Catalogue description ETHERINGTON, SUBSEQUENTLY COVENTRY, ESTATES IN HATFIELD, STAINFORTH AND THORNE, INCLUDING TITHES AND THE MANOR OF DUNSCROFT

Title deeds and documents supporting the title to the tithe estate of parishes of Thorne and Hatfield, including the rectorial manor of Dunscroft in the West Riding of Yorkshire. There are also some documents related to the Etherington and Coventry families which are not otherwise related to this archive (see sections 9 and 10) and also a few items relating to the manor of Danethorpe, East Riding of Yorkshire, (see DD/COV/1/15-1/17)

Some documents in Latin (see DD/COV/2/2) but there are translations of these in DD/COV/2/3

Original deed bundles, when found, have been preserved and used as the basis of the catalogue entries, otherwise the records have been arranged into groups by type, subject or area.

DD/COV/1/1-17 MANORIAL RECORDS 1656-1921

DD/COV/1/1-1/14 Manor of Dunscroft 1656-1921

DD/COV/1/15-1/17 Manor of Danthorpe 1745-1776

DD/COV/2/1-2/38 TITLE DEEDS TO THE TITHE ESTATES OF HATFIELD AND THORNE AND THE MANOR OF DUNSCROFT 1678-1821

DD/COV/3/1-3/12 COPIES OF DOCUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE TITLE TO THE TITHES OF HATFIELD AND THORNE AND THE RECTORIAL MANOR OF DUNSCROFT [14 cent - 19 cent]

DD/COV/4/1-4/11 TITHES : APPORTIONMENTS, SURVEYS AND VALUATIONS 1819-1937

DD/COV/4/1-4/2 Hatfield And Thorne : Copy Tithe Apportionments 1840-1841

DD/COV/4/3-11 Surveys And Valuations 1819- mid 19 cent.

DD/COV/4/12-4/17 Tithe Redemption 1914-1937

DD/COV/5/1-5/21 MORTGAGES OF THE TITHES 1858-1943

DD/COV/6/1-6/34 PURCHASE OF LANDS IN HATFIELD AND THORNE 1783-1852

DD/COV/7/1-7/13 OTHER DEEDS OF THE ESTATE RELATING TO PROPERTY IN HATFIELD AND THORNE 1754-1921

DD/COV/8/1-8/8 OTHER DEEDS: LEASES ETC. 1811-1928

DD/COV/9/1-9/6 MAPS AND PLANS 1711-1821

DD/COV/10/1-10/4 LOCAL ACTS OF PARLIAMENT 1787-1813

DD/COV/11/1-11/7 PROPERTIES IN DURHAM, LINCOLNSHIRE AND HOLDERNESS 1811-1919

DD/COV/12/1-12/12 OTHER DEEDS: PERSONAL AND UNRELATED TO THE HATFIELD AND THORNE ESTATES 1728-1875

In the twentieth century, the local agent for the estate was C W Waller of Thorne, whose records are to be found at Doncaster Archives reference DY/WALL

Etherington family of North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire

Coventry family, Earls of Coventry

Suitability and condition of documents for copying

In accordance with usual conditions at Doncaster Archives in such cases, that is thirty years after the date of the last entry in the document. All the records catalogued here are thus accessible

British Record Association reference 2134; Acc.1120

Copyhold was abolished as a form of tenure in 1922, leading to the termination of the most significant of manorial incidents. The abolition of tithe payments in October 1936, under the provisions of the Tithe Act of that year, with the owners compensated by the government, made these records redundant, except as evidence to the right to compensation. At some unspecified date, the additional lands acquired were disposed of, and the deeds still necessary to prove title given to the purchasers. The records which remained were retained by the solicitor to the Coventry family. Finally, they were deposited with Doncaster Archives through the Records Preservation Section of the British Records Association.

The few papers relating to the manor of Danethorpe (see DD/COV/1/15-17 below) are strays and, apart from the connection to Sir Henry Etherington, have no apparent place in this accumulation of archives.

None are expected

• Etherington, Sir Henry, fl 1750-1819, baronet
• Hatfield, West Riding of Yorkshire
• Thorne, West Riding of Yorkshire

A Guide to Doncaster Archives (2001), pages 95 to 96, published before this accumulation was fully catalogued.

Almost the entirety of these archives were created by Sir Henry Etherington of North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire and his successors in title, who were his heirs through his niece, who married into the family of the earls of Coventry. According to Peter Roebuck, Yorkshire Baronets, 1640-1760 (Oxford University Press, 1980, pages 27 and 369), Sir Henry (created baronet 22 Nov 1775) and his father, also called Henry (died 1760, see DD/COV/12/2 below), sailed as master-mariners before entering business on their own account. Henry senior had married Jane Porter in 1728 (see DD/COV/12/1 below). Whilst remaining a Hull merchant, Henry junior bought an estate at North Ferriby. He also acquired property in the West Riding of Yorkshire, as witnessed by the records catalogued here. The acquisitions in the Doncaster area were the tithes of the parishes of Hatfield and Thorne and the rectorial manor of Dunscroft. (The statement by Roebuck that Sir Henry purchased the manor of Hatfield itself (page 310) is incorrect, although Dunscroft itself is situated in the parish of Hatfield.) In addition, he bought land in the area after the purchase of the manor. It is not possible to determine how extensive these additional purchases were from the records available here. However, the deeds catalogued in section 6, and possibly also in section 7, are evidence of his activities, or those of his successors.

Sir Henry had no children and he settled the manor on his niece and ward (see DD/COV/12/5 and 12/6 below), Jane (Mary) Moses (died 1800), the daughter of John and Margaret Moses of Hull. Jane married Aubrey, sixth Duke of St Albans. After her death the Etherington estates were settled on her daughter Lady Mary Beauclerk (died 1845), who was married in 1811 to George William Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst, subsequently eighth Earl of Coventry. This was the Lord Deerhurst's second marriage and there was already an heir to the Coventry title (subsequently the ninth earl) by his first marriage.

It appears, therefore, that the former Etherington estates then passed to the eldest son of this second marriage with Lady Mary Beauclerk. This was Henry Amelius Coventry (1815-1873) succeeded by his son, Henry Amelius Beauclerk Coventry (1842-1885) and subsequently his grandson, Henry Robert Beauclerk Coventry (1871-1953). The latter was resident at Monkton Park, Chippenham, Wiltshire in 1937, according to the tithe redemption order at DD/COV/4/17 below. From the mid-nineteenth century, the tithe estate was used by the family as surety for extensive borrowings by way of mortgage. The information here on the St Albans and Coventry families has been taken from the 1920 edition of Debrett's Peerage and the 105th edition of Burke's Peerage and Baronetage.

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