Portland of Welbeck (1st deposit): Deeds and Estate Papers

This collection of property deeds and related material largely consists of 16th and 17th century documents relating to Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, with a few items from Gloucestershire, Lancashire, Northumberland, Somerset, Staffordshire, Wiltshire and Yorkshire.

Many of the records concern former monastic or church land sold after the Reformation, especially the Welbeck Abbey estates which were originally acquired by Richard Whalley of Screveton but then lost by his family as a result of mounting debts and obtained by the Earl of Shrewsbury in 1584. There is also much documentation of those estates of the Earl of Newcastle which were confiscated by Parliament following his exile abroad during the Civil War and Commonwealth and of his efforts to recover them on his return at the Restoration in 1660. Marriage into the Holles family has resulted in the survival in this collection of a family cartulary of the property of John Holles, 2nd Earl of Clare, compiled in c.1660 (37/1).

The industrial development of both the Scarsdale Hundred of north east Derbyshire and Sherwood Forest in north Nottinghamshire during the 17th century is well documented. Lead smelting mills are mentioned in Derbyshire at Barlow (42/10; 43/11), Brampton (53/10; 53/15; 53/25), Lea Bridge (43/25), Linacre (84/3) and Totley (109/1). Iron furnaces or forges occur at Barlow (43/76) in Derbyshire and at Carburton (5/76; 5/83), Clipstone (7/22), and Kirkby in Ashfield (15/61) in Nottinghamshire, the latter principally developed by ironmasters from the West Midlands. Both the lead and iron industies consumed vast quantities of trees to make charcoal or the so-called 'white coal' (kiln dried wood), and numerous documents refer to the felling or leasing of woods for these purposes throughout north east Derbyshire and Sherwood Forest. In addition there are early 17th century coal mining leases, etc., in the Barlow (43/34; 42/69; 59/23), Chesterfield (61/3; 61/26) and Dronfield (70/49-53) areas of Derbyshire. These are complemented by a copy of the Commonwealth taxation survey of Scarsdale Hundred, listing industrial enterprises, of 1652 -1661 (59/21).

Several small groups of manorial documents are represented, the most extensive being a good sequence of court books for Mansfield, 1497-1816, etc., (17/2-74) as well as a long and detailed court roll for 1315-16 (17/1). These are supplemented by mediaeval or Tudor custumals of Mansfield and Edwinstowe manors (7/2), Derbyshire lead mining laws (7/2), and Peak Forest (95/10). For Sherwood Forest there are 18th century attachment court and swanimote records (27/3-20), copies of mediaeval perambulations (27/21-24), and an enquiry into depredations of woods in c.1588-59 (27/26). An unusual survival are the detailed records of coroners' inquests in Scarsdale Hundred, 1680-c.1730 enumerating a wide variety of accidental deaths, including road and coal mining accidents (65/1-71).

Content Summary:

Nottinghamshire

DD/P/1 Annesley 154-1669

DD/P/2 Hundred of Bassetlaw (manorial records) 1575-1619

DD/P/3 Bingham 1593

DD/P/4 Blidworth 1812

DD/P/5 Carburton 1579-1729

DD/P/6 Car Colston 1614-1719

DD/P/7 Clipstone (including manorial records) 1556-1794

DD/P/8 Cotham and Sibthorpe 1413-1723

DD/P/9 Dunham (manorial records) 1665-1668

DD/P/10 Edwinstowe 1602-1803

DD/P/11 Egmanton 1692-1698

DD/P/12 Fulwood [Sutton in Ashfield] 1580, 1679

DD/P/13 Gamston [near Retford] 1664

DD/P/14 Gringley on the Hill (manorial records) 1637-1871

DD/P/15 Kirkby in Ashfield (including manorial records) 1446-1780

DD/P/16 Langford 1619, 1621

DD/P/17 Mansfield (including manorial records) 1315-1801

DD/P/18 Mansfield Woodhouse 1640

DD/P/19 Mattersey 1539

DD/P/20 Milnthorpe [Norton Cuckney] 1574-1691

DD/P/21 Newark 1614-1696

DD/P/22 Normanton Grange [Elkesley] 1634-1691

DD/P/23 Norton Cuckney 1625, 1821

DD/P/24 Honor of Peverel 1640

DD/P/25 Rufford 1618-1620

DD/P/26 Screveton, also Cotham and Sibthorpe 1617-1629

DD/P/27 Sherwood Forest: (court records) 1334-1726

: (officers) 1717-1812

: (perambulations and miscellaneous) 1227-1819

DD/P/28 Sookholme 1553-1678

DD/P/29 'Settlements and mortgages of estates of William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle' 1619-1675

DD/P/30 'Settlements of estates of Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle' 1655-1692

DD/P/31 Sutton in Ashfield 1534-c.1805

DD/P/32 Sutton cum Lound: Rectory (manorial records) 1734-1936

DD/P/33 Walesby 1688-1708

DD/P/34 Walkeringham 1704-1709

DD/P/35 Warsop 1721

DD/P/36 Worksop 1617-1805

DD/P/37 Miscellaneous 16th C.-1785

Derbyshire

DD/P/38 Ashbourne 1602

DD/P/39 Ashover and Tansley 1779

DD/P/40 Bakewell 1576-1672

DD/P/41 Barlborough 1556-1669

DD/P/42 Barlow 1530-1800

DD/P/43 Barlow (leases) 1579-1763

DD/P/44 Barnes [Dronfield Woodhouse] 1630

DD/P/45 Baslow and Bubnell 1366-1594

DD/P/46 Beeley 1608-1641

DD/P/47 Birch Hall [Hayfield, Glossop] 1577-1665

DD/P/48 Blackwell [Bakewell] 1552-1676

DD/P/49 Blackwell (leases) 1612-1681

DD/P/50 Bolsover (including manorial records) 1485-1753

DD/P/51 Bonds for Payment: Miscellaneous 1523-1669

DD/P/52 Boothlow [Hartington] 1628

DD/P/53 Brampton 1528-1766

DD/P/54 Brassington 1641

DD/P/55 Brindwoodgate [Barlow] 1630-1687

DD/P/56 Buxton 1567-1631

DD/P/57 Castleton 1622

DD/P/58 Chelmorton 1578

DD/P/59 Manor of Chesterfield and Hundred of Scarsdale (manorial records) 1511-1790

DD/P/60 Chesterfield 15th C.-1790

DD/P/61 Chesterfield (leases) 1589-1767

DD/P/62 Chinley 1598

DD/P/63 Clowne 1680

DD/P/64 Curbar [Baslow] 1630

DD/P/65 Hundred of Scarsdale, also Nottinghamshire (coroners inquests) 1680-1769

DD/P/66 Cause Hall [Brampton] 1516-1689

DD/P/67 Cowley [Dronfield Woodhouse] 1630

DD/P/68 Crowhole [Barlow] 1630

DD/P/69 Cutthorpe [Brampton] 1544, 1578

DD/P/70 Dronfield (including manorial records) 1388-1672

DD/P/71 Dronfield (leases) 1572-1704

DD/P/72 Duffield 1621

DD/P/73 Dunston [Chesterfield] 1578-1696

DD/P/74 Eckington 1601

DD/P/75 Edale 1625

DD/P/76 Elmton (manorial records) 1601-1698

DD/P/77 Fairfield 1631, 1724

DD/P/78 'Froggatt and Ashton v. Sacheverell', concerning Stoke [Hope] 1670

DD/P/79 Hasland 1635-1778

DD/P/80 Highlightley [Barlow] 1630

DD/P/81 Hope 1595-1666

DD/P/82 Hucklow (Great and Little) 1596-1677

DD/P/83 Kirk Langley 1654-1703

DD/P/84 Linacre [Brampton] 1513-1686

DD/P/85 Litchurch 1455-1655

DD/P/86 Little Longstone c.1570-1665

DD/P/87 Mansell Park [Mugginton] 1589-early 17th C.

DD/P/88 Mapleton 1633-1654

DD/P/89 Middleton by Youlgreave 1634

DD/P/90 Newbold 1500-1707

DD/P/91 Newbold and Dronfield early 16th C.

DD/P/92 Newbold and Whittington 1658-1764

DD/P/93 Temple Normanton, also Tansley and 'Boothlow' [Hartington] (manorial records) 1524-1625

DD/P/94 Oxcroft [Bolsover] 1562-1688

DD/P/95 Calling Low [Monyash] and One Ash [Youlgreave] Granges; Peak Forest and High Peak 1439-1735

DD/P/96 Phoside [Hayfield] 1552

DD/P/97 Pleasley 1767

DD/P/98 Romeley [Clowne] 1538-c.1660

DD/P/99 Rufford [Brampton] 1630-1687

DD/P/100 Rumbling Street [Barlow] 1630

DD/P/101 Shirecliffe [Dronfield] 1630

DD/P/102 Staveley and Romeley [Clowne] 1435-1660

DD/P/103 Stoke [Hope] 1608-1672

DD/P/104 Stubley [Dronfield Woodhouse] 1630-1639

DD/P/105 Sutton Scarsdale 1665

DD/P/106 Thorpe 1633-1686

DD/P/107 Tideswell 1591

DD/P/108 Tissington 1584-1654

DD/P/109 Totley 1615

DD/P/110 Unstone 1630

DD/P/111 Warsop Park [Pleasley and Shirebrook] 1672-1682

DD/P/112 Windley 1623

DD/P/113 Miscellaneous 1533-1772

DD/P/114 Various Townships 1496-1779

Lancashire

DD/P/115 Farnworth 1713

Northumberland

DD/P/116 Netherton 1521

Somerset

DD/P/117 St Loe Marriage Settlement 1492

Staffordshire

DD/P/118 Cheadle 1614-1682

Yorkshire

DD/P/119 Hovingham (including manorial records) 1571-1632

DD/P/120 Slingsby 1563-1690

Gloucestershire

DD/P/121 Tormarton 1457-1663

Wiltshire

DD/P/122 Hundred of Warminster (manorial records) 1430

<span class="wrapper"><p>Related Collections also in Nottinghamshire Archives:</p> <p>Portland of Welbeck (DD/2P)</p> <p>Portland of Welbeck (DD/3P)</p> <p>Portland of Welbeck (DD/4P)</p> <p>Portland of Welbeck (DD/5P)</p> <p>Portland of Welbeck (DD/6P)</p> <p>Portland of Welbeck (DD/7P)</p> <p>Portland of Welbeck (DD/P/CD)</p> <p>Related Collections elsewhere:</p> <p>Further records of the Dukes of Portland can be found in the University of Nottingham Library, the British Library, and other repositories listed in the National Register of Archives.</p></span>

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The bulk of these documents relate to properties amassed by Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury ('Bess of Hardwick') in the late 16th century, and subsequently passed down to Sir Charles Cavendish (her son by her third husband) and then to his son Sir William Cavendish, subsequently Earl and 1st Duke of Newcastle. They are supplemented by documents relating to further properties acquired by the Cavendishes. The records descended through the female line to the Dukes of Portland and were held in the Estate Office at Welbeck Abbey until their deposit in the Nottinghamshire Records Office (now Nottinghamshire Archives) in 1950 and 1953 (Accessions 12 and 147).