| Description | At start, "First Old Book concerning Duffield, Which is Prior to Volume the first of Derbyshire Estates, Title of Papers contained in this Book" followed by list of documents, examined and numbered (in red ink) by Richard Paul Jodrell and John Jones, Berners Street, 31 December 1775, followed by notes on Duffield Frith or Duffield Forest being the property of the Ferrers family before the Battle of Chesterfield in 1266, after which it became the property of Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster, then part of the the Duchy of Lancaster through John Gaunt, written by Richard Paul Jodrell, Berners Street, 5 April 1787;
No. 1, pages 1-2, directions for stewards of the manors of Duffield Frith and Melbourne, held at Tutbury, Staffordshire, 29 October 38 Elizabeth [1596];
No. 2, pages 2-4, fees for personal and real court actions and surrenders of lands;
No. 3, pages 5-10, draft index of contents, with no page numbers given;
No. 4, pages 11-24, duties of officers of the Honour of Tutbury, being Chancellor, Stewards of Tutbury and High Peak, Woodmotes of the Needwood, Duffield Frith and Forest of the High Peak, Auditor of the Honour of Tutbury and of Donington Fee, Receiver of the Honour of Tutbury and of Donington Fee, Feodaries of the Honour of Tutbury, Surveyor of the Chase of Needwood, Constables of the Castles of Tutbury, Melbourne, Donington and the High Peak, Porter of the Castle of Tutbury, Clerk of the Courts of the Honour called the Under Steward, Keepers of Needwood, Duffield Frith, Melbourne, Castle Donington and the High Peak, Collectors of the Wards of Needwood and Duffield Frith, Bailiffs of the Franchises of Staffordshire, Derbyshire and the High Peak, Bailiffs and Reeves of the King's Lordships in the Honour, and the Bear Masters of the High Peak and Wirksowrth Wapentake;
No. 5, pages 25-35, notes on liberties and customs of the hundreds and towns within the Honour of Tutbury;
No. 6, pages 36-38, notes of fees paid to the Receiver of the Honour of Tutbury;
No. 7, page 39. note on yardlands, farms, hides, knight's fees, oxgangs and mese [messuage];
No. 8, pages 40-41, memorandum of Steward (Andrew Bradshaw) on fines and heriots [c1600] and pages 42-43, "computation" [chronology] of kings' (and queens') reigns, Saxon Times to King Henry IV
No. 9, pages 44-51, copy of Duffield Frith charter, 28 November 11 Edward IV [1471 -in Latin],
No. 10, pages 51-55, copy of charter for Duchy men on tolls, etc, 20 June 6 Edward VI [1552];
No. 11, pages 55-56, copy of "Old Note of Oxning Lands" in Duffield, listing landholders with number of "Oxnings" for each landholder;
No. 12, pages 57-60, rental of Duffield, 1596, including for Makeney, Windley, Turnditch and Hazelwood collected in 1596;
No. 13, old rental of Southwood;
No. 14, pages 62-66, note of cases and opinions of counsel on rights of common, Easter 36 Elizabeth [1594];
No. 15, page 67, note by the Auditor to the Reeve of names for people to do the "reeveship" in Belper lordship, with number of acres of bondhold land, 28 Hen VIII [1536-1537], given by the Reeve of Belper, Richard Yher [? Eyre], 1599;
No. 16, page 68, directions for reeves of Duffield Frith, time of the Queen [Elizabeth];
No. 17, pages 69-70, index of notes of historical observations on the laws of Duffield Frith [as below in No. 18]
No. 18, pages 71-82, notes of historical observations on the laws of Duffield Frith, 30 August 39 Elizabeth [1597];
No. 19, pages 83-89, note of the "charge" (or duties) in the courts of attachment and woodmote in the Forest of Duffield [late 16th century];
No. 20, page 90, summons by Anthony Bradshawe, Deputy Steward, to Thomas Eire, Headborough of Hazelwood, Windley and Turnditch, 19 December 1598
No. 21, pages 91-92, summons by Anthony Bradshawe to John Brockshawe, gentleman, Collector of Duffield and Colebrook in Duffield Frith and Forest, 19 December 40 Elizabeth [1597];
No. 22, pages 93-99, poem of commendation of Duffield Frith, 1588
Soft back with parchment covers, labelled on front "Duffield First Old Book", bookplate on inside front cover of Sir Richard Paul Jodrell, baronet |