Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society CATALOGUE OF THE SOCIETY'S COLLECTION OF ARCHIVES HELD IN THE MUNIMENT ROOM Compiled by Lorna M. Head With additional material by Diana Gulland Buckinghamshire Papers No.1 2002 additions and amendments 2007 HOW TO USE THE CATALOGUE These archives may be consulted, on application to Mrs. Diana Gulland, the Hon. LibrarianIArchivist, on Wednesdays from 10.00am to 4.00pm. When requesting material please quote the call mark, found on the left-hand side of the page, together with the full description of the item. General e nquiries about the archives, or requests for more details of those collections which are listed as having been entered on to the Library's database, are welcomed either by letter or telephone. This Catalogue describes the archives in the Muniment Room at the time of printing in 2002. Details of additions to the stock and of progress in entering all stock on to the Society's computer database will be posted on our proposed website and published in our Newsletters. Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society Library County Museum Church Street Aylesbury Bucks HP20 2QP Telephone No. 01296 678114 (Wednesdays only) CONTENTS Call mark Page Introduction 3 Antiquarian collections Warren R. DAWSON DAW Gerald and Elizabeth ELVEY ELVEY Henry GOUGH and W. P. Storer GOU F. G. GURNEY GUR R. W. HOLT HOL Rev. H. E. RUDDY RUD A. V. WOODMAN WOO Dr Gordon H. WYATT WYA Other collections ELECTION MATERIAL ELECT George LIPSCOMB'S notes for The History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham L1 P Copies of MANUSCRIPTS MSS MAPS MAPS MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTION MISC POLL BOOKS and ELECTION REGISTERS POLL Topographical PRINTS PRINTS Parish REGISTER transcripts REG SALE CATALOGUES SAL INTRODUCTION, by Lorna Head For many years after its foundation in 1847, the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society was the only repository for archives in the county and a collection was gradually built up through deposits and gifts. In 1924 it was designated an approved repository for manorial records under the Law of Property Act of that year. By 1932 there were many hundreds of items in the Society's care and an underground Muniment Room was built in the County Museum for their safe-keeping. This was opened in 1934 by the Master of the Rolls, Lord Hanworth. By 1950, as reported in Records of Bucks, 'it has become increasingly apparent that the resources of the Museum could not be strained indefinitely to accommodate and care for the large number of documents which were steadily accumulating'. By this time the County Record Office was well established, so the next year the post-1600 deeds were transferred there, leaving the Society with manorial records, early deeds and all 'documents of literary, artistic or archaeological importance'. In 195 1 also, the Muniment Room was made the official repository for parochial records of the archdeaconry of Buckingham (i.e. the county of Buckinghamshire). However, in 1971 these parochial records were also transferred to the County Record Office where they were more readily available to the increasing number of genealogical researchers. During the major refurbishment of the County Museum (1990-1995) all the material in the original Muniment Room was deposited for safe-keeping in the County Record Office. A new Muniment Room was constructed in conjunction with the new Museum basement. The Society's Council and the County Archivist agreed that the court rolls, early deeds, estate maps and other original documents should be retained in the Record Office on indefinite loan. This valuable Bucks collection of thousands of items is now readily available to researchers at all times rather than just once a week, and it receives the professional attention that archives should have nowadays. During and immediately after the War, from 1940 to 1946, the whole Museum was in the care of Cicely Baker. On the appointment of a full-time Museum Curator in 1947, she became the Hon. Archivist. In 1975 Elizabeth M. Elvey took over, having previously been Hon. Librarian for eight years. She was succeeded in 1986 by Lorna M. Head, the Hon. Librarian, who combined the two appointments. Mrs Head gave up the Hon. Librarianship to Diana Gulland in 1996 and relinquished the Hon. Archivist appointment to her in 1998, thus combining the two jobs once again. The archives remaining in the Society's care in the Muniment Room now consist mostly of collections donated by past members of the results of their researches in Bucks, together with topographical prints, maps (other than estate maps), election material and various miscellaneous items. Details of these are given in this catalogue. References 'Extension of Museum and opening of Muniment Room', Records of Bucks, 13, I 'The Society: The Muniment Room in 1951; Parish Registers', Records of Bucks, 15, 323 'Notes: Parish Registers', Records of Bucks, 19, 98 A calendar of deeds and other records in the Museum, Aylesbury, Bucks Record Society,Vol. 5, 1941 Elizabeth M. Elvey. A Hand-list of Buckinghamshire Estate Maps, Bucks Record Society'1963 Abbreviations BAS Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society BM British Museum BR0 (now the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies) Buckinghamshire Record Office PRO Public Record Office Acknowledgements Lorna Head acknowledges with thanks the help given by Roger Bettridge, Alan Dell, Carole Fryer, Sue Gill, Diana Gulland, Hugh Hanley, Barbara Hurman and R. J. Shrimpton. DAWSON COLLECTION Warren R. Dawson, OBE, FSA (1888-1968) was a man of wide academic interests whose work included numerous publications on archaeology, Egyptology and the history of science. He came to live at Simpson House, Simpson, about 1936 and he gave his meticulously recorded local history notes of the area to the Bucks Archaeological Society in 1961. 1 Thirteen bound MSS books entitled: Ager, Barton, Cheval, Duncornbe, Elkins, Goodman, Holt, Kilpin, Lord, Newman, Pinford, Warren, Zouch. They record copies of documents relating to the history and topography of parishes in north Bucks including transcriptions of Enclosure Awards and Acts for Astwood, Bletchley, Bow Brickhill, Castlethorpe, Fenny Stratford, Great Brickhill, Great Woolstone, Little Brickhill, Loughton, North Crawley and Woughton all with field names added 18-30161 2 Summary of contents of DAW/1 32/61 3 Index to DAW/1 3316 1 4 Notes on Simpson 31/63 5 Miscellaneous papers 3416 1 Simpson. Extracts from 'History and Antiquities of Newport Hundred, Bucks', by Browne Willis (BM Add MSS 5839 - Cole MSS) Simpson. Churchyard inscriptions. Copy of 1909 MS in BR0 with notes to 1945 and plan Simpson. Notes on ownership, mortgage, etc, of Simpson House 1575-1891 Simpson. Description of houses in the village Fenny Stratford. Notes re Staple Hall Newport Pagnell. Notes on deeds of 14 Tickford Street Milton Keynes. Lawsuit re glebe. Copies of two late 17th century papers (see Records of Bucks, 15, 84) Extracts from parish registers re Etheridge family Lectures, 1947: 'Bygone Bucks Industrials' 'Some Bucks Notabilities ( Simon Bret, Robert Cadman - steeplejack, Rev. John Mason)' Cartoon: early 19th century Lawsuit at Buckingham? Lowndes v Grenville? 6 Local events: programmes, newspaper cuttings, etc 3516 1 7 Sale catalogues: Simpson, Fenny Stratford, Bow Brickhill, Tattenhoe 36/61 8 Scrapbook of postcards and photography 40161 9 Maps: 37/61 Bletchley. Inclosure 1813 (J. King, Surveyor) Copy Brickhill, Bow. Inclosure 1791 Copy Brickhill, Great. Inclosure 1771 Copy Milton Keynes. Tithe Award l837 Copy Simpson. Inclosure 1771 (adapted from Manor map 1781) Simpson and Fenny Stratford. Property of John Sipthorp 191 1 ELVEY COLLECTION Gerald and Elizabeth (Betty) Elvey were husband and wife and were distinguished and dedicated members of the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society. He was Hon. Editor of Records of Bucks from 1970-80 and she was Hon. Librarian 1967-75 and Hon. Archivist 1975-86. Gerald's main interests were in the early medieval period while Betty concentrated on the later middle ages. They both published several important articles in Records of Bucks. Obituaries: GRE (1902- 198.5) Records of Bucks, 27, 141; EME (d 1990) Records of Bucks, 31,247. This collection consists mainly of many hundreds of transcriptions of medieval documents. They cover mostly the Chalfont/Beaconsfield areas of Bucks, but include other parts of the county also. Looseleaf Files: 1 Pipe Rolls. 12th & 13th centuries. MS 2 Close Roll. 13th century. MS 3 Rolls: Assize; Coroners; Plea Rolls of Jews; Exchequer Plea Rolls. 13th century. Typescript 4 Miscellaneous Deeds. 14th & 15th century. Typescript. Beaconsfield 5 Wills. Beaconsfield 15th - 17th century. With index of names. Typescript 6 Chalfont St Peter. Transcript of Court Rolls. By EME 7 Beaconsfield. Transcript of Court Book of Sir Henry Drury, 10 October 16 14 Box file: Miscellaneous Public Records: Inquisitions Post Mortem, King's Bench, Domesday Book, Notley Abbey cartulary Box No.1 (small notebooks with information on following subjects) Luffield Cartulary Religious houses and their lands in Bucks Bucks parishes: populations; areas; inclosures (2 notebooks in alphabetical sequence) family Bucks parishes: miscellaneous notes. (2 notebooks in alphabetical sequence) 1names Miscellaneous (2 notebooks) Genealogy (re Wiggs of Mentmore?) Chalfont Surnames (Miscellaneous sources) notebook Box No. 2 (small notebooks with information on following subjects) Indexes of medieval surnames and pedigrees with Bucks connections. Compiled from printed calendars, etc (9 notebooks in alphabetical