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“Property is nine points of the law”
Manorial Court Rolls
Research Themes Supported
Hull History Centre holds significant collections of manorial court rolls. Such records can aid research into:
- Social hierarchies
- Rural living
- Local society and community
- Dispute resolution
- Petty crime
- Land occupation and holding
- Agricultural management
Key Information Content of Records
The following are common categories of information which feature in this record type:
- Type of court being held
- Date of court
- Names of official presiding of court
- Names of jurors
- Names of those sending excuses for non-appearance
- Causes of minor disputes, i.e. petty violence, debts
- Infringements of bye-laws
- Individuals elected to local offices
- Problems with highways and watercourses
- Name of the lord of the manor
- Names of individual tenants and pieces of land
- Proof of title to land and property
Where Record Type is Usually Found
This record type commonly survives in the following categories of archival collection:
- Records created by landed families and estates
- Records created by monastic institutions
Typical formats
Prior to the 16th century court rolls were generally recorded on parchment rolls. This is how they gained their name. From this period onwards, court rolls were increasingly recorded in volume format.
Downloadable list of material
The following PDF contains a list of key manorial court rolls held at HHC.
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Source Guide Manorial Court Rolls List of key manorial court rolls at HHC
