Lord Abergavenny MSS

Title deeds and leases of the Marqueses of Abergavenny's estates in Monmouthshire, paricularly for the parishes of Abergavenny, 1698-1946, Aberystruth, 1862-1915, and Abersychan, 1845-1952, Brecknockshire, 1906-1955, and Herefordshire, 1628-1935; estate administration records, 1800-1954, including accounts, 1815-1867, surveys, 1821-1862, rentals, 1868-1947, and papers relating to the sale of the Monmouthshire and Herefordshire estates, 1908-1954; manorial papers, including papers relating to the manor of Ewyas Lacy, Herefordshire, 1758-1899, perambulations of the manor of Abergavenny, 1870-1885, papers relating to disputes over the River Usk fishery, 1696-1908; papers relating to the Blaenavon Co. Ltd, 1787-1942, the Nantyglo & Blaina Ironworks Co. Ltd, 1859-1943, and the Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron & Coal Co. Ltd, 1919-1933.

The Lords Nevill of Abergavenny traced their descent from Walter, earl of Herefordshire and constable of England, the brother-in-law of Hamelyn (dsp. 1090), the Norman conqueror of Over Gwent and first feudal lord of Abergavenny. The Nevill family retained possession of their Monmouthshire estate until it was disposed of in the 20th century. The Nevills' Monmouthshire estates were a relatively minor part of their over-all landholdings. According to the 1873 return of owners of land, the Earl of Abergavenny owned some 15,000 acres in Sussex, 6,000 acres in Kent, and 7,000 acres in Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Monmouthshire and Herefordshire, besides 11 acres in Norfolk (the manor of Sculton Burdeleys). Their principal residence was at Eridge, Kent, where the 2nd earl built a castle in the early 19th century on the pre-existing Eridge Park hunting lodge. The castle was demolished just before the Second World War and a modern house built, when the name reverted to Eridge Park.

Arranged by parish and record type within each county.

No restrictions

Deposit. It is Gwent Record Office's policy to withold information about donors or depositors in view of possible misuse.

Compiled by Stephen Benham for the HMC/NLW Family and Estates project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Complete Peerage (London, 8 vols, 1887-98), vol. I; Bradney, Joseph, A History of Monmouthshire (London, 1992 facsimile ed.), vol. 1, part 1; Gwent Record Office, Catalogue of the records of Lord Abergavenny's estates.

Hard copies of the catalogue are available at Gwent Record Office, National Library of Wales and the National Register of Archives. Further details relating to manorial records within the archive can be accessed on-line from Manorial Documents Register

Usual copyright regulations apply.

All records deposited at Gwent Record Office have been retained

The Marquess's Monmouthshire estates were administered from Abergavenny until about 1910 when the office was closed and transferred to Sussex, the family residing for most of the year at Eridge. Many of the earlier records were destroyed once their legal and administrative usefulness had ceased. With two exceptions (one item from the late 16 century and one dated 1628) the surviving collection dates from the late 17 century. These surviving records were held by the East Sussex Record Office in Lewes from 1960, until they were deposited at the Gwent Record Office. They include some material relating to south Herefordshire and for Breconshire as Lord Abergavenny did not want to split up the archive.

Accruals are not expected

Further family papers are Gwent Record Office, D7 and D2075 as are various manorial documents relating to the Lordship of Bergavenny, MAN/A/2. The principal collections of family papers are in East Sussex Record Office and the Centre for Kentish Studies. A number of legal case papers are at Northumberland Record Office as part of the Westmorland (Apethorpe) collection. Further estate records are National Library of Wales, Marquess of Abergavenny Papers.