Probyn family estate deeds

This collection mainly contains deeds and associated documents relating to the Probyn family's estates in Longhope, Huntley, Abenhall, Taynton and Westbury on Severn which appear to comprise the continuation of the records of the estates of the Probyn family deposited in the Record Office as D23.

All the documents were found loose and property bundles have been recreated where possible. It is apparent from the recitals within individual deeds that not all the relevant documents are preserved in this collection. In the parties to deeds, "Edmund Probyn" should be taken to mean Edmund Probyn, Esquire, of Huntley Manor, unless otherwise stated.

<span class="wrapper"><p>See also Gloucestershire Record Office ref D23.</p> <p>D23 comprises deeds and documents relating to the Probyn family of Newland and Huntley, 1323-1844; other deeds relating to the Probyn family are to be found under the following catalogue references: Gloucestershire Record Office refs D627/II/1/TI; Gloucestershire Record Office D940/1; Gloucestershire Record Office D2476/4</p></span>

THESE DOCUMENTS ARE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH

R Ford, Antiquarian Bookseller, 70 Chaucer Road, LONDON W3 6DP

The Probyn family descends in the male line from the Hopkins family of Llanvihangel, Carmarthenshire. Sarah, the daughter of William Probyn of Newland (d.1702) married the Rev William Hopkins, rector of Llanvihangel and eventually inherited the estate of her brother Sir Edmund Probyn, Chief Baron of the Exchequer (see Dictionary of National Biography). Their eldest son, John Hopkins, took the name and arms of Probyn in 1734 in compliance with the will of his uncle Sir Edmund Probyn. He married Ann, daughter and heiress of John Howell of Lincolns Inn, a solicitor. The Probyns held the manors of Huntley and Longhope from 1740. An extended version of the Probyn family tree to be found in the catalogue to D23 is appended to this catalogue.

The deeds in this collection mainly comprise settlements, trust deeds and mortgages, by which John Probyn (d.1863) of the Manor House Longhope and his eldest son Edmund (d.1890) of Huntley Manor made financial arrangments for other members of the Probyn family. These have been grouped together and listed as section D4869/1/1 of this catalogue. Edmund Probyn also borrowed substantially to improve the Huntley and Longhope estates. In 1872 Edmund Probyn sold part of the family estates in Longhope and Abenhall: on 6 November the Probyn family's property in Abenhall (except for the manor of Abenhall) was sold in two separate transactions to Henrietta Davies of the Wilderness, Mitcheldean, widow and Charles Barton of Wincanton, Somersetshire; on 26 November the manor house and several farms and lands in Longhope (comprising 687 acres) were sold to Rev Francis William Sharpe of Derbyshire. The actual conveyances recording these transactions are not preserved in this collection, but the details can be gleaned from the deed of indemnity of 6 November 1872 (listed as D4869/1/1/17) and many of the deeds listed in section D4869/1/1 below are annotated that they were under covenant for production to the purchasers. As the presence of the schedule of deeds and documents relating to the Huntley manor estate (D4869/1/1/31 below) suggests, this was sold [to the Ackers family] in 1889. The other main sequence of deeds, listed as section D4869/1/2, shows Edmund Probyn buying relatively small pieces of land on May Hill in Longhope following the Longhope Inclosure Act of 1874

This collection also includes two bundles of documents which relate to property in Broadwell purchased by James Wells in the 1870s and 1880s. There is no apparent connection between these documents and the Probyn family deeds.