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Staffordshire 1-100

 

 

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Staffordshire 101-200

 

ID

Date

Source

Lot No.

Text

Surnames

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1677-1726

Bloomsbury 11 May 2000

23

Astbury (Thomas, farmer and landowner, of Swynnerton, Staffordshire, fl. 1680-1726) Account & rent book, manuscript in English, a few sentences in Greek, in several hands, mostly in the hand of Thomas Astbury, 139pp., 2pp. accounts in the hand of John Sutton, Astbury's brother in law, signatures of two Thomas Astbury's on lower covers, each f. with a Latin caption in red, ruled in red, 3ff. cut, 1 with two thirds loss, a few others corners frayed and creased, numerous ink marks and crossings out, original vellum, creased, yellowed and soiled, upper cover mostly cut away, sm. 4to, 1677-1726. N.B. An interesting account book owned by a farmer whose family had links with the pottery industry. Thomas Astbury owned 108 acres of land at Blakelow, Cheshire which he purchased in 1680 and was valued at #60 in 1691. This account book shows that the rents derived from that land and other properties, and loans repaid, that Astbury was a man of relatively prosperous means. Some of the later entries for payment of rent are receipted by Thomas Bouch, probably his agent. Astbury was also a farmer, in 1695 he recorded in a margin, ''I am to look after my sheep myself'', and the manuscript lists his purchases of wool, oats, barley, corn and timber, some of which he probably traded. One person from whom he bought ''17 Cuts of timber'' was Richard Wedgwood for which he paid 4 shillings and three pence. A Richard Wedgwood was a cheesemaker who lived at Spen Green near Congleton. Astbury's business dealings took him from his small village of Swynnerton, a few miles from Stoke on Trent to Newcastle under Lyme, Burslem, Lichfield and Nantwich in Cheshire. Astbury lists his accounts in some detail, ''paid for the warming pan & oather thinges at Stafford fare 14-6; An Accompt of what it Cost mee of my sonne Thomas since, and against his going to Woster Worcester Aprill 19th 1705?.?.?. sum is 56-11-4; 1694 The Millian ackt fund or lotterey, is as followeth. uppon one Lott one Thousand pound yearley: p: 16 yeares?.?.?. There is 100000: in all one hundred thousand my ticket is number; sixty nyne Thousand Two hundred sixtey seaven''. In addition to his business activities Astbury was a churchwarden, an overseer of the poor and kept the accounts ''for the Traind soulders'' and their ''Cloaths''. Astbury sent his son Thomas to Worcester probably to a relative as another Thomas Astbury of Worcester attended Merton College, Oxford and matriculated in 1732/3, aged 19. An intriguing connection as Worcester has a long history of porcelain making similar to that of the Potteries. Astbury also has a connection with a John Astbury who is mentioned as borrowing money, which may be the John Astbury (1688?-1743) a potter who introduced the use of Bideford pipe clay, and was buried in Stoke churchyard. Samuel Astbury, also a potter, a brother of John Astbury, married Elizabeth, the sister of Thomas Wedgwood, father of Josiah Wedgwood. #300-400

Astbury

Sutton

Bouch

Wedgwood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

1541

Dominic Winter 8 Nov 2000

347

An attested copy (probably contemporary) 'of the Grant of Swithamley with the Boundary thereof' to William Trafford, of Wilmslow, Cheshire in 1541, document on vellum in fine chancery hand, some browning but in good legible condition William Trafford was the younger son of Sir Edmund Trafford of Trafford Park, in what is now Manchester. William was Under Sheriff of Cheshire in 1540 and obtained a Grant for Swithamley Grange, Staffordshire from Henry VIII in 1541. The present document would probably be a contemporary copy kept by his lawyers

Trafford

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

19th century

Dominic Winter 31 Jan 2001

285

Large quantity of vellum manorial documents, 19th c., for the Manors of Newcastle under Lyme, Longdon, Cannock and Rugeley, Haywood and Great Wirley in Staffordshire, providing a wealth of genealogical and local historical information, approx. 100 documents in all, contained in a metal deed box (1) £100-150

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

18th-20th century

Dominic Winter 8 Mar 2001

547

An extensive archive of manuscript and printed documents, 18th-20th c., relating to Staffordshire, including numerous printed sales particulars, including the famous 'Moseley Estate', maps and plans for the Cannock mineral railway, coal and mineral particulars, early illustrated bill heads, plans and maps of Cannock enclosure, a plan of the main line Derbyshire-Staffordshire Junction railway, manorial court rolls from the 18th c., auction particulars etc, contained in a large metal deed box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

1843-1851

Dominic Winter 8 Mar 2001

548

Minute book for the manors of Cannock and Rugeley, 1st November 1843 - 4th November 1851, listing details of Courts Baron held in the two manors during that period, 566 pages of manuscript , original vellum boards with usual dusting and scuffing, folio. Of considerable interest to local historians and genealogists of this important industrial and coal mining area lying just north west of Birmingham. This present minute book complements a similar volume for 1869-1872 sold in these rooms in June 2000 (lot 321).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

19th century

Dominic Winter 8 Mar 2001

549

Group of nine mainly vellum legal documents, 19th c., relating to various land and property transactions in Staffordshire, including the sale of 'The Rose and Crown Inn', West Bromwich and the sale of the 'Village Tavern', Cobridge, Burslem

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

1663

Dominic Winter 8 Mar 2001

550

Extensive scroll document on paper, 26th March 1663, being a hereditable bond between various parties for lands and property in 'Graydon and Lightwood', written in a fine chancery hand on a scroll of paper approximately 1ft 6ins wide and 7ft long, some fraying to edges and one small portion towards the base torn away, not affecting text, which is in clear legible condition Remarkable document from the reign of Charles II, referring to a particularly high status transaction. Lightwood is a village lying just south of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, and the present document could yield new information on the area of the Potteries just after the Restoration. Parties to the document include: George Howe, Stephen Johnston, Joseph Blair, Mark Sher and others.

Howe

Johnston

Blair

Sher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

1828, 1855

Dominic Winter 8 Mar 2001

551

Four extensive vellum documents, comprising forty-two individual leaves, 1828 and 1855 relating to the settlement of the marriage of the Earl of Litchfield to Lady Harriet Hamilton, providing considerable information on the settlement, payments to be made, lands to be transferred etc, some dusting to outside surfaces, and usual scuffing, but in generally good condition Documents relating to the marriage settlements of such high status people are rarely seen. The Earls of Lichfield, unusually, live in the county where the title derives. The family seat is Shugborough Hall, near Stafford, and of course the present Earl of Lichfield is the celebrated society photographer and cousin to the Queen.

Litchfield

Hamilton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9

1633

Dominic Winter 8 Mar 2001

552

Indenture, 3pp large folio, c. 1633, being a copy of the sale transaction of Stafford Castle, document in ink written in a fine chancery hand, some worming, weakness in the folds of page three, but in clear legible condition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

17th-19th century

Dominic Winter 11 Apr 2001

423

Collection of vellum manorial documents, 17th-19th c., relating to the manors of Agardlsey, Marchington, Longdon, Cannock & Rugeley, together with a Court Roll of 1747 for the Manor of Great Wirley, an order stopping a public footpath, a large vellum petition to Westminster concerning a water mill, a merger of tithes rents by the Earl of Litchfield, Lord Bagot etc, a vellum indenture for the Estates of Lord Bagot and other documents. A fascinating collection of documents providing considerable research information on and area of Staffordshire in the general areas of Stafford, Rugeley and Cannock. The earliest document is an exchange contract from 1674. £100-150

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

1851-1859

Dominic Winter 11 Apr 2001

424

Minute book for the manors of Cannock and Rugeley, 5th December 1851 to 26th July 1859, listing details of Courts Baron held in the two manors during that period, 565 pp of manuscript, outer boards somewhat distressed but contents in good order. Of considerable interest to local historians of this area just north of Wolverhampton which was at time emerging as a major coal and mineral production zone. This present volume complements those sold in these rooms in June 2000 (lot 321) and March 2001 (lot 548).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12

18th century

Dominic Winter 16 May 2001

457

Relief of the Poor. Crude booklet, 18th c., containing manuscript entries listing the names of all the inhabitants of Rugeley who paid a levy of twopence in the pound for the relief of the local poor. The booklet contains the individual names of more than 200 people together with amounts collected from each. An important historical document giving a unique reference to the inhabitants and population of this Staffordshire town which lies just north of the Birmingham connurbation. At this time, Rugeley, which in the 19th c. became an important coal mining and industrial area was an agricultural market town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13

19th century

Dominic Winter 16 May 2001

458

Collection of thirty-two vellum documents 19th c., including details of estates, documents referring to the porcelain trade, old mills, and an interesting document concerning the arrangements for Lord Bagot's estates between Lord Bagot and Eleanor Bagot.

Bagot