Nature of Source
Records from the manorial surveys detailing the land, property and tenants. Generally surveys will list all the tenants who held property within the manorial boundary. The surveys would have been updated periodically so a run of surveys can help identify an individual over time.
The manorial documents relate to an insular world of the manor in which the lord of the manor exercised almost complete authority over his tenants in a single administrative unit within an estate. Therefore manorial documents deal to a great extent with the tenant’s obligations towards the lord of the manor, including the rental payments due to the lord. In order to extract revenue from his tenants it was imperative for the lord to know the exact whereabouts of each tenant. It must be remembered that a manor might spread beyond a contained area and could include lands not geographically connected and that manorial boundaries do not necessarily exactly correspond to the parish boundary.
The four surveys are as follows:
Custumal
Custumal surveys were compiled in the 12th and 13th century but were limited in scope and do not contain much detail on the tenants or the land. However they could record the tenants’ holdings and obligations including rents owed to the lord of the manor. A rent roll is often included in the survey, but could be a separate document. The surveys may include maps and were written in Latin until 1734.
Extent
As the lord of the manor became more professional in his management of the land under his control, the need for more detailed surveys increased. The Extent Surveys, successor to the Custumals, listed and valued every building and piece of land on the manor or demesne. The surveys will normally include a list of tenants. It may describe the manor boundary and may include maps. They were written in Latin until 1734.
Rental
List of tenants and their dwellings sometimes written in house order within the village showing the rents payable in cash or produce. The rentals were compiled or renewed on an annual basis and arrears due are also shown. The rentals are often kept with the estate accounts and maps. Use trade directories too look up the names of the major land owning families in a parish. Rental surveys remained in place into the early 20th century. Please note that in later surveys a named tenant did not necessarily reside at the dwelling recorded in the survey. They were written in Latin until 1734.
Terrier
Topographical description of each individual piece of land held by each tenant. Individual tenants are not usually recorded. The terrier may include maps. Where manors overlapped the tenant will still be named and state which manor the land belonged to.
Manorial surveys can be useful in determining the manor boundary and surveys from the sixteenth century onwards often open with a detailed description of the manor’s boundary. The description refers to landmarks and features of the landscape and should provide sufficient evidence to plot the boundary on a modern map. A well produced survey also referred to the parish or parishes that formed part of the manor.
To avoid legal disputes over land ownership and so protect his interests, many lords of the manor commissioned surveyors and cartographers to produce maps of his lands. Mainly from the latter part of the sixteenth century, these maps provide a clear picture of the lord’s lands. Eventually with the advancement in land measurement and surveying technologies, maps replaced written surveys.
The documents were written in Latin until 1734 but generally follow a set format with standard phrases. After the Reformation the most important manorial function was dealing with property occupancy.
Other miscellaneous records covering the workings of the manor could include rent rolls, presentments, manor accounts, minute books, estreat rolls, suit rolls, call books, maps, steward’s papers, surrenders, fine books. Many of these documents will at least provide evidence of a person’s location at a particular time. Some of these documents are sometimes incorporated into court rolls and surveys. The history of a manor can also be found in the Victoria County History series which may also indicate the whereabouts of surviving documents.
Also see
Court Baron/Customary Records
Court Leet Records
Estate & Family Records
Maps & Gazetteers
Palaeography/Handwriting
Where Found
- Series SC 11, Special Collections: Rentals and Surveys, Rolls, Henry III-William IV.
- Series SC 12, Special Collections: Rentals and Surveys, Portfolios, Henry III-William IV.
County Record Offices
Local archives hold original manorial surveys from lords of the manor, landowning families, religious houses (before and after the Dissolution) and family and estate archives.
British Library
The library’s holdings consist of original or copied private manorial documents acquired through donations, purchases, or bequests from estates, religious houses and antiquarian collectors over centuries.
Lambeth Palace Library
The library holds a notable collection of surveys as part of its holdings of manorial and estate records. These primarily relate to estates owned or administered by the Archbishops of Canterbury and other Church owned estates.
Bodleian Library
The library holds a collection of surveys as part of their extensive medieval and early modern manuscript collections, particularly within the Charters and Rolls material. The Bodleian is particularly strong for Oxfordshire and surrounding counties.
Period Covered
1100 – 1350
Genealogical Value
- Name of landowner and names of tenants.
- Rent payable, type of tenure and land held.
- Name of property and location possibly with description.
Further References
- Bailey, Mark. The English Manor c.1200 – c.1500: Manchester University Press, 2002 (Preview available from Google Books)
- Bennett, H.S. Life on the English Manor: A Study of Peasant Conditions 1150-1400: Cambridge University Press, 1937
- Chambers, Paul. Medieval Genealogy: How to Find Your Medieval Ancestors: Sutton, 2005
- Durie, Bruce. Documents for Genealogy & Local History: The History Press, 2013
- Ellis, Mary. Using Manorial Records: Public Record Office, 1997
- Franklin, Peter. Some Medieval Records for Family Historians: FFHS, 1994
- Harvey, P.D.A. Manorial Records: British Records Association, 1999
- Hone, Nathaniel J. Manor and Manorial Records: Methuen, 1906 (available to view online at the Internet Archive)
- McLaughlin, Eve. Manorial Records: McLaughlin, 1996
- Noble, Malcolm. A Practical Introduction to Medieval Genealogy: Bookcabin, 2026
- Oates, Jonathan. Tracing Your Ancestors from 1066 to 1837: Pen and Sword Books, 2012
- Palgrave-Moore, Patrick. How to Locate and Use Manorial Records: Elvery Dowers, 1985
- Park, Peter. My Ancestors were Manorial Tenants: Society of Genealogists, 2002
- Stuart, Denis. Manorial Records: An Introduction to Their Transcription and Translation: Phillimore, 2005
- Waller, Ian. Introducing Manorial Records: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Manor for Family Historians: The Family History Partnership, 2020
- Westcott, Brooke. Making Sense Of Latin Documents For Family And Local Historians: Family History Partnership, 2014
- Winchester, Angus J. L. and Straughton, Eleanor A. Sources in Local History: Finding and Using Manorial Records: The Local Historian, 2007
Websites
www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/projects/manorialrecords (Cumbrian Manorial Records. The Cumbrian Manorial Records Project raises awareness of the records generated by the manorial administration. The site has an introduction to manors and manorial rights and the various classes of manorial record; A guide to locating and using manorial records for family and local history; A guide to baronies and other superior lordships in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands and a quick guide to the meaning of specialist or obsolete terms encountered in manorial records)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/manors (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of Manors. This is a brief guide to researching records of manors. Manorial records are incomplete and are kept in a variety of archives)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/manors-further-research (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of Manors: further research. If you are researching a particular area in England and Wales before the 1920s this guide will tell you what sort of information exists and where to find it)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/manorial-documents-lordships-how-to-use-manorial-document-register (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of Manorial documents and lordships and how to use the Manorial Documents Register)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/discovery-help/accessing-records-manorial-documents-register (The National Archives Research Guide: Accessing the records of the Manorial Documents Register. The guide includes a Glossary for Manorial Documents Register)
https://thehistoryofengland.co.uk/resource/glossary-of-medieval-terms (The History of England: Glossary Of Medieval Terms)
www.nottingham.ac.uk/ManuscriptsandSpecialCollections/ResearchGuidance/Manorial/Glossary.aspx (Manorial Glossary)
Family Tree
How to research medieval ancestors. Unlock centuries-old family history with this in-depth guide exploring medieval records across the British Isles. Discover how to trace local landowners, uncover hidden surnames, and navigate key feudal documents.
www.manorialsociety.co.uk/glossary.html (Manorial Society of Great Britain: Glossary of Manorial Terms)
www.lordsandladies.org/feudalism.htm (Feudalism. The article provides comprehensive information about the English and European feudal system and its effect on the vassals, serfs and the lords and ladies who lived on the manors. The site includes a Feudalism Pyramid showing the hierarchical structure of feudal society)
www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk (Some Notes on Medieval English Genealogy)
www.ancestrysolutions.com/referencecentre/dictionnaires/Defsland.html (Dictionary of terms found in Land Records)
https://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/Using_Our_Collections/Collection-Guides/Collection-Guides.aspx (Bedfordshire Archives Collection Guides: Manorial Documents including: The Manor and its Court, Manorial Court Rolls and Copyhold Tenure)
English Manorial Court Records as a Source for Eighteenth- and Nineteenth Century Families, by Cecil . Humphery-Smith
www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/researchguidance/manorial/types.aspx (Types of manorial record)
Online Databases
Manorial Documents Register
The Manorial Documents Register (MDR) is maintained by The National Archives on behalf of the Master of the Rolls. It is the official online database listing all known surviving manorial records for all English and Welsh counties and is the essential starting point for locating manorial documents.
www.staffsnameindexes.org.uk (Tenants of the Manor of Newcastle under Lyme, 1700-1832)
The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE: An online database that aims to register every recorded individual who lived in Anglo-Saxon England from late sixth to the end of the eleventh century. The database is a collaboration between King’s College, London and the University of Cambridge and include sources such as chronicles, saints’ lives, charters, inscriptions and coins)
www.tiger2.f2s.com/1611MacclesfieldSurvey (1611 Survey of Macclesfield Manor and Forest. This website lists all those freeholders, copyholders and tenants living in the area at the time of the Survey providing the first census-type survey made in the district)
www.kentarchaeology.org.uk (Wotton Survey, Kent, 1557-1560. Transcribed survey of land owned by the Wotton family whose estate covered 6,000 acres in nearly every part of the county, from Ringwould in the east to St Mary Cray in the west and from Cliffe on the Thames estuary to Lydd on Romney Marsh)
www.sog.org.uk/search-records (SoG Data Online: Index to the Manor of Markeaton, Mackworth & Allestree, Derbyshire 1650-1851)
www.dhi.ac.uk/conisbrough (University of Sheffield: Conisbrough Court Rolls. Conisbrough was one of the important royal manors of Yorkshire. The Court Rolls provide a unique account of the working lives and relationships of its inhabitants. Discover the historic workings of a manor and learn more about Conisbrough and how its past has contributed to its present)
https://familyrecords.dur.ac.uk (Durham University Library: Family and Local History Records: Bishopric and Cathedral Estates, 16th-20th centuries. Manorial records from the estates and manors in County Durham and Northumberland as well as in Allertonshire and some other parts of Yorkshire. The records include the property transactions of leasehold and copyhold tenants)
https://langscape.org.uk (LangScape: Reading the Anglo-Saxon Countryside. The site has a searchable database of Anglo-Saxon estate boundary surveys and place-names drawn up in charters during the Anglo-Saxon period and has descriptions of the countryside made by the Anglo-Saxons themselves)
CD Roms
www.westcountrybooks.com (Cornwall Manorial Rentals and Surveys)
