FitzHerbert of Tissington

The collection includes title deeds, estate papers, family papers, manorial records and papers concerning properties in the West Indies

The FitzHerbert family owned property in Tissington, Fenny Bentley, Thorpe, Bradbourne, Lea Hall, Kniveton, Chapel en le Frith and Atlow in Derbyshire. The also had estates in Kent, Nottinghamshire, Surrey and Lincolnshire. Manor courts were held at Tissington and Thorpe in Derbyshire, Willoughby in Lincolnshire and Warsop in Nottinghamshire. The records of these courts date from the 17th century

The collection contains a series of papers relating to the offices held by the FitzHerbert family. William FitzHerbert, 1st baronet, for example, was a deputy lieutenant for the county of Derbyshire and a Justice of the Peace. There are also papers concerning the office of sheriff of Derbyshire which was held by Henry FitzHerbert in 1815 and William FitzHerbert in 1866. Alleyne FitzHerbert was a distinguished diplomat; his papers include copies of letters from Lord Nelson, and correspondence with the Princess of Orange, Princess Elizabeth (daughter of George III) and Lord and Lady Exeter. The FitzHerbert collection also contains papers of George Treby, which includes a series of correspondence on the Popish Plot, 1674-1680

The family papers consist mainly of wills and settlements, financial records, legal papers and correspondence. There is a substantial collection of correspondence with Sir Henry FitzHerbert for the period 1809-1858. The papers of the Perrin family and Gally Knight family include wills, deeds, accounts and correspondence

The West Indies papers consist mainly of wills and associated papers, correspondence and legal records. The FitzHerbert family were involved in legal disputes with some local families, such as the case of Philp and Perrin v Harris concerning the Blue Mountain plantation, and there are case papers detailing the proceedings. The West Indies material also includes important records on slavery, including lists of slaves and reports on the transport of slaves

Contents

Reference number Description

D239 M/T 1-1848 Title Deeds

D239 M/T 1-466 Tissington

D239 M/T 467-718 Fenny Bentley

D239 M/T 719-771 Thorpe

D239 M/T 772-784 Bradbourne

D239 M/T 785-840 Lea Hall

D239 M/T 841-847 Kniveton

D239 M/T 848-895 Chapel en le Frith and Atlow

D239 M/T 896-927 Miscellaneous Derbyshire

D239 M/T 928-1065 Surrey estates

D239 M/T 1066-1075 Kent estate

D239 M/T 1076-1713 Warsop, Nottinghamshire

D239 M/T 1714-1835 Kirton, Willoughby, Walesby and Boughton

D239 M/T 1836-1837 Lincolnshire

D239 M/T 1838-1842 Warsop, Nottinghamshire

D239 M/T 1843-1848 Kirton, Willoughby, Walesby and Boughton

D239 M/M 1-34 Manorial

D239 M/M 1-5 Tissington

D239 M/M 6-8 Thorpe

D239 M/M 9-31 Warsop, Nottinghamshire

D239 M/M 32 Willoughby

D239 M/M 33-34 Miscellaneous

D239 M/E 1-16373 Estate

D239 M/E 1-71 Tissington

D239 M/E 72-116 Fenny Bentley

D239 M/E 117-158 Thorpe

D239 M/E 159-181 Lea Hall and Bradbourne

D239 M/E 182-197 Chapel en le Frith

D239 M/E 198-205 Atlow, Wensley and Tideswell

D239 M/E 206-210 Melbourne

D239 M/E 211-214 Calton, Staffordshire

D239 M/E 215 Weston Underwood

D239 M/E 216-5277 Tissington

D239 M/E 5278-5386 Fenny Bentley

D239 M/E 5387-5402 Lea Hall

D239 M/E 5403-5423 Thorpe

D239 M/E 5424-5461 Bradbourne

D239 M/E 5462-5474 Chapel en le Frith

D239 M/E 5475-5477 Atlow

D239 M/E 5478-5539 General

D239 M/E 5540-14244 Surrey and Kent

D239 M/E 14245-16303 Warsop

D239 M/E 16304-16373 Kirton, Boughton, Walesby and Willoughby

D239 M/O 1-1693 Office

D239 M/O 1-7 Lieutenancy

D239 M/O 8-90 Shrievalty

D239 M/O 91-305 Justice of the Peace

D239 M/O 306-369 Poor Law

D239 M/O 370-390 Militia

D239 M/O 391-393 Honor of Tutbury

D239 M/O 394-395 Gentleman-Usher

D239 M/O 396-399 The King's House at Newmarket

D239 M/O 400-401 Judiciary

D239 M/O 402-404 Customs

D239 M/O 405-421 Miscellaneous

D239 M/O 422-879 Papers of Alleyne FitzHerbert, Lord St Helens, as diplomat and royal servant

D239 M/O 880-1048 Papers of Alleyne FitzHerbert, Lord St Helens, as member of the Royal household and the Privy Council

D239 M/O 1049-1693 Treby papers including papers relating to the Popish Plot, 1670s

D239 M/F 1-16541 Family

D239 M/F 1-552 Wills and settlements

D239 M/F 553-6502 Financial

D239 M/F 6503-8234 Family correspondence

D239 M/F 8235-10008 General correspondence

D239 M/F 10009-10105 Solicitor/lawyer

D239 M/F 10106-10232 Diaries and common-place books

D239 M/F 10233-10291 Legal manuscripts

D239 M/F 10292-10682 Trusteeship and executorship

D239 M/F 10683-11254 Miscellaneous family papers

D239 M/F 11255-14094 Letters and papers of Alleyne FitzHerbert, Lord St Helens

D239 M/F 14095-16058 Perrin family

D239 M/F 16059-16541 Gally Knight family

D239 M/E 16374-24711 West Indies

D239 M/E 16374-20454 Plantations of William Perrin and William Philp Perrin

D239 M/E 20455-20790 FitzHerbert plantations - Barbados

D239 M/E 20791-23866 FitzHerbert plantations - Jamaica and Barbados

D239 M/E 23867-24711 General estate records

Description written by Stacey Gee.

The collection is arranged as follows: title deeds, manorial, estate, office, family, West Indies. The title deeds, manorial and estate papers are then arranged according to place. The office, family and West Indies papers are subdivided into subjects and genres, such as correspondence, legal manuscripts and financial.

<span class="wrapper"><p>1. A small number of West Indies letters, formerly part of this collection, which were withdrawn for sale at auction but subsequently donated by the purchaser Derbyshire Record Office, D4754</p> <p>2. Further 19th century family correspondence Derbyshire Record Office, D4061</p> <p>3. Records relating to the Warsop estate Nottinghamshire Archives, Acc: 322</p> <p>4. Microfilm copies of West Indian newspapers, formerly part of this collection, which were withdrawn for sale at auction British Library, M. Misc 411</p></span>

A large proportion of the West Indies material consists of microfilm copies of the originals, which were withdrawn from Derbyshire Record Office and sold by Cavendish Philatelic Auctions in April 1989

The papers are on open access. Some of the papers are very fragile however and copies may be provided instead of the originals.

The records were deposited in the Derbyshire Record Office between 1963 and 1992. The collection has been accepted in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated permanently to DRO.

Description based on ISAD G

The early history of the Fitzherbert family during the period 1125-1305 begins with William Fitzherbert who was granted the lordship of the manor of Norbury by Henry de Ferrers. The manor of Norbury remained in the possession of the Fitzherbert family until it was sold in 1881 by Basil Fitzherbert to Samuel William Clowes

Through the marriage of Cicely Francis of Foremark to Nicholas Fitzherbert in around 1480, a moiety of the manor of Tissington came into the family's possession. The other moiety was purchased by Francis Fitzherbert. The branch of the FitzHerbert family which were based at Tissington is distinguished from the rest of the family by the use of the capital H in the surname.

From the mid-seventeenth century, the FitzHerberts continued to acquire land in Tissington, Fenny Bentley and Thorpe.

William FitzHerbert 1712-1772

In 1740 he was appointed as the deputy steward of the honour of Tutbury. He was granted the office of Housekeeper of the Palace at Newmarket in 1757 and in 1759 was appointed Gentleman Usher to George II. He was also elected as an MP for the borough of Derby. In 1765 he was appointed as a Lord of Trade.

Sir William FitzHerbert, 1st baronet 1748-1791

In 1784 the baronetcy was conferred on William FitzHerbert. Sir William FitzHerbert was a barrister who held the office of Recorder of Derby.

Gally Knight family

A dispute arose over the will of Sir William FitzHerbert between his widow, Sarah, and the executor of the will, Richard Bateman. The resolution of the dispute was complicated by the deaths of Sarah and her eldest son Anthony which left the younger children as minors. The guardianship of the FitzHerbert children was held by their uncle, Henry Gally. In the early nineteenth century the Warsop estate of the Gally Knight family consisting of the manor of Warsop in Nottinghamshire, and properties in Kirton, Walesby, Willoughby, Boughton and Wellow in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire came into the possession of the FitzHerbert family.

Alleyne FitzHerbert 1753-1839

He was a distinguished diplomatist who was created Baron St Helens. He acted as an ambassador at Brussels in 1777-82. In 1782 he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary and also one of the commissioners to negotiate the Peace at Paris. He was an Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Russia in 1783-7, and Envoy Extraordinary at the Hague in 1798.

The West Indies

The FitzHerbert family acquired lands in the West Indies through the marriage of Sir William FitzHerbert to Sarah Perrin, daughter of William Perrin of Westminster. During the first decades of the 18th century, William Perrin acquired substantial wealth as a merchant at Kingston. In 1739 he went to England, leaving behind one of his partners, Philp as his attorney. He was the author of The Present State of the British and French Sugar Colonies, published in 1740. At Perrin's death in 1759, his property was inherited by his son William Philp Perrin. William Philp Perrin inherited five plantations: Retrieve, Vere, Forrest, Blue Mountain and Grange Hall.

Turner's Hall plantation in Barbados was acquired by the FitzHerbert family in the 18th century.