| Description | The collection is unlisted. Contains family, estate and personal records.
Includes:
Derbyshire title deeds, manorial records, coal mining, family and household papers, chiefly 16th-20th cent;
Deeds, abstracts and wills relating to properties in Warwickshire, 1756-1817;
Deeds and associated papers relating to the Ascott Estate in Warwickshire, 1641-1859;
Deeds and related papers regarding properties in the parishes of Ladbroke and Southam [Warwickshire], 1595-1877
W. Palmer Morewood Esq. Rental book for the parishes of Ladbrooke [Ladbroke] and Chapel Ascote [Ascott], Warwickshire, Apr 1851 - Jul 1867;
Survey and Valuation of William Palmer Esq.'s Estate at Chapel Ascote and Ladbrooke [Warwickshire];
Survey of Southam [Warwickshire] Inclosure with the plan;
Pipe Roll for Warwickshire, 1791
Account book of Mr. Thomas Spier with W. Palmer Esq., Oct 1810 - Mar 1816;
Account book of W. Palmer Morewood Esq. by Chicks & Cash, Sep 1829 - Jan 1855
Charles Palmer's Journal of various accounts, Nov 1756 - Nov 1779;
Manuscript 'History of ther Morewoods' reciting events from the 14th century [19th cent];
Swanwick Collieries profit and loss accounts, 1901;
Assorted correspondence, 1751-1906;
Deeds and associated papers relating to various properties (including Butler's Close) in Ladbroke in Warwickshire, 1583-1694;
Deeds relating to properties in Southam in Warwickshire, 1669-1698;
Bills of Account between Charles Palmer, administrator of William Palmer, and J Spicer, 1767-1772;
Alfreton Hall household accounts 1701-1785;
Manor of Alfreton:
court files, 1680-1692, 1706;
court roll, 1566-1569, 1618-1641, 1640, 1649-1659, 1692, 1672-1684, 1710, 1718;
court book (mutilated), 1566-1579
court rolls (2, mutilated), 1570-1606;
court roll (draft), 1676;
court roll (1566), 19th cent copy;
extracts from court rolls (1566-1787), 19th cent;
estreats of fines and amercements, 1675, 1676-1683, 1689-1690, 1728, 1741-1748, 1761, 1771-1776;
pains and by-laws, 1678, 1683-1689, 1710, 1718-1719, 1755;
presentments, 1675, 1689;
suit rolls, 1675-1700, 1676-1684, 1706-1713, 1719, 1728, 1755-1761, 1767-1773;
verdicts, 1711, 1762-1767, 1772-1780, 1788-1789, 1794-1814
Manor of Ladbroke [Warwickshire]:
court roll, 1637-1641, 1640, 1697, 1760-1775, 1784, 1796;
court roll, with draft and steward's papers, 1834;
court roll (draft), 1813;
chief and other rent accounts, 1650-1700, 1664, 1760-1775, 1784, 1796, 1834;
jury list, 1650-1700;
estreats, 1637-1640;
list of copyholders and freeholders, 1601;
list of inhabitants 1700-1725;
pains and orders 1639;
presentments, 1637-1640, 1678, 1697, 1710, 1760-1765, 1771-1775,1784, 1834;
rent accounts, 1710;
rental, 1475-1500, 1696; suit rolls, 1639, 1664, 1678-1683, 1760-1775, 1796
suit rolls, 1639, 1664, 1678-1683, 1760-1775, 1796
Manor of North Napton (otherwise known as Cheney's Manor or Vaux's Manor), [Napton on the Hill, Warwickshire]:
Jury list, with warrant of summons, 1828
Manor of Southam [Warwickshire]
Two surveys, 1760 |
| Administrative History | John Morewood, owner of the Alfreton estate, married his second wife Barbara Palmer and had a son Rowland in 1682. The Morewood family had links to coal mining. Rowland Morewood (1682-1753) was educated at Cambridge University in 1700. He was High Sheriff of Derby in 1706-07, and married Mary Wigley of Mansfield in 1717, and had three sons. He built Alfreton Hall in 1724-25 on the site of a Hall Farm manor house. Rowland died in 1753.
George Morewood (1719-1792) was Rowland's surviving heir and inherited Alfreton Hall. In 1768 he married Ellen Goodwin of Ashbourne, and had one child who died shortly after birth. Both George and Ellen's portraits were painted by George Romney. In 1792 George died, leaving Ellen to inherit the Alfreton estate. Ellen remarried Reverend Henry Case, who took the name Morewood, and continued to live at Alfreton Hall for the next 30 years. Ellen died in 1824, and Henry died in 1825. The estate was left to Ellen's nephew William Palmer of Ladbroke Hall, who took the name Morewood becoming William Palmer-Morewood.
William Palmer-Morewood (1780-1863) was the son of Charles Palmer of Ladbroke and Anne Goodwin (sister to Ellen Morewood). He married Clara Blois of Cockfield Hall, Suffolk in 1815, and together had two sons and two daughters. William added an additional wing to the Hall in 1855, who the architect was Benjamin Wilson. Clara kept a recipe book during the 1830s whilst living at Alfreton Hall, which included recipes for food, medicinal and veterinary cures and beauty treatments. William died in 1863, leaving his eldest son Charles Rowland Palmer-Morewood to inherit Alfreton Hall.
Charles Rowland Palmer-Morewood (1819-1875) married Georgiana Byron, daughter of Admiral George Anson Byron 7th Lord Byron (cousin to Lord Byron the poet) in 1842. Together they had four daughters and five sons. Charles died in 1875, leaving his eldest son Charles Rowland Palmer-Morewood to inherit Alfreton Hall.
Charles Rowland Palmer-Morewood (1843-1910) married Patience Mary Hervey in 1873, and together had two sons and one daughter. Their youngest son, Anthony Constantine born 1888, died in infancy in 1889, and had a Mausoleum erected in his memory in St Martin's churchyard, Alfreton. Over a Christmas party in 1881, Charles' four younger brothers set upon him with a revolver and tried to force him to sign over the inheritance. Charles refused to give in, and was found naked and bleeding by his servants. He lodged charges against his brothers, but they all skipped bail and went abroad.
Charles' sister Ellen Mary Palmer-Morewood married Alfred Miller Mundy but deserted the family and eloped with Charles John Chetwynd-Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury. She eventually married him, becoming the Countess of Shrewsbury. Charles died in 1910 leaving his son Rowland Charles Arthur Palmer-Morewood (1879-1957) to inherit Alfreton Hall. Charles, his wife Patience and two of their children, Clara and Rowland, are interred in the family mausoleum at St Martin's. Rowland lived at Alfreton Hall for 50 years and died in 1957. Rowland's widow sold the property to Derbyshire Council in 1963. |
| Custodial History | 29 boxes were deposited by a solicitor's firm in April 1977. The remainder of the archive was transferred from Derby City Library in January 1978 and July 1997. |