CHOLMONDELEY OF CHOLMONDELEY

DCH

CHOLMONDELEY OF CHOLMONDELEY

1208 - 1949

The Cholmondeley Mss form a large collection of papers consisting of several deposits (about 290 boxes and numerous volumes) mostly deposited in 1952 and 1953. The majority of volumes and more recent papers were transferred in 1970. The main groups now deposited comprise:

Title deeds and leases, Cheshire and elsewhere, 12c - c1900;

Rentals, surveys and accounts;

Estate and household correspondence and vouchers;

Manorial papers (Nantwich and elsewhere), 14c - 19c

SUMMARY

DCH/A/1-488 Cholmondeley 13th cent - 1805

DCH/A/489-682 Chorley c1305-1850

DCH/A/683-697b Ridley 1603-1796

DCH/A/698-709 Egerton 1346-1720

DCH/B/1-375 Bickley 1329-1820

DCH/B/376-638 Norbury 13th cent - 1833

DCH/B/639-661 Wrenbury 1346-1676

DCH/B/662-705 Miscellaneous 1465-c1790

DCH/C/1-9 Bradley 1369-1731

DCH/C/10 Coddington 1630/1631

DCH/C/11-83 Edge c1170-1728

DCH/C/84-115 Hampton 1367-1829

DCH/C/116-249 Larkton c1303-1884

DCH/C/250-835 Malpas c1230-1873

DCH/C/836-845 Overton near Malpas 1316-1778

DCH/C/846-925 Tushingham 1288-1799

DCH/C/926-967 Wigland c1312-1700

DCH/D/1-223 Bickerton and Bulkeley c1200-1861

DCH/D/224-415 Edleston and Sound c1165-1822

DCH/E/1-92 Runcorn 1592-1895

DCH/E/92a-233 Halton c1295-1862

DCH/E/234-245 Widnes 1729-1860

DCH/E/246-407 Rocksavage and Clifton c1185-1855

DCH/E/407a-430 Maps, plans, rentals, surveys 1635-1855

DCH/F/1-574 Frodsham c1208-1851

DCH/F/575-720 Overton 1343-1842

DCH/F/721-798 Netherton 1356-1835

DCH/F/799-862 Bradley 1275-1788

DCH/F/863-918 Woodhouses 1444-1790

DCH/F/919-934B Kingsley c1277-1685

DCH/F/935-939 Alvanley 1657-1733

DCH/F*/1-205 Helsby 1307-1794

DCH/F*/206-218 Norley 1270-1682

DCH/F/1-522 Barrow 1220-1822

DCH/H/1-517 Settlements etc 12th cent - 1846

DCH/I/1-230 Rentals 16th cent - 1805

DCH/J/1-198 Various townships c1180-1783

DCH/K/1 Accounts 1629-1821

DCH/K/2 Vouchers to account 1673-1734

DCH/K/3 Estate correspondence 1678-1713

DCH/K/4 Rentals 1686-1717

DCH/K/5,6 Surveys and inventories 1609-1687

DCH/K/7 Cholmondeley township 1715-1792

DCH/K/8,9 Miscellaneous and printed items 1701-1819

DCH/L/1-24 Estate accounts 1612-1788

DCH/L/25-35 Estate correspondence 1681-1746

DCH/L/36 Miscellaneous 1681-1825

DCH/L/37-51 Estate correspondence 1594-c1800

DCH/M/1-23 Accounts 1611-1737

DCH/M/24-30 Estate correspondence 1681-1747

DCH/M/31 Correspondence on divorce of Col James and Lady Penelope Cholmondeley c1736

DCH/M/32 Miscellaneous 16-18th cent

DCH/M/33 Printed material 1583-1809

DCH/M/34-37 Rocksavage and Cholmondeley: Financial and Miscellanea 17-18th cent

DCH/N Various townships Not found 27 Feb 1963

DCH/O Various counties, not including Cheshire, and manorial 1295-1776

DCH/P Various counties, not including Cheshire, and manorial c1320-1845

DCH/Q/1-12 Old and New Pale Farms c1630-1876

DCH/Q/13-14 Delamere Forest c1529-1649

DCH/R/1-14 Various townships 13th cent - 1792

DCH/R/15-30 Macclesfield and miscellaneous 1398-1809

DCH/S/1-29 Estate correspondence 1807-1852

DCH/T Capenhurst 1339-1790

DCH/U Bonds, etc 1233-1797

DCH/V Henhull 1376-1751

DCH/W Flint and Wales 1282-1789

DCH/X/1-6 Estate account books, vouchers, correspondence 1603-19th cent

DCH/X/7-11 Private correspondence 16-19th cent

DCH/X/12-25 Miscellaneous c1200-20th cent

DCH/Y/1-6 Nantwich Manor and Hundred Court 1547-1840

DCH/Y/7-9 Manorial 1684-1844

DCH/Y/10-38 Nantwich and miscellaneous 13th cent - 1873

DCH/Z Nantwich 1278-1841

DCH/AA/1-8 Private papers and correspondence 1732-1749

DCH/AA/9-22 Estate correspondence 1697-1809

DCH/BB Letters patent and appointments to offices 1703-1766

DCH/CC Cholmondeley Cattle Club 1850-1882

DCH/DD City of Chester 1310-1781

DCH/EE Miscellaneous personal and estate 1584-1918

DCH/FF Frodsham Lordship and estate 1721-1946

DCH/GG Schools and fire brigades 1873-1945

DCH/HH Runcorn and Frodsham 1773-1892

DCH/II W Cheshire and N Wales estates 1777-1963

DCH/JJ Helsby, Frodsham, Halton and Rocksavage 1763-1903

DCH/KK Tenancies in West and South Cheshire 1719-1860

DCH/LL Properties in London, Kent and Suffolk 1741-1816

DCH/MM Land Valuation Returns, W & S Cheshire 1911-1915

DCH/NN Specifications and plans, Cheshire, Wales, Somerset, Sussex 1876-1915

DCH/OO Family settlements 1723-1799

DCH/PP Surveys, valuations and plans [1596-]1854

DCH/QQ Rentals, Cheshire and Wales 1733-1910

DCH/RR Estate accounts 1659-1945

DCH/SS Household and estate 1795-1951

DCH/TT Letterbooks 1885-1938

DCH/UU Books of reference 1818-1913

DCH/VV Minutes, with some accounts 1824-1946

DCH/WW Miscellaneous estate and personal 1713-1931

DCH/XX Acts of Parliament 1777-1787

DCH/YY Tarporley - Whitchurch Turnpike accounts 1829-1852

DCH/ZZ Titles and arms 1547-1822

English

29 Series

The main collection of early deeds and papers was deposited in 1952 and 1953. They are referred to by the letters on the box in which they were stored. The second deposit from the estate office at Cholmondeley, in September 1970, included the bulk of records in volume form, along with more modern papers withheld from the first deposit.

Acc 115,119,143,1692,2438,4605

The family can be traced back to the eleventh century. Cholmondeley township formed part of the ancient barony of Malpas. By the fourteenth century, manorial rights were claimed by Richard de Cholmondeley in Cholmondeley and Christleton. In Edward IV's time, the family held several manors and lands in the Malpas area, Nantwich, Chester, in some other Cheshire townships and near Prees in Shropshire. In the 1720s the manor of Frodsham was added to the family's titles.

Other branches eventually stemmed from the Cholmondeleys of Cholmondeley - at Vale Royal (Cheshire), briefly at Nantwich, Buerton and Chorley (Cheshire), Whitby (Yorkshire), Coppenhall (Staffordshire) and Easton (Lincolnshire).

The youngest surviving son of Dame Mary Cholmondeley, Thomas Cholmondeley of Vale Royal (1595-1653) founded that branch which in 1821 acquired the title of baron Delamere. [For records, see DBC).

The branch at Cholmondeley gradually acquired several titles:

1611 baronetcy

1628 viscountcy of Kells (Ireland)

1646 barony of Wich Malbank

1647 earldom of Leinster

1706 viscountcy of Malpas, earldom of Cholmondeley

1715 barony of Newborough (Ireland)

1716 barony of Newburgh [Anglesey]

1815 marquisate of Cholmondeley

1815 earldom of Rocksavage

Descent of Cholmondeley of Cholmondeley, 16c-20c

Sir Hugh jun (1552-1601) m Mary Holford (1563-1625);

Son Robert (1584-1659), baronet 1611, viscount Kells 1628, baron Wich Malbank 1646, earl of Leinster 1647, died without legal issue;

Brother Hugh (1591-1655);

Son Robert (d 1681), viscount Kells 1661;

Son Hugh (d 1725), Lord Cholmondeley of Nantwich 1689;

Viscount Malpas, 1st earl of Cholmondeley 1706;

Brother George (d 1733), 2nd earl 1725, baron Newborough (Ireland) 1715, baron Newburgh, 1716;

Son George (1703-1770), 3rd earl 1733;

Son George (1724-1764), died before his father;

Son George James (1749-1827), 4th earl 1770, 1st marquis 1816;

Son George Horatio (1792-1870), 2nd marquis 1827;

Brother William Henry Hugh (1800-1892), 3rd marquis 1870;

Son Charles George (1829-1869), earl Rocksavage;

Son George Henry Hugh (1858-1923), 4th marquis 1884;

Son George Horatio Charles (1883-1968), 5th marquis 1923;

Son George Hugh (d 1990), 6th marquis, 1968;

Son David George Philip (1960-), 7th marquis, 1990

The Rocksavage Estate

In the late eighteenth century, the Cholmondeley family acquired the estates of the Savage family of Rocksavage (Clifton). The Savages obtained Clifton by marriage in the late fourteenth century. They built a new house at Clifton in 1565 which from 1575 became known as Rocksavage. The old hall at Clifton was used as outbuildings. This new hall became derelict by the early nineteenth century.

Sir Thomas Savage of Rocksavage, baronet was created Viscount Savage in 1626. His successor, Sir John, Lord Savage was created Earl Rivers in 1639 in right of his mother. Richard Savage, second Earl Rivers had several children: Thomas, viscount Colchester; Richard, who succeeded but died without legitimate issue whereupon his title passed to his cousin John Savage, a Catholic priest, who refused the title; Elizabeth, who married James, fourth earl of Barrymore, the son of George, second earl of Cholmondeley.

A settlement of 1711 and an act of Parliament of 7 Geo I gave John Savage a life interest. On the death of the last Savage, Earl Rivers in 1712, without a male heir, the estates passed to Elizabeth. On her death in 1720, they passed to her daughter Penelope Barry, a minor, who in 1726 married the Hon James (later General) Cholmondeley. On his death in 1775 and Penelope's in 1786 without heirs, the Clifton estates passed to James' great nephew, the fourth earl (and later first marquis) of Cholmondeley, George James. The title of earl of Rocksavage was conferred via the marquisate and later became the customary title of the marquis' heir.

The Rocksavage estate records form part of this collection but are to be found mainly in sections /E, F, M, FF, GG, II, JJ, QQ, RR.

The estate of the Savages of Rocksavage continued to be administered separately until late in the nineteenth century. According to a survey of 1811, the Cholmondeley family estate lay in the townships of Bickerton, Bickley, Bulkeley, Cholmondeley, Chorley, Edleston, Halton, Hampton, Larton, Nantwich, Norbury, Ridley and Tushingham. According to the same survey the Rocksavage estate lay in Barrow, Bradley, Frodsham, Halton, Helsby, Huxley, Nantwich, Netherton, Overton, Rocksavage, Runcorn and Woodhouses.

A portion of the Rocksavage estate was separately accounted for to Lord Henry Cholmondeley for the period 1829 to 1870. It comprised Hatton, Bradley, Barrow, Huxley, Newton and Netherton.