Rushden Research Group: Deeds Transcribed

Deeds & Transcripts

Deeds or "Indentures" were drawn up to transfer land or property, or as a contract between parties, and include leases, conveyances and sales.

Sometimes they detail previous transfers and quote dates and wording from earlier documents, and may also give names of the occupiers, as well as the owners of such properties. After 1840 a plan may accompany the document which allows us to locate the property on a modern map. Land or premises to be transferred on the occasion of a marriage, where the girl's father would endow her husband with the property, are referred to as "Marriage Settlements". "Deeds of Gift" were drawn up to pass on more personal items and may take the format of a will. Contracts between a master and an apprentice, or his or her parent or guardian, were drawn up to detail the terms and conditions of such "Apprenticeships" for both parties. "Trust Deeds" or "Covenants" gave the right to hold property until the coming to age of minors. "Abstract of Title" deeds list all the earlier conveyances of land and property. Property deeds may mention several owners and occupiers.

These documents were usually duplicated (sometimes triplicated) with a copy to each party and sometimes were written on one piece of parchment or paper. This would be cut and divided after the signing and sealing, sometimes with a wavy edge so that no other piece could ever be substituted.

The oldest deeds are written on parchment and are long and drawn out, as with most legal documents. If there were several pages they were usually overlaid and the bottom edge of the outer page would be turned up in front of the others. Holes would be cut and ribbons of parchment were then threaded through all the layers and the ends sealed with sealing wax, the seal would be impressed with the parties' seals, and their signatures added, alongside the ribbon, so the document was "signed & sealed".

Many deeds are now lodged in Record Offices, especially if they were land and property transfers at the Manor Court, others remain in private hands.

We have also seen a bundle of photocopies of Terriers and several are now transcribed.

Document		Year	Forename	Surname	Reference
Manor of Rushden	surrender	1750	Thomas	MEE	NRO Ref: YZ5176
Manor of Rushden	surrender	1789	Thomas	RANDALL	privately held
Manor of Rushden	admission	1800	Richard	STEVENS	privately held
Manor of Rushden	admission	1802	John	SMITH	privately held
Manor of Rushden	admission	1818	Thomas	CHURCH	privately held
Manor of Rushden	surrender	1819	Wm & Elizabeth	DODSON	privately held
Manor of Rushden	admission	1828	Bryan	STEVENS	privately held
Manor of Rushden	surrender	1830		HEWITT to CHURCH	privately held
Manor of Rushden	admission	1830	Mary	CHURCH	privately held
Manor of Rushden	admission	1837	Richard	STEVENS	privately held
Manor of Rushden	admission	1839	William	BLOTT	privately held
Letters Patent	grant	1865	Levi	HEWITT of Higham Ferrers	privately held
Manor of Rushden	surrender	1878	William	BETSON to WILMOTT	privately held
Indenture	conveyance	1892	William	PENNESS & H CARTWRIGHT	privately held
Deeds	various	1892-1970	'Greenways' Montague Street now No 69 Moor Road		privately held
Indenture	conveyance	1896	John	SHORTLAND	privately held
Manor of Rushden	3 documents	1878-1934	Thomas & Walter	WILMOTT	privately held
Bundle of deeds	various	1894-1976	B U S M Co	HUNTS PRINTERS	privately held
Indenture	partnership	1903		BRADFIELD/SARGENT/SARGENT	privately held
Duchy of Lancaster	admission	1920	Jeremiah	KNIGHT	privately held
Duchy of Lancaster	agreement	1929	Caroline & Arthur	SARTORIS	NRO Ref: YZ6025
Deed	mortgage	1930	William Norwood	GINNS (+ note to GUINEE 1955)	privately held
Deed	conveyance	1930		TODD to HENSMAN	privately held
Deed	conveyance	1936	W H	DILLEY to F C CRAKER	privately held
Abstract of Title	proposed road	1937	Walter Herbert	DILLEY	privately held
Abstract of Title	conveyance	1946	Henry	PAGE	privately held
Deed	re a wall	1949	A J	ABBOTT	privately held

Notes - from Bundles of deeds
82-90 Cromwell Road	11-17 Bedford Road
14 Oswald Road	69 Moor Road
Pightles Estate	Church Hall Road

NRO Ref: F(M)M76 (not seen) listed as an "18C petition by the proprietors of Rushden against disturbing the quality of the lordship..... good farmers should not have to pay taxes to help the lazy"

Deeds listed in the catalogue of Higham Ferrers solicitors, Simpson and Mason, deposited at Northamptonshire Record Office. None of these documents have been studied. NRO Ref: Simpson & Mason Accession 1948/172
Box 945	Deeds - Including 16 for Wollaston properties, 51 for Rushden properties and 101 for Raunds properties.
Box 943	Deeds - Including 11 for Raunds 1750-1894, 24 for Rushden 1753-1858, 30 for Wollaston 1771-1854, 14 for Stanwick 1820-1885

Deeds listed in other catalogues NRO Ref:
SS3881	1662	Jenyson to Ekins
ZA3804-3813	1722-1830	messuage and bakehouse
YZ9513-9536	1724-1841	Rectory, Hall & farmlands
	1748-1929	Manor Farm (Wilmott's Farm)
YZ5200	1785	[no info given]
SC(W)271-295	1750-1886	copyhold - later Cross Roads Estate
XYZ1022-1028	1821-1870	Duck Street
	1855 - 1975	11 Griffith Street
YZ5644	1881	Building lots
OR(M)180-201	1883-1914	High Street - carpenter's shop & Old Post Office
BRA641/49	1886	deed & plan Draytons Close
SC(W)295	1886	Cross Roads Estate
BRA641/50	1889	Methodist Chapel, Fitzwilliam Street
OR(M)94-97	1891-1904	Moor Road / Montague Street
OR(M)58	1893	North Street Mission Room
OR(M)22	1892	Lease of printing Office
BC18/1 & 2	1850 - 1976	deeds relating to Messrs John Cave & Sons
YZ6025-6027	1907-1929	Rushden Hall Estate (inc. almshouses)

See also Genealogy - Poor Law Apprenticeships trancribed