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| CONTENT WARNING | OFFENSIVE AND OPPRESSIVE LANGUAGE
This catalogue and certain archives it describes contain highly offensive and oppressive language. Some of the language has been included in the catalogue description to publicly reflect the attitudes of the time the records were written. |
| Archive Reference / Library Class No. | D239 |
| Title | FitzHerbert family of Tissington |
| Date | [16th-20th cent] |
| Description | The collection includes title deeds, estate papers, family papers, manorial records and papers concerning properties in the West Indies (many in microform only)
The FitzHerbert family owned property in Tissington, Fenny Bentley, Thorpe, Bradbourne, Lea Hall, Kniveton, Chapel en le Frith and Atlow in Derbyshire. The also had estates in Kent, Nottinghamshire, Surrey and Lincolnshire. Manor courts were held at Tissington and Thorpe in Derbyshire, Willoughby in Lincolnshire and Warsop in Nottinghamshire. The records of these courts date from the 17th century.
The collection contains a series of papers relating to the offices held by the FitzHerbert family. William FitzHerbert, 1st baronet, for example, was a deputy lieutenant for the county of Derbyshire and a Justice of the Peace. There are also papers concerning the office of sheriff of Derbyshire which was held by Henry FitzHerbert in 1815 and William FitzHerbert in 1866. Alleyne FitzHerbert was a distinguished diplomat; his papers include copies of letters from Lord Nelson, and correspondence with the Princess of Orange, Princess Elizabeth (daughter of George III) and Lord and Lady Exeter. The FitzHerbert collection also contains papers of George Treby, which includes a series of correspondence on the Popish Plot, 1674-1680.
The family papers consist mainly of wills and settlements, financial records, legal papers and correspondence. There is a substantial collection of correspondence with Sir Henry FitzHerbert for the period 1809-1858. The papers of the Perrin family and Gally Knight family include wills, deeds, accounts and correspondence.
The West Indies papers consist mainly of wills and associated papers, correspondence and legal records. The FitzHerbert family were involved in legal disputes with some local families, such as the case of Philp and Perrin v Harris concerning the Blue Mountain plantation, and there are case papers detailing the proceedings. The West Indies material also includes important records on slavery, including lists of slaves and reports on the transport of slaves. |
| Extent | 201 boxes, 4 rolls, 2 flat items |
| Level | Fonds |
| Repository | Derbyshire Record Office |
| Full Catalogue List | Click here to view a full list for this collection |
| Archive Creator | FitzHerbert family of Tissington |
| Administrative History | The early history of the Fitzherbert family during the period 1125-1305 begins with William Fitzherbert who was granted the lordship of the manor of Norbury by Henry de Ferrers. The manor of Norbury remained in the possession of the Fitzherbert family until it was sold in 1881 by Basil Fitzherbert to Samuel William Clowes
Through the marriage of Cicely Francis of Foremark to Nicholas Fitzherbert in around 1480, a moiety of the manor of Tissington came into the family's possession. The other moiety was purchased by Francis Fitzherbert. The branch of the FitzHerbert family which were based at Tissington is distinguished from the rest of the family by the use of the capital H in the surname. From the mid-seventeenth century, the FitzHerberts continued to acquire land in Tissington, Fenny Bentley and Thorpe.
William FitzHerbert (1712-1772) was appointed in 1740 as the deputy steward of the honour of Tutbury. He was granted the office of Housekeeper of the Palace at Newmarket in 1757 and in 1759 was appointed Gentleman Usher to George II. He was also elected as an MP for the borough of Derby. In 1765 he was appointed as a Lord of Trade.
Sir William FitzHerbert, 1st baronet (1748-1791) was a barrister who held the office of Recorder of Derby. The baronetcy was conferred on him in 1784. A dispute arose over the will of Sir William FitzHerbert between his widow, Sarah, and the executor of the will, Richard Bateman. The resolution of the dispute was complicated by the deaths of Sarah and her eldest son Anthony which left the younger children as minors. The guardianship of the FitzHerbert children was held by their uncle, Henry Gally. In the early nineteenth century the Warsop estate of the Gally Knight family consisting of the manor of Warsop in Nottinghamshire, and properties in Kirton, Walesby, Willoughby, Boughton and Wellow in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire came into the possession of the FitzHerbert family.
Alleyne FitzHerbert (1753-1839) was a distinguished diplomatist who was created Baron St Helens. He acted as an ambassador at Brussels in 1777-82. In 1782 he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary and also one of the commissioners to negotiate the Peace at Paris. He was an Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Russia in 1783-7, and Envoy Extraordinary at the Hague in 1798.
The FitzHerbert family acquired lands in the West Indies through the marriage of Sir William FitzHerbert to Sarah Perrin, daughter of William Perrin of Westminster. During the first decades of the 18th century, William Perrin acquired substantial wealth as a merchant at Kingston, Jamaica. In 1739 he went to England, leaving behind one of his partners, Philp as his attorney. He was the author of The Present State of the British and French Sugar Colonies, published in 1740. At Perrin's death in 1759, his property was inherited by his son William Philp Perrin. William Philp Perrin inherited five plantations: Retrieve, Vere, Forrest, Blue Mountain and Grange Hall.
Turner's Hall plantation in Barbados was acquired by the FitzHerbert family in 1746, when it was inherited by Mary FitzHerbert, the wife of William FitzHerbert (1712-1722). |
| Custodial History | The records were deposited in the Derbyshire Record Office by (or on behalf of the Fitzherbert family) in November 1963, April 1964, November 1964, May 1965, March 1966, June 1971, December 1979, November 1990 and September 1992. The records deposited in June 1971 were transferred from Nottinghamshire Record Office having been deposited there on behalf of Sir William Fitzherbert in 1958. The material deposited in September 1992 had been purchased at auction by the family and added to the existing archive.
The collection was been accepted in lieu of inheritance tax and allocated permanently to Derbyshire Record Office in August 1994. |
| Accruals | Further are possible. |
| Appraisal | To see a list of items in D239 excluding those which have been permanently withdrawn, see http://calmview.derbyshire.gov.uk/calmview/overview.aspx?src=calmview.catalog&q=refno:D239/*+|altrefno:D239+-originals:withdraw* |
| Arrangement | The collection is arranged as follows: title deeds, manorial, estate, office, family, West Indies. The title deeds, manorial and estate papers are then arranged according to place. The office, family and West Indies papers are subdivided into subjects and genres, such as correspondence, legal manuscripts and financial.
TITLE DEEDS
D239/M/T/1-466 Tissington
D239/M/T/467-718 Fenny Bentley
D239/M/T/719-771 Thorpe
D239/M/T/772-784 Bradbourne
D239/M/T/785-840 Lea Hall
D239/M/T/841-847 Kniveton
D239/M/T/848-895 Chapel en le Frith and Atlow
D239/M/T/896-927 Miscellaneous Derbyshire
D239/M/T/928-1065 Surrey estates
D239/M/T/1066-1075 Kent estate
D239/M/T/1076-1713 Warsop, Nottinghamshire
D239/M/T/1714-1835 Kirton, Willoughby, Walesby and Boughton
D239/M/T/1836-1837 Lincolnshire
D239/M/T/1838-1842 Warsop, Nottinghamshire
D239/M/T/1843-1848 Kirton, Willoughby, Walesby and Boughton
MANORIAL
D239/M/M/1-5 Tissington
D239/M/M/6-8 Thorpe
D239/M/M/9-31 Warsop, Nottinghamshire
D239/M/M/32 Willoughby
D239/M/M/33-34 Miscellaneous
ESTATE
D239/M/E/1-71 Tissington
D239/M/E/72-116 Fenny Bentley
D239/M/E/117-158 Thorpe
D239/M/E/159-181 Lea Hall and Bradbourne
D239/M/E/182-197 Chapel en le Frith
D239/M/E/198-205 Atlow, Wensley and Tideswell
D239/M/E/206-210 Melbourne
D239/M/E/211-214 Calton, Staffordshire
D239/M/E/215 Weston Underwood
D239/M/E/216-5277 Tissington
D239/M/E/5278-5386 Fenny Bentley
D239/M/E/5387-5402 Lea Hall
D239/M/E/5403-5423 Thorpe
D239/M/E/5424-5461 Bradbourne
D239/M/E/5462-5474 Chapel en le Frith
D239/M/E/5475-5477 Atlow
D239/M/E/5478-5539 General
D239/M/E/5540-14244 Surrey and Kent
D239/M/E/14245-16303 Warsop
D239/M/E/16304-16373 Kirton, Boughton, Walesby and Willoughby
WEST INDIES
D239/M/E/16374-20454 Plantations of William Perrin and William Philp Perrin
D239/M/E/20455-20790 FitzHerbert plantations - Barbados
D239/M/E/20791-23866 FitzHerbert plantations - Jamaica and Barbados
D239/M/E/23867-24711 General estate records
OFFICE
D239/M/O/1-7 Lieutenancy
D239/M/O/8-90 Shrievalty
D239/M/O/91-305 Justice of the Peace
D239/M/O/306-369 Poor Law
D239/M/O/370-390 Militia
D239/M/O/391-393 Honor of Tutbury
D239/M/O/394-395 Gentleman-Usher
D239/M/O/396-399 The King's House at Newmarket
D239/M/O/400-401 Judiciary
D239/M/O/402-404 Customs
D239/M/O/405-421 Miscellaneous
D239/M/O/422-879 Papers of Alleyne FitzHerbert, Lord St Helens, as diplomat and royal servant
D239/M/O/880-1048 Papers of Alleyne FitzHerbert, Lord St Helens, as member of the Royal household and the Privy Council
D239/M/O/1049-1693 Treby papers including papers relating to the Popish Plot, 1670s
FAMILY
D239/M/F/1-552 Wills and settlements
D239/M/F/553-6502 Financial
D239/M/F/6503-8234 Family correspondence
D239/M/F/8235-10008 General correspondence
D239/M/F/10009-10105 Solicitor/lawyer
D239/M/F/10106-10232 Diaries and common-place books
D239/M/F/10233-10291 Legal manuscripts
D239/M/F/10292-10682 Trusteeship and executorship
D239/M/F/10683-11254 Miscellaneous family papers
D239/M/F/11255-14094 Letters and papers of Alleyne FitzHerbert, Lord St Helens
D239/M/F/14095-16058 Perrin family
D239/M/F/16059-16541 Gally Knight family |
| Organisation Sub-Type | Family and estate |
| Access Conditions | The papers are on open access. Some of the papers are very fragile however and copies may be provided instead of the originals. |
| Physical Description | Some items are very fragile |
| Originals | A large proportion of the West Indies material consists of microfilm copies of the originals, which were withdrawn from Derbyshire Record Office and sold by Cavendish Philatelic Auctions in April 1989 in 348 lots. |
| Copies | To see a list of items in this collection which are held on microfilm, see Useful Links below |
| Related Material | 1. A small number of West Indies letters, formerly part of this collection, which were withdrawn for sale at auction but subsequently donated by the purchaser Derbyshire Record Office, D4754
2. In 2014, the originals of eight of the withdrawn documents were purchased for the library of St John's College, Cambridge, under reference Slavery/7/1 (as noted in the catalogue for this collection)
3. Further 19th century family correspondence Derbyshire Record Office, D4061
4. Records relating to the Warsop estate Nottinghamshire Archives, Acc: 322
5. Microfilm copies of West Indian newspapers, formerly part of this collection, which were withdrawn for sale at auction British Library, M. Misc 411
6. Letters formerly referenced D239/M/E/16579 and D239/M/E/16972 sold by a Canadian auction house to Auger Down Books, Marlboro, Vermont, USA around April 2024. |
| Term | Colonialism |
| Transcript or Index | There is an index of subjects, places and names available at Derbyshire Record Office. |
| Useful Links | http://calmview.derbyshire.gov.uk/calmview/overview.aspx?src=calmview.catalog&q=refno:D239/*+|altrefno:D239+copies:m* |
| Archivist Note | Description written by Stacey Gee, based on ISAD G |