Manorial records can seem a little daunting to ask for, but this talk will seek to demonstrate that once you know what to expect they can be simple to use and bring rewards. It will look at what a manor was and how it took different forms in different places. It will mainly use archives of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire to illustrate this but the talk should be of use to researchers for anywhere in England. It will examine not just the relatively well-known court rolls and books but the many other different types of manorial document, from the middle ages to the 20th century, and look at what is in them of genealogical interest. It will pay particular attention to means of reference and how to discover what is where, particularly use of the The National Archives' Manorial Documents Register.
Philip Saunders has spent most of his career as an archivist with Cambridgeshire Archives Service in the record offices at Shire Hall, Cambridge, and Huntingdon. For several years till 2013 he acted as the service's main point of contact with the society and had the pleasure of attending its committee meetings. After leaving Shire Hall he worked for The National Archives completing the revision of the Manorial Documents Register for Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire and for archives in Cambridge Colleges relating to estates nationwide. Since 2015 he has looked after archive collections, mainly missionary personal papers of the 20th century, at Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide.
