Dawe of Ditcheat Estate papers

The Dawe family had owned property in Ditcheat including the manor, from at least the late 17th century. Records surviving in the collection take their manorial ownership back to 1701 [see 2 below], but they had possibly acquired this from the heirs of Ralph Lord Hopton in 1669 or shortly afterwards. The landed estates remained in the family's hands, but for a period after the death of Edmund Dawe the manorial lordship was separated. This was sold by direction of Edmund's will under a decree of Chancery to Thomas Dawe, Edmund's brother, in c. 1716, mortgaged and subsequently sold by him in 1724 to the Day family from whom it passed in 1739 to Middleton and was bought back in 1751 by Hill Dawe, Edmund's son.

Additional estates in Somerset and Gloucestershire were inherited through Susannah Moore, who married the above mentioned Hill Dawe in 1734, but this inheritance was the subject of much litigation in the 18th century before a final settlement by arbitration was reached.

There are two Drake documents [38 and 57], the connection of which with either of the families involved is obscure. These two items are to be treated as on loan; the remainder of the collection is a gift.

(For a pedigree see the Landed Gentry).

PROPERTY TENURE AND PERSONAL ESTATE

1-4 Main Dawe properties in Ditcheat

5-25 Minor Dawe properties in Ditcheat, etc., generally in order of acquisition

26-38 Former Moore properties

39-47 Litigation, generally concerning the settlement of former Moore properties

48-52 Testamentary and settlement papers

ESTATE AND PERSONAL AFFAIRS

53-55 Estate documents

56-60 Personal papers

C/560