Background on Rentals details

When the 2nd Duke of Grafton took full control of the manors within the honor of Grafton in 1723, he began to modernise the administration of the estate. As a result there exists a remarkably complete series of rentals, or rent books, from the 1730s to the 1820s. In the early period, the rents for both the farms and the cottages were paid every six months, on 25th March (Lady Day) and 29th September (Michaelmas), but from the mid-1780s cottage rents were paid annually on Lady Day.

There are gaps in the lists transcribed for this CD because not all the rentals were available. Some were missing and some of the original books could not be handled because of their poor state of preservation.

The rentals only list names, and do not link them to properties within the respective villages. However, in conjunction with the estate surveys of c.1726 and 1757, which identify tenants' and occupiers' names with a specific house, it is possible to follow the ownership of many of the properties over the period covered by the rentals.

In addition, the occasional notes within the rentals indicate when houses are pulled down (or burnt down), refurbished or new ones built, and when the Duke bought new properties.