Archive of the Spence and de Bourbel families

These documents represent the family and business papers of Henry de Bourbel, Comte de Montpinçon (1770-1826), from 1789, the approximate date of his arrival in England, to 1816. He lived first in London and later in Lewes, and married Mary Ann Spence, daughter of Henry Spence and grand-daughter of Luke Spence, both of South Malling. The papers reveal little about de Bourbel but he appears to have anglicised himself completely, spelling his name 'Henry' and on many occasions dropping 'de' from 'de Bourbel'

The archive includes an interesting group of deeds dating from 1387 relating to property in Fletching which had belonged to the Spence family

Title deeds

AMS4963 - 4993 Hammings in Fletching, purchased by Richard Awcock in 1569; 1387 - 1578

AMS4994 - 5003 Newmans in Fletching, purchased by John Awcock in 1501; 1471 - 1612

AMS5004 - 5007 Hammings and Newmans in Fletching, 1607 - 1612

AMS5008 - 5013 Huggetts in Fletching, purchased by John Wickens in 1642; 1641 - 1643

AMS5014 - 5020 The whole estate, 1558 - 1607

AMS5021 - 5023 Estate of the Spence family at Ripe and Selmeston, 1726 - 1795

AMS5024 - 5028 Schedules of deeds of the Spence estate in Balcombe, Buxted, Fletching, Lewes, Ripe and Selmeston; [1590] - c1800

Correspondence

AMS5029 - 5133 Family correspondence; 1789 - 1716

AMS5134 - 5358 Business correspondence; 1792 - 1814

Wills and personal papers

AMS5359 - 5362 Wills; 1555 - 1796

AMS5363 - 5367 Personal papers; 1800 - 1878

<p>A copy of A candle to Henry (no date, c1990), the depositor's unpublished biography of Henry de Bourbel, is in the searchroom library</p>

In March 1996 most of the documents in the sequence AMS5134-5358, and AMS5363, were replaced with photocopies and the originals withdrawn by the depositor

In 1997 these documents were offered for sale as Lot 40 in the catalogue of Julian Browning, bookseller

The present whereabouts of the originals is unknown

Deposited in February 1960 by Miss E de Bourbel, (ACC 370)