents often list all of the lands held by the family, and marriages with other local landowners or daughters of landowners, were often the way that estates increased in size.

Records of probate include wills and letters of administration, inventories and executorship accounts. If the heir was underage, then an estate could be managed by trustees and executors for a long period of time. Records of probate will not only be for the main family, but also for other individuals for which a member of the family served as a trustee or as an executor.

The landed gentry also held positions of local office, such as MP, Justice of the Peace or Sheriff of the county. They also often held positions of national importance in the government or served in the armed forces or militia. Records of this service can also be found amongst correspondence or personal accounts.

Diaries were often kept by family members, and these diaries can range from daily accounts of the weather and social activities to more detailed accounts of day to day life or foreign travel.

Personal accounts may detail the purchase of clothing or haberdashery for the family, travelling expenses and expenditure on their personal interests.

Parish records

A landowner typically took interest in the administration of the parishes in which they owned land or held the patronage for the parish church, and often a younger son or other family member may hold the position of incumbent. Therefore, records which are more typically found within a parish collection, such as poor rates, endowment of schools or apprenticeship records can sometimes be found in estate collections (see the research guide on Parish Records for details).

Other records

Many landed families also had other business interests, and it may be that these business interests have supported their Somerset estates or helped fund roles in public office. Therefore, some estate collections include records of these businesses, such as international trade and commerce, or mining.

Advice on using estate collections

Not all of the records mentioned above will be found in all estate collections. Many of the estate collections at the Somerset Heritage Centre require more detailed cataloguing, with the existing catalogues providing only outline details. Therefore, some searching may be required to find information relevant to your research, and at times, if the records have not survived, that searching may not prove fruitful. Many of the estate collections also do not represent the estates during the 20th century, however, 20th century sale particulars can often be found in other collections.

For details on Manorial Records, which can often be found in estate collections, please see our separate research guide.

Main estate collections at the Somerset Heritage Centre

Acland Hood, Hood and Periam of Fairfield, Stogursey (DD/AH & DD/AHW)

Cameron and Vaughan Lee of Dillington (DD/CA)

Carew & Trollope-Bellew of Crowcombe (DD/TB)

Dickinson of Kingweston (DD/DN)

Dodington of Dodington and Horsington (A/CZA)

Duckworth of Orchardleigh (DD/DU)

Elton of Clevedon Court (DD/EN)

Gibbs of Barrow Court (DD/GB)

Gore Langton of Flax Bourton and Barrow Gurney (DD/GL)

Harbin of Newton Surmaville (DD/HN)

Helyar of Coker Court (DD/WHh)

Herbert of Pixton Park, Dulverton (DD/DRU & DD/HER)

Hippisley of Ston Easton (DD/HI)

Hylton of Ammerdown, Kilmersdon (DD/HY)

Luttrell of Dunster (DD/L)

Medlycott of Milborne Port (DD/MDL)

Mildmay of Queen Camel (DD/MI)

Mogg of High Littleton (DD/MGG)

Phelips of Montacute (DD/PH)

Popham of Wellington (DD/PO)

Portman of Orchard Portman (DD/PM)

Poulett of Hinton St George (DD/PT)

Robertson-Glasgow and Foxcroft of Hinton Charterhouse (DD/RG)

Sanford of Nynehead (DD/SF)

Skrine of Warleigh, Bathford (DD/SK)

Somverville of Dinder (DD/SVL)

Speke of Whitelackington (DD/SPK)

Strachie of Sutton Court (DD/SH)

Trevelyan of Nettlecombe (DD/WO)

Waldegrave of Chewton Mendip (DD/WG)

Walker-Heneage and Button of East Coker (DD/WHb)

Wyndham of Orchard Wyndham (DD/WY & DD/WYP)