THE CLAYTON FAMILY OF MARDEN PARK, BLETCHINGLEY, GODSTONE AND TANDRIDGE: FAMILY AND...

The records consist chiefly of title deeds and papers relating to the management of the Clayton estates in the manors of Godstone, Bletchingley, Marden, Flower, Walkhamstead and Garston in Godstone and Bletchingley; and the manor of Kennington, Lambeth. There are also draft minutes of the manorial courts leet and baron of Godstone, 1785; rentals and accounts of the manors of Bletchingley, Marden, Godstone and Flower, 1675-1756; and a series of rentals for the Claytons' Buckinghamshire estates, 1813-1831.

Section -/9 consists of poll lists and other records relating to parliamentary elections held in Bletchingley, 1660-1769.

For further information regarding the dispersal of the Clayton family's business, personal and estate papers see Frank T Melton's article, 'The Clayton Papers', in the Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research, vol LII, 1979; and appendix 4 of his book, Sir Robert Clayton and the origins of English Deposit Banking, 1658-1685 (Cambridge, 1986).

For a brief biography of Sir Robert Clayton and further provenance details see 'A descriptive list of the Clayton papers submitted in part requirement for a University of London diploma in Archive Administration by Francis M Cowe, May 1957'.

[No known archival connexion with 60/11/1-8, but these deeds, with two others not present, were listed by the Historical Manuscripts Commission in 1907 when they were in the possession of Sir Wm Clayton, bart.]

The papers listed in the first portion of the catalogue (K60/1/- to -/10/-) were deposited in April 1953 and catalogued in 1960. The papers listed in the second portion (K60/11/- to -/12/-) were deposited at a later date and catalogued in 1975.

K60/1/1-14 RENTALS, ACCOUNTS AND COURT RECORDS OF THE MANORS OF GODSTONE, BLETCHINGLEY, MARDEN AND FLOWER, 1675-1785

K60/2/1-111 TITLE DEEDS RELATING TO PROPERTIES IN GODSTONE, 1459-1764

K60/3/1-281 TITLE DEEDS RELATING TO PROPERTIES IN BLETCHINGLEY, 1540-1805

K60/4/1-42 TITLE DEEDS RELATING TO PROPERTIES IN LAMBETH, 1685-1832

K60/5/1-255 RENTALS, STEWARD'S ACCOUNTS AND OTHER PAPERS RELATING TO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CLAYTON ESTATES, 1664-1831

K60/6/1-27 PERSONAL PAPERS, 1758-1826

K60/7/1 PARTICULAR OF LANDS AT SUTTON FREANE AND MARDEN, HEREFORDSHIRE, ND [17TH CENT]

K60/8/1-8 PAPERS RELATING TO THE OFFICAL BUSINESS OF SHERIFF OF SURREY AND SUSSEX; FARMERS OF THE POST FINES; JUSTICES OF THE PEACE FOR SURREY; AND LAND TAX COMMISSIONERS, 1585-1777

K60/9/1-36 BLETCHINGLEY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, 1660-1769

K60/10/1-3 PAPERS RELATING TO ADVOWSON OF BLETCHINGLEY AND THE GREAT TITHE OF MARDEN PARK, 1642-1685

K60/11/1-8 TITLE DEEDS RELATING TO THE MANOR OF TANDRIDGE PRIORY, [c.1218]-1463

K60/12/1 TITLE DEED RELATING TO LAND IN ENGLEFIELD, THEALE, NORTH STREET, BERKS, 1443

<span class="wrapper"><p>For the other main deposit of Clayton family and estate records see K61/-. Deeds relating to the manor and burgage tenements of Bletchingley, 1677-1898, belonging to the Clayton family, are held as 389/-, 518/- and 2246/-. For an abstract of title of Sir Robert Clayton of Marden Park, Godstone, to estates in Surrey, 1777, see 4394/1. For papers relating to Sir William Robert Clayton's estates in Surrey and elsewhere, including concerning gravel extraction and the construction of the railway line across the estate, c1810-1900, see 2216/-. For family &amp; estate records, (1559)-1916, of the Clayton &amp; Greenwell families including records of the manor of Walkhamstead alias Godstone, see 6511/-.</p> <p>For account books relating to the early banking business and private affairs of Robert Abbott and his nephew, Sir Robert Clayton (d.1707), 1653-1686, and 18th century estate accounts relating to the Marden Park estate, see 4315/-.</p> <p>Further business ledgers of Robert Abbott and Sir Robert Clayton are held in the Guildhall Library, London. Papers concerning Clayton's affairs in County Wexford and his administration of the 2nd Duke of Buckingham's Irish estates are held at the National Library of Ireland, Dublin.</p></span>

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Deposited by the trustees of Sir Arthur Clayton, of Marlow, Bucks, per Buckinghamshire Record Office, in April 1953.

Sir William Robert Clayton sold Marden Park to Sir Walpole Lloyd Greenwell in 1907, leaving the bulk of the family estate papers in the house. The remainder of the family papers, which had been taken to the Clayton family estate at Harleyford. Marlow, Bucks, were passed to Buckinghamshire Record Office when the estate was sold in 1953. The record office subsequently passed all records relating to Clayton estates in Surrey to Surrey Record Office.

Sir Robert Clayton

Sir Robert Clayton (alias Cleton) (1630-1707), the son of a joiner of Bulwick, Northants, entered into an apprenticeship with his uncle, Robert Abbott (c.1610-1658), a scrivener, of Cornhill, London, at some point in the 1640s. At around the same time, John Morris (c.1627-1682), of Abingdon, Berks, also became apprenticed to Abbott.

Clayton rose to be chief clerk within Abbott's firm; upon Abbott's death in 1658, Clayton and Morris were appointed trustees of the former's will. The two men set up in partnership and John Evelyn, the diarist, noted that in addition to inheriting property in Cornhill and an annuity of £100, 'his uncle's reputation and known integrity brought all the royal party to Clayton'. On Morris' death without issue in 1682, all his estates and business interests passed to Clayton.

According to the entry for Clayton in The History of Parliament: The House of Commons, 1660-1690, the scriveners' firm combined 'the functions of modern land agents, conveyancers, brokers and bankers ... Clayton and Morris lent money on the security of deeds, which did not always find their way back to their original possessors'. Among their more notable clients were the 2nd Duke of Buckingham and the Earl of Peterborough.

As well as serving as a director of the Bank of England and as an alderman, 1670-1683 and from 1689 to his death in 1707, Clayton was a member of the Scriveners' Company, 1658-1679, serving as Master, 1671-1672; and of the Drapers' Company, from 1679 until his death, again serving as Master, 1680-1681. In 1671, he was appointed Sheriff of the City of London and received a knighthood. He was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1679 and was returned as MP for London five times, in 1679, 1681, 1695, 1701 and 1705-1707. He was a whig and strong supporter of the Protestant cause.

Surrey estates

In 1672, Clayton and Morris purchased the manors of Marden and Flower (alias Flore), Godstone, from Mary Gittings, who had purchased the estate from Sir John Evelyn of Godstone, a cousin of the diarist. At the same time Clayton acquired the manor of Tillingdon (alias Tillingdown), Tandridge, the farm and principal messuage of which lay in the detached portion of Tandridge cut off by Godstone parish. In the following two years Clayton and Morris extended the Marden estate by buying several adjacent leasehold properties from Mary Gittings and Sir John Evelyn.

Morris later conveyed his share of the Marden estate to Clayton who, in order to build a suitable mansion, demolished a 'despicable farme house' and rebuilt it, in John Evelyn's words, as a 'seate with extraordinary expence'. Clayton's epitaph on the family monument in St Mary's, Bletchingley, states that 'he fixt the seat of his family at Marden, where he left a remarkable instance of the politeness of his genius and how far Nature may be improved by Art'.

In 1677, following an enabling Act of Parliament, Clayton and Morris purchased the manor, advowson and borough of Bletchingley, from Mary, the daughter and under-age heir of the Earl of Peterborough. According to Manning & Bray there were, at this time, around 130 houses in the borough which returned two MPs, both of whom were nominated by Clayton and Morris (The History and Antiquities of the County of Surrey, vol II, p.291 (London, 1804-1814)). Morris was returned as member in 1679 while Clayton subsequently alternated as MP for Bletchingley (1690, 1698, 1702), and London (see above). Clayton also served as a Justice of the Peace for Surrey, 1674-1682 and 1689-1707. After Morris' death in 1682, Clayton inherited the manor and borough outright and both remained in the family until they were sold in 1816.

Descent of title from Sir Robert Clayton

In 1659 Sir Robert Clayton married Martha, daughter and co-heiress of Alderman Perient Trott, and through her inheritance acquired several properties including one of the largest plantations in Bermuda. The marriage lasted forty-six years, but their only son died in infancy.

Upon his death in 1707, all of Sir Robert Clayton's estates passed to his nephew, William (1) Clayton (created baronet in 1732, d.1744). William (1) extended the family estates by purchasing the manors of Tandridge Court (alias Tandridge) and Tandridge Priory in 1712; Willey manor, Chaldon, in 1734; and the manor of Harleyford, Bucks, in 1735. According to the Victoria History of the County of Surrey, William (1)'s property was devised in his will to his second son William (2) (c.1718-1783), of Harleyford, Bucks.

In 1747, Frederick, Prince of Wales, leased the capital messuage of Kennington manor including land on Kennington Common and at Vauxhall to William (2) who, by an Act of 1776, was enabled to let the ground on building leases.

By an Act of 1766, William (2) sold the Marden estate to his elder brother, Sir Kenrick Clayton (c.1713-1769), 2nd Bt, of Marden Park, who in turn extended the estate by purchasing Garston and Stangrave manors, Bletchingley; Walkhamstead (alias Godstone, alias Lagham) manor, Godstone; and Westhall, Warlingham.

Following Sir Kenrick's death in 1769, his son, Sir Robert (c.1740-1799), inherited the Marden estate. In 1788, he sold the reversion of Bletchingley to his cousin, John Kenrick. He also alienated the manors of Flore, Westhall and Tandridge Priory. Following his death in 1799, the remaining property and the baronetcy passed to his cousin. Sir William (3) Clayton (1762-1834) of Harleyford, Bucks. The property descended through his line, Tandridge Court and Willey manors being sold off during the 19th century. Sir William Robert Clayton sold the remaining Clayton estates in Surrey to Sir Walpole Lloyd Greenwell in 1907.