Papers of the Monckton-Arundell Family, Viscounts Galway of Serlby Hall, Nottinghamshire, early 13th century-1958

The vast majority of the early records are deeds and settlements relating particularly to Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. Estate records are well covered, although there are few maps. There are also manorial papers and ecclesiastical records. The later accruals contain mainly family papers and correspondence from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, along with further estate material.

The Monckton family can trace its lineage back to the 14th century and Simon Monckton of the lordship of Monckton in Yorkshire. Successive family members, from Simon onwards, married into landed families, consolidating their land holdings. Families into which the Moncktons married include many from Yorkshire such as Mostyn, Wentworth, Hussey, Sutton and Saville and many of these names appear within the documents in the collection. It was through these links that the Moncktons came to hold considerable lands in Yorkshire, including the lordship of Cavil from 1454.

From 1617, three successive male heirs were knighted. Robert, the son of Sir Philip, the last knight, followed the precedent set by earlier family members and became a Member of Parliament. He was an active supporter of King William I and Mary. Robert's only surviving son, John (1695-1751), succeeded to the family estates in 1722 and was made 1st Viscount Galway in 1727, an Irish representative peerage. He married Elizabeth, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Rutland. Their son, William, 2nd Viscount Galway (d 1772), inherited the Arundell family estates from his aunt, Lady Frances, sister to the 3rd Duke of Rutland. She had married John, second son of Lord Arundell, and William added Arundell to his surname. In the 19th century, this was subsequently omitted from the surnames of all but those succeeding to the Galway title.

As Irish peers were able to become members of the House of Common, George Edward, 6th Viscount (1805-1876), and George Edmund, 7th Viscount (d 1931), served in this capacity until 1887 when the Irish Viscountcy was superseded by an English Barony. The 7th Viscount then went into royal service, being aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and King George V. George Vere Arundell, 8th Viscount, was appointed Governor-General of New Zealand in 1935.

Serlby Hall, Nottinghamshire, was purchased by the 2nd Viscount Galway in the eighteenth century and remained the family seat until the 1970s.

The arrangement of the collection reflects the different accruals. The arrangement of the individual accruals has been determined by the nature of the material.

ACCESS: The bulk of the collection is accessible to all registered readers. Some 20th century material is restricted; prospective readers should contact the department for advice.

LANGUAGE: English, Latin

NOTE: Copyright on all Finding Aids belongs to the University of Nottingham.

• In the Reading Room, University of Nottingham Library: 4 Typescript Catalogues
• At the National Register of Archives, London: 5 Typescript Catalogues
• On the national A2A (Access to Archives) website. Online access to the typescript finding aid.

REPROGRAPHIC: Photocopies and photographic copies of accessible material can be supplied for educational use and private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

COPYRIGHT: Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Keeper of Manuscripts and Special Collections (email mss-library@nottingham.ac.uk). The Department will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but the responsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the reader.

The initial collection (GB 159 Ga) was acquired in 1953. Several accruals were subsequently acquired between 1958 and 1974 (GB 159 Ga C, Ga 2). The papers of General Robert Monckton (GB 159 Ga M) were acquired in 1984. There are further uncatalogued accruals.