This volume provides a full survey of the estates of William Richardson in 1774, including a perambulation of the Manors of Rogate Bohunt and Clarks Dean. It records the acreage and cultivation of his lands and includes a fold-out map providing a detailed depiction of the properties and boundaries described in the survey.
Estate surveys are valuable sources for researchers seeking to trace changing boundaries, land usage, and land ownership over time, predating similar sources such as tithe and enclosure maps and awards which are already held at West Sussex Record Office. The survey was made at a particularly interesting point in the history of the Milland Estate and Rogate Bohunt Manor. The estate was purchased by William Richardson in 1771 after the previous owner, Sir Thomas Ridge, went bankrupt. Letters at West Sussex Record Office suggest that there may have been a dispute over William Richardson’s title to the property shortly after the purchase and that the survey itself may have been commissioned to help settle this dispute.
The purchase of this survey will enable researchers to consult it in conjunction with other complementary material held at West Sussex Record Office, including a survey of the Manor of Rogate Bohunt from 1746, a perambulation and survey of the Manor of Rogate Bohunt from 1891, and an estate map of Rogate from 1845, as well as a series of related manorial documents. The combination of all these resources provides researchers with a unique means of uncovering the history and development of this area of West Sussex.
The National Archives has confirmed that this survey is a manorial record and details of the document will be added to the Manorial Documents Register on the TNA website.
