Documents relating to the Monmouthshire estates of the Marquess of Abergavenny

Deeds and documents relating to the Abergavenny estates in Monmouthshire, 1686-1907, and particularly in the parishes of Abergavenny, 1686-1907, Aberystruth, 1787-1900, Goetre, 1799-1900, Llanfoist, 1818-1896, Llanwenarth, 1823-1897, and Trevethin, 1811-1897, and in Herefordshire, particularly in the parishes of Clodock, 1846-1897, and Michaelchurch Escley, 1793-1878, and Worcestershire (mainly the manor of Inkberrow), 1781-1891; private Acts of parliament relating to Monmouthshire, 1790-1894; legal papers, 1790-1892; accounts and vouchers, 1818-1864; correspondence, 1819-1887; papers relating to the London & North Western Railway Co., 1875-1879, and the Golden Valley Railway Co., 1878-1884, and papers relating to parliamentary Bills and the taking of land by other railway companies.

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 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.

Deeds and documents are arranged chronologically within parish and the remaining papers have been arranged chronologically by record type and/or original bundle.

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: Documents deposited by Messrs Gabb, Price & Fisher, solicitors, Abergavenny, and Gwent Record Office, Catalogue relating to the Monmouthshire estates of the Marquess of Abergavenny.

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.

Accruals are not expected

Further family and estate papers are held at the Gwent Record Office: D1583, D2075 and MAN/A/2. The principal collections of family papers are at the county record offices for East Sussex and Kent.