Six Week Research Trip to England

Greg with old parchment deed at Somerset Record Office, July 5, 2013.
(In my hand is a retractable pencil, not a pen!  Pens are not allowed in archives.)

On July 17, 2013 my wife Susan and I returned home from a six week trip to England.  Our primary focus was archives and libraries, but we did some site seeing along the way.  We took thousands of digital pictures of documents and paid for images of other manuscripts in archives that did not allow the use of a personal camera.  We made substantial progress on the Mantell, Hole, Ludlam, Ardron, Barker, Laskey, Daniell, and Hart families. As I eventually look over the images of the documents, I'm sure more will come to light with other families of interest like the Nosworthys, Rennells, Medlands, Ponsfords, etc.

These are the archives and libraries where we did research:

1.  Exeter College archives, Oxford University (topic: John Prideaux Lightfoot, vice-chancellor of Oxford Univeristy, and a first cousin of my great- great-grandmother Jane (Lightfoot) Harris.)
2.  The National Archives (TNA) (topics: multiple families and locations.  We copied all the available Chancery and Exchequer court records for the Barker v Birch case.  Found some really interesting things on the Mantell family.  Other items: John Harris of Hawkmoor death duty; naval records of Wm Mantell; Hole, Willmead, Pinsent, Lange of Stokenteignhead, Geffrey of Bovey Tracey; Knowler, survey of Christow; Holman of Bridford; early Bovey Tracey rentals; Horton Priory estate; Mantell IPMs, Helyar suits; Ardron & Sunderland in Lord Chamberlain records; manoral register for a couple Devon parishes; Risdon; Corbyn; Medland; etc.)
3.  Canterbury Cathedral Archives (topics: Doccombe manor in Moretonhampstead, Devonshire; property of Laskeys, Babbacombes, Medlands, and Germons; Little Combe deeds in Hastingleigh, Kent for Daniell family; several Daniell, Mantell and Bell documents found; Terry of Canterbury)
4.  British Library (topics: Mantell, Daniell, Medland, and Bovey Tracey parish)
5.  National Maritime Museum archives in Greenwich (topic: Capt. Wm Mantell)
6.  Kent Museum of Freemasonry in Canterbury (topics: Dr. Teddy Church's research notes on several families, including Honywood, Mantell, Hart, Daniell, Knowler of Herne, Chapman of Canterbury, etc.)
7.  Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone, Kent (topics: Mantell of Horton Priory in Monks Horton, Hart of Sellindge, Knowler of Canterbury, Hastingleigh parish
8.  King's School, Canterbury (topic: We looked at the original student register from 1750 to 1859 and were shown some Mantell and Daniell ancestors.)
9.  Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, Canterbury (topic: We looked up a number of families, but found some new information on the Urquharts of Urquhart in Burke's.)
10.  Devon Record Office (topics: Hole of Parke, Trusham Quarry; Higher Crockham farm; Ponsford documents; Rennell of Chudleigh; Wreyland peasants; Daniell; Clampitt; Nosworthy; Langdon)
11.  Plymouth and West Devon Record Office (topics: Germon family; Hole; Parke farm in Bovey Tracey; Corbyn; Hawkmore farm)
12. Somerset Record Office, Taunton (topics:deed for farms in Hennock; various Helyar documents; Rennell of Chudleigh; Tucker of Kenn; deeds of Nymet Tracey; Blackhall deeds; South Tawton papers; Bovey Tracey deeds; papers related to Canonteign and Christow; Helyar marriage settlement)
13.  Sheffield Archives (topics: Laughton-en-le-Morthen enclosure; Barker of Greenhill deeds; Peniston, Eyre, Barker of Lee Hall in Norton parish; Green of Clyffeyate)
14. Rotherham archives and local studies library in Yorkshire (topics: Barker of Jesus Gate/now College Street, Rotherham; Thomas Bagshaw deeds)
15.  King's College archives, Cambridge University (topics: Sampford Courtenay manoral records and the Hole family of Combe farm in that parish)

I am grateful for all the archivists, librarians, and staff who in any way helped me with my searches. They are a friendly, professional and helpful group of people working under often very strained budgetary circumstances to serve the research needs of the public.  I appreciate all their skill and training, and dedication to preserving the memory of those who have passed on before us.

It will take a long time to go through everything, but I hope to share transcriptions of documents and commentaries on families and properties a little more regularly on my blog.