The Earl of Dudley Estate
Eight centuries of history
Introduction
T
he Earl of Dudley Estate Collection is the largest single collection held at The Archives & Local
History Centre. It comprises around 9,000 documents, 350 volumes and 2,000 rolled maps
and plans. This treasure trove of records spans eight centuries of history and includes the archives
service’s oldest item - a papal bull of 1182 granting churches and land to the Prior of Dudley.
From twelfth-century land grants to twentieth-century coal mining statistics,
the collection demonstrates the administrative foundations of a large
landed estate heavily involved in industry. The Earl of Dudley Estate covered
a large swath of land in Worcestershire and Staffordshire encompassing
Dudley, Himley, Belbroughton, Broome, Kingswinford, Rowley Regis,
Sedgley, Tipton, Wombourne, Great Witley and Kidderminster.
Given the importance of the Earl of Dudley Estate in industrial enterprise and the sheer expanse of the estate’s landholdings - the collection gives a
unique insight into the changing landscape and industrial development of
the Black Country. However, the collection is not limited to the shores of
Britain: there are also records concerning the Dudley’s Jamaican estates
and the time when the 2nd Earl of Dudley was Governor General of
Australia.
Deed to Declare the Uses of a Fine
relating to the Manor of Himley,
1 April 1629
National Cataloguing Grants Programme
In 2013, work began on a project funded by a substantial grant from the National Cataloguing Grants
Programme to fully catalogue the collection. The catalogue, which is now available and searchable online,
has enabled this important collection to be fully accessible for researchers for the first time.
The collection was partially catalogued but never fully listed for many years. The first deposit of records,
mainly deeds and manorial documents, came in 1947. More records from the estate office were deposited
in the 1960s and a third deposit consisting of illuminated addresses came to the archives service in 2003.
The project gave the archives service an
opportunity to have a full-time project archivist
(Rachael Marsay) and part-time project
assistant (Andrew Ireland) working solely
on the collection, tying all the loose ends
together and ensuring that the collection
became a coherent whole once again.
Before and after: DE volumes un-wrapped and wrapped
During the project, a team of trusty
volunteers helped repackage the collection
to ensure that the records are available for
researchers to use in many years to come.
Other volunteers assisted with general
typing, transcribing and indexing. In total,
the volunteers clocked up over 600 hours of
voluntary time assisting the project.
The Twelfth to Thirteenth Centuries
T
he oldest item in the collection dates
back to 16th July 1182. It is a Papal
Bull of Pope Lucius III granting the church
of St James and the chapel of St Edmund
in Dudley, along with other churches,
chapels and lands, to the Prior of Dudley.
Dudley Priory was a Cluniac priory that had
been established around 1160 by Gervase
Paganel. The document is therefore
important in understanding the early
history of the priory and surrounding area.
Papal Indulgence of Pope Boniface VIII, granting 40 days indulgence to
all who do penance for the soul of Roger de Somery in the church of
the Priory of Dudley, pray for the souls of the faithful departed and say
the Angelic Salutation, 1300
The landscape of medieval England was peppered with religious foundations and most of the records in
the collection dating back to the 13th century relate to the monastic foundations that were flourishing in
this area. The documents survive in the collection because the lands once owned by Dudley Priory and
Halesowen Abbey were sold during the ‘Dissolution of the Monasteries’ in the 16th century after Henry VIII
broke with Rome and declared himself head of the Church in England. These lands eventually became part
of the Earl of Dudley Estate.
Monasticism and music
One of the gems of the collection is a couple of pages from
an illuminated medieval Missal or Liturgical Text. These rare
pages, which are made from parchment, have survived because
the manuscript was once ‘recycled’ as wrapping paper!
Unfortunately, this means the origin of these two pages remains
a mystery. The capitals are beautifully decorated with swirls
of blue, red, green and black ink showing the penmanship
and talent in the monasteries, once the principal centres of
book production. The musical chants, complete with musical
notation, include antiphons the monks would sing at the
feast days of St Clement (23 November) and St Catherine (25
November).
Left: Pages from an Illuminated Medieval Missal or Liturgical Text, pre 16th
century
Below: Gift to James of Dudley Priory of lands in Dudley and Rowley, c.1280
The Fourteenth Century
D
uring the 14th century, the Sutton family - ancestors of the Earls of Dudley - held the Manor
of Dudley, along with other Manors in the area, including the Manors of Wombourne and
Sedgley. The de Somery family had held Dudley Manor since the death of Gervase Paynel in
1194, when Ralph de Somery (the son of Gervase’s sister Hawise and John de Somery) inherited
the Manor. When Ralph’s descendant John Somery died without male issue in 1321, his estates
passed again through the female line to his sister Margaret, who had married John de Sutton.
Medieval Manors
In the medieval period, the main unit of local governance was the manor, a product of the feudal landholding
system that had emerged after the Norman Conquest in 1066. These manors were units of land under the
control of the Lord of the Manor and regulated by manorial courts. There are around 800 manorial court
records in the collection, dating from the early 14th to the 19th century. They include records from the
Manors of Belbroughton, Broome, Dudley, Himley, Wombourne and Swindon, Kingswinford, Rowley Regis
and Sedgley. They provide a unique and important insight into a broad swath of the area’s history.
The early court records are written in Latin on parchment sheets and rolled – hence the name ‘Court
Rolls’. The court rolls detail land transactions as well as fines given out to manorial tenants for minor
misdemeanours including failures to maintain hedges and ditches. The documents therefore are rich in
personal and place names. Some entries, however, are more surprising. A court roll for Dudley dated 1590
records that the court jury presented ‘John Tayler junior and Henry Crosse because they are evesdroppers
and have stood under the walls and windows of Edward Thornes and are therefore amerced’.
Documents relating to the manor also include surveys and lists of tenants called suit rolls. The collection
includes a wonderful suit roll for Kingswinford dating to the 1780s that unrolls to a length of over seven
metres!
Manorial Court Rolls for Rowley Regis, 1330 - 1456
The Fifteenth Century
J
ohn Sutton (1400 - 1487) was created the first Baron Dudley in the early 1440s. Having
attended Henry V in the wars against France, he was knighted in 1419 and bore the royal
standard at the King’s funeral. John was actively involved in the tempestuous ‘Wars of the Roses’:
though he was admitted to the Order of the Garter by Henry VI as a committed Lancastrian in
1459, he switched to the Yorkist side in 1460. Politically astute, he received grants of money,
positions and land from both Richard III and Henry VII. Lord Dudley was buried in Dudley Priory
alongside his wife, Elizabeth.
Deeds and Dudleys
There are around 4,000 title deeds in the collection dating from the
12th to the 20th century. Deeds are important legal documents proving
transactions regarding the ownership or tenure of land, rights or privileges.
They were thus kept carefully to prove the family’s ‘title’ to lands.
Standardised legal jargon differentiates deeds written for specific
purposes. Whereas the early deeds are written in Latin on parchment and
are sometimes no more than a few centimetres wide, many of the later
deeds conveying vast estates fill many large pages. All deeds, however,
stipulate the parties who are involved in the transaction and the land or privilege
concerned. To be legally binding, the parties must have signed and sealed the
deed. The deeds are therefore an important resource in tracing the history of
people and places. Many of the field names given are intriguing: ‘Lower Blue
Buttons’ describes a field in Ettingshall.
Some of the deeds are aesthetically pleasing, with beautiful capital letters and
elaborate handwriting. Many have the original seals attached, some imprinted
with fingerprints, giving us a tangible and personal link to the people involved
in the transaction. The majestic Great Seal of England hangs beneath
Letters patent bestowing upon Sir John
special deeds called ‘Letters Patent’, which were issued directly by the
Dudley the office of King’s Chief Trencher
reigning monarch.
Bearer, 17 February 1537
Grant by Richard III to John, Lord Dudley, of a rent charge out of the Manor of Tutbury, Staffs., 24 April 1484
The Sixteenth Century
I
n the sixteenth century, John Sutton’s descendants continued to hold the Barony of Dudley.
However, due to the large debts of John Sutton, 3rd Baron Dudley (1495 - 1553), the manor
and castle of Dudley fell into the hands of another of the 1st Baron’s descendants - John Dudley,
Duke of Northumberland (1504 -1553).
Northumberland played a decisive part in English politics during the 1550s, ultimately losing his head as a
traitor for the role he played in promoting Lady Jane Grey as Queen after the death of Edward VI. The castle
was then granted to John Sutton’s son, Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley (d.1587), by Mary I in 1554.
Edward’s son, Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley (1567 - 1643) was notorious for taking a mistress called
Elizabeth Tomlinson, ‘a lewd and infamous woman, a base collier’s daughter’. They had eleven children,
including Dud Dudley, who is credited as one of the early industrial pioneers.
Religious change
The sixteenth century was a time of unsettling religious change that
profoundly impacted the English landscape. This can be seen in the
deeds in the collection. In 1525, William, Abbot of the Monastery and
Convent at Halesowen granted Cradley Mill and land called ‘Prysthmore’
to John Addenbrooke and Alice, his wife. However, Henry VIII’s break
with Rome and the consequent ‘Dissolution of the Monasteries’ meant
that in 1538 the Abbey and its lands were surrendered to the crown.
The following year Henry VIII with William Taylor, ‘late Abbot’, granted
Halesowen Abbey to John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland.
Despite a resurgence of Catholicism under Mary I, the power and influence of the Monasteries in England
had ended. During the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I, the former lands of Dudley Priory and
Halesowen Abbey were sold. Power in the English landscape had significantly changed.
Above right: Lease for 60 Years from William, Abbot of the Monastery and Convent at Halesowen to John Addenbrooke and Alice,
his wife of Cradley Mill and land called ‘Prysthmore’, 27 April 1525
Below: Capital sketch of Elizabeth I from Letters Patent granting the Manor of Kingswinford to Edward, Lord Dudley, 12 June 1561
The Seventeenth Century
T
hough Edward, 5th Baron Dudley, had eleven children with his mistress Elizabeth, he had
only one child with his wife Theodosia Harrington - a son named Ferdinando Sutton (1588
- 1621). As Ferdinando died before his father, the Barony passed after Edward’s death to
Ferdinando’s only child and daughter Frances Sutton, Baroness Dudley (1611 - 1697). She married
Humble Ward (c.1614 - 1670) a wealthy London goldsmith in order to restore the family’s fortunes.
Humble was created 1st Baron Ward in 1644. Both titles passed to their son Edward Ward
(1631 - 1701), 7th Baron Dudley and 2nd Baron Ward. By the mid 17th century, the family owned
extensive lands in and around Dudley, Rowley, Himley, Wombourne, Kingswinford, Trysull, Cradley
and Sedgley.
Civil Wars . . .
The Midlands saw more than a fair share of action during the English
Civil Wars of the 17th century between King and Parliament. How far
the Civil War affected daily life in the area can be seen in the court
records for Sedgley. The writer (possibly William Barnes, the steward)
notes that as he was imprisoned from August 1643 to July 1644, the
court could not be held. Even when he was released, he was prevented
from holding a court until September 1644. Things were to get worse.
In October 1646, Lord Ward received a letter from Edward Broughton,
Phillip Jackson and Leicester Barboure regarding order from ‘the
Parliament’ requiring them ‘to demolish the Castle of Dudly’.
Letter to Lord Ward from the Parliamentary Commissioners, 26 October 1646
Charity
However, despite the turmoil unleashed by the Civil War and the destruction of Dudley Castle, in October
1648, Humble, Lord Ward and Lady Frances his wife granted 30 acres of land on Pensnett Chase for the
use and benefit of the Schoolmaster of the Free School in Dudley ‘upon the Petition of the Freehold Tenants
of the Manor of Duddeley . . . as well for and in Consideration of the love and affection they beare towards
the Inhabitants of Dudley and of Dudley Forren. And for the advancement of good litterature and learninge.
And aswell in Consideration that the Schoolmasters... shall not require or exact any thinge of the Inhabitants
of Dudley for teachinge theire Children . . . other than his due rents’.
. . . and Commonwealth
After the Parliamentarians had emerged victorious from the
conflict, England was ruled as a Commonwealth between
1649 and 1659, with Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector from
1653. Several deeds in the collection are dated during this
period: one has a rare seal of the Protectorate dated 1656 and
another is granted by Oliver’s son Richard, who ruled as Lord
Protector for less than nine months after his father’s death.
Seal from an Exemplification of Court Verdict against Mr Minshall by
Sir William Brereton, 11 October 1656
The Eighteenth Century
E
dward Ward (1631 - 1701), son of Humble and Frances Ward, inherited the titles and estates
of his parents, becoming 7th Baron Dudley and 2nd Baron Ward. His grandson and
namesake Edward Ward (1683 - 1704) and great-grandson, also Edward Ward (1704 - 1731),
inherited in turn. However, great-grandson Edward died without issue and his uncle William Ward
M.P. (1685 - 1740) became 10th Baron Dudley and 5th Baron Ward.
William also died without a direct heir, so the estate and the title of Baron Ward (but not Dudley) passed to
his first cousin once removed, John Ward M.P. (1704 - 1774). John was created 1st Viscount Dudley and
Ward in 1763. John’s sons John Ward (1725 - 1788) and William Ward M.P. (1750 - 1823) then inherited the
Viscountcy in turn.
Enclosure and expansion
The 18th century is often seen as a time of Agricultural Revolution. During this period, private enclosures
superseded the inefficient open-field farming system that had originated in the medieval period. The
resulting documents from this process - mainly Acts of Parliament and Enclosure Awards are valuable in charting agricultural change in the area, as well
as in tracing named individuals. The benefits of enclosure for
the Dudley estate included the enshrining of rights regarding
minerals, as well as the opportunity to embrace agricultural
modernisation.
Other Acts of Parliament concerning turnpike roads and canals
are also present in the collection, demonstrating
how the estate embraced transport improvements at the
time - another foundation stone for the rapid industrial
developments of the following century. The growth of the
estate is also demonstrated by the volumes of rentals
in the collection dating back to 1701. These rentals are
invaluable in charting the history of the estate, as well as of
places and people.
Right:
Articles of Agreement for the
Enclosure of Ashwood Hay,
1 November 1684
Left:
Detail from Pensnett
Chase Enclosure Act,
1784
The Nineteenth Century
D
uring the nineteenth century, a time of rapid industrial growth in Britain, the estate evolved
and expanded by engaging in many large-scale iron and mineral enterprises. Much of the
impetus came from John William Ward (1781 - 1833), 9th Baron Ward, who inherited the estate
from his father William and was created the first Earl of Dudley in 1827.
Though John William died without male issue in
1833, he set up a comprehensive trusteeship in his
will to look after his extensive estate, which included
plantations in Jamaica. The estate passed to his
second cousin once removed, William Ward (1817 1885). In 1860, William was created Earl of Dudley,
the title having fallen into abeyance by the death of
John William.
Under the trustees’ capable and expert hands the
estate’s administrative systems were thoroughly
overhauled and the estate’s fortunes grew rapidly.
By the 1880s, the annual net income of the estate
has been estimated at over £123,000 making it one
of the most valuable landed estates in England.
Mines and minerals
Though coal had been mined on the estate for
many centuries, the increased impetus of demand
alongside improved transportation during the
nineteenth century lead to mining being undertaken
on a much larger scale. The Dudley Estate ran
collieries at Himley, Baggeridge, Parkhead,
Kingswinford, Brierley Hill, Netherton, Coneygre,
Dudley Wood and Bilston.
The estate also had vast reserves of ironstone,
limestone, clay and sand. By 1845, a report of the
Railway Department of the Board of Trade could
state that ‘upwards of 1,000,000 tons of coal and
iron’ were raised annually. Stone and timber were
also in plentiful supply. Having an independent
supply of raw materials greatly benefited the estate,
giving it an edge over any competition.
Many mines were leased out and the payment of
royalties provided income for the estate. However,
much land was damaged by subterranean mining
operations and the estate had to compensate the
occupiers. Many items in the collection, particularly
accounts, therefore relate to ‘Royalties and
Damaged Land’.
Railways
Though narrow-gauge tracks with horse drawn
vehicles were used in the estate’s collieries and
ironworks from the 1790s, the introduction of
an extensive steam-powered railway network in
the mid-nineteenth century greatly improved the
transport of heavy goods. Each railway was created
by an Act of Parliament, many copies of which are
in the collection.
Iron and steel
The estate ran iron works at Cradley, New Level
Furnaces and Coneygre Iron Works. In 1854
(during the Crimean War), the estate produced
over 740,000 tons of pig iron alone. In 1855, the
enormous Round Oak Iron Works was constructed
at Brierley Hill. The wrought iron produced at
Round Oak was highly lauded at the celebrated
International Exhibition of 1862. After the works
were converted to manufacture steel, the concern
was incorporated as ‘The Earl of Dudley’s Round
Oak Works Ltd’ in 1897.
Photograph of the Ramrod Hall Colliery from an Illuminated Address to William Humble, Earl of Dudley from the Estates Department
and the Mines and Iron Department (1888)
The Twentieth Century
T
he twentieth century was a turbulent time
for the family and the estate; the two
World Wars changed the world forever. The
estate was gradually sold off and broken up
as the coal, iron and steel industries gradually
diminished or became nationalised. Many
thousands of acres of land, farms and houses
- including Himley Hall, the family’s country
seat - were sold in 1947. Further land was sold
in 1963, finally breaking the connection of the
Earl of Dudley family with this area.
The First World War
Many members of the Ward family were directly
involved in the First World War including William
Humble, 2nd Earl of Dudley and his son William
Humble Eric, Viscount Ednam (later the 3rd Earl).
Rachel, Countess Dudley, was appointed a C.B.E.
in 1918 and awarded the Royal Red Cross in
1919 for her work during the war. The collection
holds a fleeting glimpse of life in the trenches,
including a sobering Statement of Casualties
incurred by C. Squadron, 10th Royal Hussars, in
the Action fought at Ypres on 13th May 1915.
The statement lists the names of men wounded,
killed and missing in action.
Sale catalogue of a portion of Himley Estates, 1947
Letters and papers in the collection refer to the impact of the war upon civilians in England. The tenant at
Wren’s Nest Farm in Upper Gornal wrote to the estate office complaining about the encampment of soldiers
on his land in 1915, whilst another tenant farmer at Clan Park Farm in Tysull claimed for aircraft damage
from the Air Raid Compensation Committee in June 1918.
1920s
In the ‘Roaring Twenties’, a fleeting burst of colour between the war years, the estate was still a viable going
concern, though reports of the 1920s suggested there was much room for improvement. Himley Estates
Ltd was created in 1926 as a public company to run the estate.
The Second World War
Being an industrial centre, it was inevitable that the Black Country should acutely feel the threat of enemy air
strikes during the Second World War. Many air raid shelters and anti-aircraft searchlights were put up on the
estate. The caverns under the castle were also used by the estate to store plans to ensure that they were
not damaged or used by enemy recognisance.
Maps and plans
T
he maps and plans in the Earl of Dudley Estate Collection provide evocative illustrations for
the times and places covered by the records. They show how industry transformed the
landscape: green fields and villages giving way to roads, canals, railways, mines and industry.
They chronicle shifting fortunes and social change, urbanisation and suburbanisation. They show
how the riches of the mining industry gave way to the sale of vast swathes of the estate during the
twentieth century.
There are well over 3,000 individual maps and plans in the collection, providing a striking visual
representation of the variety of interests held by the Earl of Dudley Estate. They help to illustrate tenancy
agreements. They depict sales of land and land ripe for building. They include plans for roads, railways and
canals; industrial plans showing the effects of mining above and beneath the surface; plans of the factories
that utilised the natural resources of the area; and plans of opulent buildings at Himley and Great Witley, as
well as in London.
The collection includes a wide range of different types and formats of maps and plans. There are maps and
plans on parchment, on paper and on delicate tracing paper. They range in size from a few centimetres to
several metres: one map of the region’s canals is over 13 metres long! Some maps look as good today as
the day that they were created, though some maps are much more fragile. During the course of the project,
the maps and plans have been repackaged to prevent further physical deterioration.
Detail of Dudley Castle from a map of the Parish of Dudley, c.1787
Family History
T
he Ward family can trace their descent through the de Somery and Sutton families, Lords of
the Manor of Dudley. The family history is a complicated one: the estate, though remaining
largely intact, passed on several occasions to brothers, uncles and cousins. However, when
William Ward inherited the estate in 1833 after the death of John William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley,
the estate passed thereon from father to son.
William Ward (1817 - 1885) became 1st Earl of Dudley (second creation) in
1860. His second wife, Georgina Elizabeth (d.1929), was a celebrated society
beauty. Their son William Humble Ward (1867 - 1932) inherited the estate and
title upon his father’s death, becoming 2nd Earl of Dudley.
William Humble held an impressive number of important positions, including
Mayor of Dudley (1895 - 1896), Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1902 - 1905) and
Governor General of Australia (1908 - 1911). Letters sent home from Australia
are also included in the collection, one of which refers to meeting the great
explorer Ernest Shackleton. However, William Humble spent extravagantly
on entertaining in his official positions. His marriage with Rachel ended with a
formal separation by 1912 and after her death in a tragic bathing accident in
1920, William Humble sold the family’s grand palatial residence at Witley. He
married the actress Gertrude Millar (d.1952) in 1924 and spent many years
living in France.
Photograph of Georgina
Elizabeth, Countess of Dudley
from ‘The Cabinet Portrait
Gallery’ Part XI, c.1891
William and Rachel’s eldest son, William Humble Eric (1894 - 1969) was known
as Viscount Ednam before he became 3rd Earl upon the death of his father in 1932. Like his father, he was
actively involved in public and military life, holding positions such as J.P. for Staffordshire and High Sheriff
for Worcestershire. He was also heavily involved in the family estates, particularly their coal, iron and steel
concerns.
William Humble Eric moved in high circles and was a close friend of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII,
who often visited Himley Hall. However, his life was also beset by tragedy. In 1929, his seven year old son
Jeremy was killed by a van as he cycled along the road near their London home. William Humble Eric’s wife,
Rosemary, designed a touching Memorial
Garden at Himley for their son, only to be
killed a few years later in 1930 when the light
aircraft she was travelling in on her return
from France crashed, killing everyone on
board.
William Humble Eric and Rosemary’s son,
William Humble David (1920 - 2013) inherited
the title of Earl of Dudley in 1969.
Left: Newspaper cutting regarding the death of
Rosemary, Viscountess Ednam in a plane crash in
Meopham, Kent, 1930
Houses of the Earls of Dudley
N
o Earl of Dudley ever lived at Dudley Castle: the castle was uninhabited from the midseventeenth century, nearly 200 years before the Earldom of Dudley was created. However,
until the castle was rendered uninhabitable, it was the main residence of the de Somerys and
Suttons, Lords of Dudley. Like many English castles, it evolved gradually from a defensive Norman
keep into something habitable. During the Elizabethan period, substantial and comfortable lodgings
were built by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, son of John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland and
one of Queen Elizabeth I’s favourites.
Himley Hall became the main residence of the
Ward family during the eighteenth century. They
created a stately Palladian mansion house
nestled within a ‘Capability’ Brown landscape. In
the late nineteenth century, the family preferred
to live at Witley Court - away from the industrial
grime of their nearby collieries and iron works.
Detail showing Himley Hall from an Illuminated Address presented
to William Humble, Earl of Dudley from the Mayor, Aldermen and
citizens of Worcester offering congratulations on his marriage, 1891
Witley Court had been bought by the trustees
under the will of John William, 1st Earl of Dudley
from the Foley family in 1837. Though Witley
was first leased to Queen Adelaide (widow of
William IV), the palatial mansion became the
main home of the Earls of Dudley from 1851.
No expense was spared at Witley and it evolved
into a fashionable Italianate mansion.
After the sale of Witley in the 1920s, Himley became the family home once more. Much money was
lavished on the Hall: a swimming pool and cinema were both created from rooms on the ground floor.
The level of luxury was such that a royal couple - the Duke and Duchess of Kent - spent their honeymoon
there. However, in 1947, shortly after the end of the Second World War, the Hall was sold and became the
regional headquarters of the Coal Board.
The family also owned various houses
in London, most notably in Whitehall
(Westminster), Park Lane and Green Street
(Mayfair). Various accounts dating back
to the early nineteenth century record
payments on altering and decorating
rooms.
Of course the smooth running of the
family’s residences depended upon an
army of servants. Though few records in
the collection relate directly to the servants,
we find occasional references to servants
in account books and other documents
such as leases.
The ruins of Witley Court (English Heritage) today
Published by The Archives and Local History Service
Tipton Road, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 4SQ
© 2013