Catalogue description MILDMAY OF SHAWFORD, TWYFORD

Includes: manorial records for Twyford and Marwell, 1447-1935; Odiham, 1771-1819; Hill, Millbrook, 1731-75; estate papers for Twyford and Marwell, 1657-1933; Eling, 1884; Emsworth, 1740-41; Odiham and Dogmersfield, 1740s-1858; Kings Somborne and Farley Chamberlayne, 1837-60; Little Somborne and Brambridge, 1822-33; Winchester, Eastgate House, 1833-44; family papers, 1714-1858; legal papers, Twyford and Marwell, 1625-1848; Hartley Wintney, 1820; Odiham, 1688-1757; title deeds of the following families: Mildmay: Twyford, Owslebury, Moulsham (Essex), 16th cent - 1858; Hervey-Mildmay: Brightstone, Isle of Wight, 1678-1921; Pescod: Winchester, 1663-1802; St John: Dogmersfield, Farley Chamberlayne, Hartley Wintney, Somborne, Kings Somborne, Odiham, Greywell, Winchfield, c1360-1876; St John Mildmay: Crondall, Winchester, Mottiston and Shorwell, Isle of Wight, 1585-1859; Pollen: Southampton, Arreton and Whippingham, Isle of Wight, 1727.

This collection includes a wide range of papers relating to the Twyford and Marwell estates. The earliest records are to be found in the manorial section. This includes information on people who held land as copyhold tenants of the manors. The easiest way to find out about copyhold tenants of the manor prior to 1703 is to begin with transcripts compiled around that date (46M72/M16-M19). These relate specifically to Twyford, but seem to include some entries for Marwell as well. (It is uncertain whether Marwell was a separate manor: see L3-L5 for a lawsuit on this point.) See the introductory notes on M16-M19 for guidance. Many of the later manor court books (46M72/M20-M28) have contemporary indexes.

If you are looking for a particular property, it may be as well to begin by finding the name of a tenant, as most of the contemporary indexes were compiled by name, not by place. This may be done by using records in this collection, such as the tithe valuation of 1817 (46M72/E90A), and the survey of the manor of c1857 (46M72/M64-M65), or other records held in this office, such as tithe maps

Information on those estates which remained directly in the hands of the Mildmays, either farmed by them or leased out, may be found in the estate section. The account books of Henry Mildmay (46M72/E1-E4) are a particularly useful source for 17c estate administration, covering both regular expenditure on the various farms, and payments for specific projects such as the construction of Shawford House. The names of tenants may be found in a number of sources, such as rentals (E17-E21), surveys (E33-E44), sales particulars (E71-E75), and counterpart leases (E103-E131)

In 1949-1950 a catalogue of these papers was produced by W H J of University College, Southampton. This catalogue continued to be used when the papers were transferred to Hampshire Record Office. This new catalogue has been prepared in 1994: a new catalogue was felt to be necessary because the old catalogue did not include reference numbers, listed only a fairly small proportion of the total collection, and included some descriptions of a very summary nature.

When recataloguing work began, it was found that most of the unlisted material had been rearranged too often to have retained any indication of an original order. The "Packets" of documents catalogued by W H J could still be discerned, although some items from the packets were found elsewhere in the boxes. However, it was soon clear that certain items in packets related closely to items excluded from the packets. It was therefore decided to reassemble the whole collection, dividing it first into sections such as Manor and Estate, and cataloguing the items according to place within those divisions

Mildmay family of Twyford and Marwell, Hampshire

St John-Mildmay family, baronets, of Dogmersfield, Hampshire

Mildmay, St John-, family, baronets, of Dogmersfield, Hampshire

In 1940, Warrens (solicitors) of Bedford Square, London (now incorporated in Denton Hall Burgin and Warrens of Chancery Lane, London) transferred 22 boxes of documents to the British Records Association, which gave them the reference BRA 305. A glance at the Mildmay papers shows that Messrs Bray, Warren and Harding acted for the family for many years, so it is not surprising that a large quantity of records held by the firm related to the Mildmays. BRA 305 was split between about 50 repositories, the Mildmay papers being sent in July-August 1940, and July 1941 to University College, Southampton as a gift.

In 1972 many documents of a local nature were transferred from Southampton University Library to Hampshire Record Office, including the Mildmay papers from BRA 305. Initially, these documents were all given the reference 46M72. In 1987 new reference numbers were assigned to the various collections (7M87-110M87), the Mildmay papers alone retaining the 46M72 reference

• Twyford, Hampshire

The records in this collection begin in 1447, when Twyford and Marwell formed part of the estates of the Bishops of Winchester. The manors were surrendered to the Crown in 1551 by the incoming bishop, and in the same year were granted to Sir Henry Seymour, who already held Marwell Hall, the manor house of the other manor in Owslebury, Marwell Woodlock.

In 1625 Sir Edward and Henry Seymour sold the two manors to Susanna Holliday, wife of (firstly) Alderman William Holliday and (secondly) Robert, Earl of Warwick, and daughter of Sir Henry Rowe. The property passed to her daughter Anne (d1656), the wife of Sir Henry Mildmay (d1670). Sir Henry, a keeper of the Royal Jewel House, had Parliamentarian sympathies and lost his liberty and his estates after the restoration. Dame Anne's property, however, passed to their son Henry.

Henry Mildmay is the first of the family whose character may be glimpsed through the records. He seems to have been a meticulous record-keeper, who had all the early manorial records transcribed, and kept detailed estate accounts. His monogram "HM" may be seen frequently on the documents.

On Henry Mildmay's death in 1705, eight years after the death of his only son Holliday, Twyford and Marwell passed to his grand-daughter Letitia, who had married her relation Humphrey Mildmay. Their son Carew was the next owner. He left three daughters, and the property passed to the eldest, Jane Mildmay (born c1765). Jane also inherited the estates of her great-uncle Carew Hervey-Mildmay, brother of Humphrey Mildmay, including property in Somerset and the Isle of Wight. (A few letters by Carew-Hervey Mildmay may be found in 46M72/E174-E175.)

In 1786, Jane married Sir Henry Paulet St John. Sir Henry's grandfather, Sir Paulet St John MP (d1780) inherited Dogmersfield from his mother, the only surviving child of Edward Goodyer. Sir Paulet purchased Odiham from the estate of James Zouch in Chancery in 1742 (see 46M72/L13-L14 for details of the lawsuits involved). Sir Henry assumed the surname St John Mildmay.

Sir Henry died in 1808, and the baronetcy passed to his son Sir Henry Carew St John Mildmay. In 1809 he married Charlotte Bouverie, but she died a year later, and he began a relationship with her sister, Harriet Bouverie, Countess of Rosebery. Sir Henry was cited as a co-respondent in the Rosebery divorce case, and suffered a heavy financial penalty, although he did subsequently marry the Countess overseas. His heir by his first marriage was Sir Henry Bouverie Paulet St John Mildmay.

Dame Jane St John Mildmay lived until 1857, and her signature is to be found on many of the documents in this collection, although she did appoint Rev Francis Dyson and Reginald Bray as her trustees. The major parts of the Twyford and Marwell estates were sold around the time of her death.

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