Deeds relating to Beeston, Nottinghamshire, 1572-1878, 1984

Although the collection relates to the Manor of Beeston, very few of the documents concern the administration of the manor. There are two rentals and one survey but the only court roll is for the Manor of Tyrley in Staffordshire. The vast majority of documents are property deeds which contain much topographical information. A sketch plan of Beeston (n.d.) is also of particular interest. The deeds trace the tenure of the lands in Beeston from the late sixteenth century, through the period of ownership by the Strey family and their descendants up to the late nineteenth century.

The Manor of Beeston was in the hands of the Crown from 1536 to c.1560 when it was purchased by Nicholas Strey. After Nicholas's death in 1604 the manor was passed on through successive generations of Streys. The last Strey family lord of the Manor was Richard Strey (1785-1797) a Nottingham lawyer. Following his death the manor passed to his nephew, Reverend Peter Broughton of Tunstall, Staffordshire. His descendants sold the Lordship of the Manor of Beeston in 1984.

The documents have been listed in chronological order, with the exception of bundles Bn 150-57 which follow a numerical sequence reflecting an earlier arrangement by solicitors. The individual items within the bundles have been arranged chronologically.

ACCESS: Accessible to all registered readers. Access to a small number of documents, Bn 165-67, which relate to the sale of the Manor of Beeston in 1984, is restricted.

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

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

• In the Reading Room, University of Nottingham Library: Typescript Catalogue, 73 pp
• At the National Register of Archives, London: Typescript Catalogue, 73 pp

COPYRIGHT: Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult.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 the Department 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.

LANGUAGE: English and Latin.

Historical records relating to the estate remained in family hands until their disposal together with the Lordship. The documents were placed in the custody of the University Library in 1986, to ensure they would be accessible.