East Kent records

CM 31-36

East Kent records

1286-1690

The Deeds are chiefly connected with the lands held by the Langleys, and afterwards the Peytons of Knowlton, while the Court Rolls relate to the manors of Knowlton and Sandown, and range in date from Edward I. to Henry VIII., with one roll for Southcourt of the time of James I.

The records were calendared by Irene J. Churchill in 'East Kent Records. A calendar of some unpublished deeds and court rolls in the library of Lambeth Palace', 1920-22. Kent Archaeological Society, Records Branch, Vol. 7. CM 34-6: Records relating to the manor of Knowlton which Mr. Leland L. Duncan acquired by purchase consist of court rolls, rentals, and four folios numbered 4 to 7 headed 'Old title to Knowlton Estate, abstracted by T. Symons.' This fragment contains abstracts of some of the original deeds in CM 31. This further collection of related records purchased by Leland L. Duncan were mentioned by Irene Churchill [ff. xliii-xlv] and subsequently given to the Library.The collection was given to the Library by Dr. Richard Caulfield of Cork, but of its history nothing is known. British Library Additional MS. 36,591: volume of rentals of Wm. [William] Langley, 1444-1478[81], purchased by the Museum in June 1901 from F. G. B. Crawley, Esq. These rentals refer to the various parcels of land belonging to the Lords of Knowlton. Four bundles of papers relating to the courts baron held for the manors of Knowlton, Sandown, Southcourt and Northcourt, circa 1670 to 1790, survived in private custody.\r\nSee Lambeth Palace Library MS. 3355, ff. 99v-101v., for an account, 1922, of the collection of court rolls and rentals for the manor of Knowlton, Kent, ref. CM 34-36.

Deeds (CM 31) formerly arranged by arabic numerals presumably based on an alphabetical arrangement of the first place name mentioned. Present arrangement groups deeds relating to the same property or district. The court rolls (CM 32) are in chronological order.

6 Series

For the deedpolls and indentures the seal is usually pendant, that is, it is on a tag of parchment threaded through two slits at the bottom of the deed; for the bonds (and for some of the deeds) it is on a strip cut from the bottom of the document from right to left, and so hangs down.