Catalogue description MARWOOD ELTON

The deeds and other documents described in this list were deposited in the Devon Record Office in 1956, with the consent of their owner, by a firm of solicitors who had taken over the practice of another solicitor. The bulk of the documents of the firm taken over were sent for salvage but papers relating to current clients were retained, including those known to belong to the Marwood Elton estates. These became deposit 281 in the Record Office. Two sacks of sweepings from the solicitor's office overlooked in the salvage drive were also deposited, becoming deposit 282. Deposit 281 has been listed in full; deposit 282 has been examined and all Marwood Elton documents found there have been restored to their rightful place in 281.

Deposit 50 in the Devon Record Office consists of the records of the Marwood Tucker family. There is some connexion between the Marwood Tuckers and the Marwoods of the Marwood Eltons but the actual relationship is not yet clear. Further more, there are in deposit 50, medieval deeds relating to the East Midlands and these may eventually form the link between the Marwoods of Devon and the Marwoods of Busby in Cleveland, Yorkshire, whose archives are deposited in the North Riding Record Office.

There was also another Marwood group deposited in Exeter City Library. This consists of plans of the estates of J. T. B. Marwood, which were deposited by the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society from an artificial collection of maps of the period.

The augmented deposit 281 falls into two main archive groups: deeds and other documents relating to title, and estate and legal papers. The first group has been dealt with in a much more detailed manner than the second, and has been arranged as far as possible in the order of the acquisition of the property by the Marwood family. That there have been earlier attempts, probably by the Marwoods themselves, to keep their deeds in bundles relating each to a separate property is clearly indicated by the numbers endorsed on many of the documents. Old numbering has been indicated in the list, even where the significance is now no longer apparent. Headings given in the list to the deeds grouped together in bundles have been taken wherever possible from old labels found with the documents or endorsements on the deeds themselves.

All the deeds of the Marwood acquisitions, from the early 16th century to late 18th century lying mainly in Colyton, have been listed before those relating to the Elton side of the Marwood Elton family. The marriage of Frances Marwood and Edward Elton about 1772 united the two families - the one with estates mainly in Devon, the other with property in Gloucestershire and Somerset. The Elton documents were bundled together in no order and for the most part showed no sign of ever having been in any particular order. Together with these papers of the Elton family are those relating to the Mortimers of Trowbridge for in 1744 Isaac Elton, father of Edward, married Mary, daughter of Edward Mortimer. These two groups of documents could not be treated in the same way as the Marwood deeds for the Eltons and Mortimers dealt with their property piecemeal. Only a roughly chronological order reflected their activities.

The estates of both the Marwood and Elton branches were partitioned at the beginning of the 19th. century. After the death, without issue, of James Thomas Benedictus Marwood in 1811, his estates were, in 1813, divided amongst his four sisters, Sarah Bridge Stevens (later Fortescue), Mary Notley, Bridget Wolcot and Frances Elton. Frances was dead by the time of partition and her share devolved upon her eldest son James Marwood Elton. In 1817 the estates of her husband Edward Elton were divided amongst their five children James Marwood Elton, Henry Elton, Sarah Chaundy, Frances Clutterbuck and Mary Ann Elton (later Morris)

After 1817 the title deeds all relate to the acquisition of properties in the 19th century by Edward the eldest son of James Marwood Elton, who in 1830 assumed the surname Marwood Elton and in 1838 was created a baronet. The manor of Widworthy with grist mills, barton lands and the advowson had been purchased in 1709 by James Marwood of Sutton from John Chichester. The title deeds for this property are not in deposit 281, for Widworthy was amongst Bridget Wolcott's share in the partition of 1813, but a copy of the deed of purchase was made in 1813 and still survives [see 281M/E126] In 1833 Edward Marwood Elton bought Widworthy manor from the Reverend Harry Far Yeatman and Sarah his wife, son-in-law and daughter of Bridget Wolcott and for the remainder of his life expanded and consolidated the Widworthy Court Estate.

The second main group, that of estate and legal papers, is mainly 19th century and deals largely with the buying of new and selling of old estates by Sir Edward Marwood Elton. These papers which are mostly drafts and correspondence to the firm of solicitors looking after the Marwood Elton interests, have been listed in roughly chronological order.

Family papers such as wills, and settlements which do not deal with real property are listed after maps and plans. Documents in the miscellaneous section at the end are listed in some detail so that any possible connexion with other records in the deposit may be seen. Some are obviously Marwood but could not be legitimately included elsewhere; others are less obviously related.

281M/TI - 780 Title deeds

781-1296 Title deeds

281M/EI - 12 Estate: surveys and plans

13 - 1144 General

1145 - 1154 Accounts

281M/FI - 17 Maps and plans

281M/FI - 25 Family

281M/ZI - 33 Miscellaneous

Marwood-Elton family of Widworthy, Devon

Elton, Marwood-, family of Widworthy, Devon

Elton family of Devon

Marwood family of Widworthy, Devon

R. Fortescue-Foulkes, "The Marwoods of Honiton and Colyton", D.C.N.Q. XXXII, p. 48 and 71, 1971.

The Devon Marwoods descend from a line which includes Dr Thomas Marwood of Honiton who lived from c.1512 to 1617 and gained great repute locally as a physician as well as practising for a time at the court of Elizabeth I. His grandson, also Thomas, was also an eminent physician and between them they founded a family which was sufficiently affluent to establish themselves as landed proprietors of substance in the Honiton and Colyton areas of Devon. The Marwood estates were partitioned in 1811 between the sisters (or their heirs) of James Thomas Benedictus Marwood, great great grandson of the first Dr Thomas, who died without issue. One of these sisters, Frances, had married Edward Elton, and her son, James Marwood Elton, inherited both her portion of the Marwood estates and a portion of the Elton estates. His son, Edward, who assumed the name Marwood Elton and was created a baronet in 1838, acquired the manor of Widworthy, part of the original Marwood holdings, from a descendant of another of the sisters of James Thomas Benedictus Marwood, and concentrated on building up the Widworthy estate in the parishes of Widworthy, Offwell and Dalwood.