VERNEY (LORDS WILLOUGHBY DE BROKE) OF COMPTON VERNEY

Papers of the combined families of Verney (Lords Willoughby de Broke from 1696) of Compton Verney and Peyto of Chesterton, brought together in the second half of the eighteenth century when Chesterton was inherited by John Verney, fourteenth Lord Willoughby de Broke, from his cousin, Margaret Peyto. The estates extended into many counties, and much of the non-Warwickshire material was acquired by the British Museum in 1917 (Egerton Charters 645-2116). Similar non-Warwickshire accumulations are to be found in other repositories as listed in RCHM, Principal Family and Estate Collection: Family Names L-W, pp.132-4. Some, however, remains in the collection here.

The papers grouped under the reference DR 98 were received in instalments between the years 1914 and 1975, but are numbered in one sequence, 1-2070. Generally speaking, each of these numbers refers to a single item, although there are some bundles included in the sequence.

Nos 1-1408 comprise most of the mediaeval (from c.1130) and some of the early modern Warwickshire deeds and court rolls, as originally catalogued by J.H. Bloom before this part of the collection was deposited (in 1914). There are three broad date-range divisions - 'Early Deeds' (nos 1-876a), '16th and 17th century deeds (nos 877-1299,) and 'Later deeds' (nos 1300-1408) - and within these most of the material is divided by parish, but not always alphabetically.

Nos 1409-1747 comprise an instalment deposited in the 1930s, and includes further deeds, marriage settlements, inquistions post mortem, wills and inventories, legal papers, estate and household accounts, letters and other personal papers, mainly c. 1550-c.1860.

Nos 1748-2070 comprise further instalments deposited between 1958 and 1975. They include important series of account books, 1725-1870 (nos 1798-1816), estate maps, 1697-1850 (nos 1817-1844a) and manorial records, 1549-1935 (nos 1845-1869) as well as further wills, family settlements and deeds relating to estates in Warwickshire, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset and elsewhere, 1447-1921.

<p>DR 145, DR 455, DR 580, DR 600, DR 639, DR 622, DR 636, DR 674, DR 951</p>

• <famname>Verney family of Compton Verney, Warwickshire</famname>
• <famname>Peyto family of Chesterton, Warwickshire</famname>