Durham Bishopric Halmote Court Records: Court and miscellaneous books

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Introduction

	Contents and arrangement
	Related material (internal)
	Related material (elsewhere)

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Catalogue

• Halmote Court books (DHC 1/I-III)
• DHC 1/I: Halmote Court Books (all divisions)
• DHC 1/II: Halmote Court Books (separate divisions)
• A. Auckland Division
• B. Chester Division
• C. Darlington Division
• D. Easington Division
• E. Houghton Division
• F. Lanchester Division
• G. Stockton Division
• H. Wolsingham Division
• DHC 1/III: Halmote Court Books (separated manors)
• A. Bedlington
• B. Bishop Wearmouth Rectory
• C. Evenwood
• D. Gateshead
• E. Middleham
• F. Whickham
• DHC 1/IV: Stewards' Minute Books
• DHC 1/V: Call Books
• Call Books A
• General
• Auckland
• Bedlington
• Chester
• Darlington
• Evenwood
• Houghton
• Lanchester and Wolsingham 1708-1766
• Lanchester
• Wolsingham
• Easington
• Easington and Stockton
• Middleham and Stockton
• Middleham
• Stockton
• Stockton, Darlington, Evenwood and Auckland
• Call Books B
• Auckland
• Bedlington
• Chester
• Darlington
• Easington
• Evenwood
• Gateshead
• Houghton
• Lanchester
• Middleham
• Stockton
• Sunderland
• Whickham
• Wolsingham
• Bishopwearmouth Rectory
• DHC 1/VI: Rental Registers
• Chester Ward
• Darlington Ward
• Easington and Stockton Wards
• DHC 1/VII: Index and Alphabet Books
• DHC 1/VIII: Transactions after 1925
• DHC 1/IX: Other court books and rolls
• Estreats
• DHC 1/M: Miscellaneous Books
• Register Books of Inclosure Awards
• Notitia Books and Books of Plans
• Tithe Apportionments and Agreements
• Ledgers
• Reporting Books (of Compensation Agreements reported for sealing)
• Compensation Money Balance Books
• Rentals for Bishopric Estates for Martinmas 1882
• Rentals, Various
• Cash Books
• Account Books, Various
• Miscellanea

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Further information on the Bishopric Halmote Court and its records is included within the collection level description.
The work of the Halmote Court was mainly in transferring copyhold property from tenant by means of surrender and admittance. These transactions appear in the Halmote Court Books, and the original surrenders and the enrolments in the Court Books form the bulk of the Halmote Court Records. The majority of enquiries are either about copyhold tenements, necessitating the use of the Halmote Court Books (listed here), or about inclosure awards (listed under DHC 6).

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Contents and arrangement

The Halmote Court books have been arranged as follows.

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Custodial history

Some numbers (five or six figure, normally in brackets) were given to the documents when registered in the accession registers of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England (now the Church Commission). Where no such numbers appear the documents were never so registered.

Related material (internal)

Mickleton and Spearman MS. 96 Item 2 is a series of alphabetical indexes to the Halmote Court books at different periods. One is temp. Bishop Skirlaw, another Wolsey, but most are Elizabeth I.
The Skirlaw part does not relate to HC Bk. Durh. 3/13 which has contemporary foliation. Most of these indices are to Durham Chancery Rolls in the PRO, where entries are often numbered. The HC indices in M&S 96/2 ff. 30-71v appear to be as PRO index 10151. Most Durham HC Bks have no contemporary pagination and are unindexed pre c.1584.

Related material (elsewhere)

The National Archives (TNA), London Halmote Court Books 1348-1522
Durham holds microfilm copies of these, reference XM/film Palatinate 3, as follows: After 1522 the series at the TNA continues, while those held at Durham begin c.1517. Both series contain gaps.
TNA Index and Alphabet Books 10151 contains: It is not clear whether these relate to the TNA or Durham series, or both.
Tyne and Wear Archives MN/GA(2091) Gateshead Manorial Court Book, jurors and presentments, 16 April 1751 - 30 September 1774.

Catalogue

Halmote Court books (DHC 1/I-III)
All queries about copyhold tenements are best answered from the Halmote Court Books and not from the original surrenders, many of which are either lost or so badly preserved as to be impossible to consult. Up to 1720 the method of enrolling is chronological (DHC 1/I). After 1720 each division has its own series of court books going up to 1925 when copyhold tenure was abolished and the Court began to wind up its business by drawing up compensation agreements turning copyholds into freeholds (DHC 1/II). Each copyhold tenant has what is known as a "call number", usually abbreviated to, for example, "c.94" and on each transfer of property an entry was made in the appropriate Call Book. (Call Books are listed with Miscellaneous Books). Theoretically, the history of a copyhold tenement ought to be traceable back to the 17th century but this would certainly be extremely difficult and time consuming . The expansion of, for example, Sunderland and Stockton in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to a multiplicity of calls as large tenements were split up.
Tracing entries for particular individuals and families: From 1720 each volume has an index of persons surrendering and persons admitted. For volumes up to 1720 see the index and alphabet books in DHC 1/VII.
Tracing entries for particular townships: From 1522-1720 each volume of the court books has an index of townships. A key to the division under which a township is enrolled from 1720 is appended to the guide “How to trace the history of property once part of the Durham bishopric estates”. A card index, compiled by Dr. Ritchie in the 1960's, is also available, covering certain townships.
Tracing entries for particular holdings: From about the middle of the 18th century the bishop's officials introduced a system of call numbers to identify particular plots of copyhold land; see DHC 1/V (Call books) and DHC 11/I and III (annotated maps: 6" maps have been digitised and are available online). Prior to 1720 see the alphabet books in DHC 1/VII. Where the parties to the first surrender after 1720 can be traced from the later records, it may be possible using the name of the surrenderer to work backwards into the pre-1720 alphabet books. From the mid-19th century maps of individual holdings were also entered in the court books; an interactive map finding aid to such court book entries with their associated maps is also available online
These Court Rolls or Court Books of the Durham Halmote Court fall into three groups of dates, 1519-1720 (DHC 1/I), 1720-1925 (DHC 1/II) and 1579-1925 (DHC 1/III). These groups are the result of a change in administrative procedure in 1720. Before 1720 the Halmote (Manorial) Court proceedings for the most of the Bishop of Durham's manors were contained in one series of Court Books (indexed by place name), arranged chronologically and topographically as the peripatetic court visited the episcopal manors regularly holding a series of head counts dealing with the group of townships within each manor. This became cumbersome and in 1720 the manors were arranged in eight divisions (of one manor or two), each division having its own series of Court Books indexed by tenants' names. However some manors were given their own series of Court Books at dates other than 1720 and those from the third group 1579-1925.
The land transactions were written in latin until 1733 (except in the Commonwealth) but even before then, not all the other business of the courts was recorded in latin. The Durham Halmote Court archive is possibly the largest in England.

DHC 1/IV: Stewards' Minute Books
Dates of creation: 1682-1819
DHC 1/V: Call Books   ca.1660-1842
In two series, A and B. Call Books A contains Calls up to 1809, B later ones, although they do overlap
These volumes have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, and digital copies derived from the microfilms are available at their familysearch website. When accessing images on familysearch, note:

• The images have not been indexed, so will not be found by carrying out a surname search on familysearch. They are only available for browsing on that site.

• You will have to sign in to access the images. If you do not have an account on familysearch, you will first need to set one up. This is free of charge.

• This is an external site and is the responsibility of the Genealogical Society of Utah, not of Durham University.

DHC 1/VI: Rental Registers
Dates of creation: 1804-1857 The first three rentals for Chester ward (only) have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, and digital copies derived from the microfilms are available at their familysearch website. When accessing images on familysearch, note:

• The images have not been indexed, so will not be found by carrying out a surname search on familysearch. They are only available for browsing on that site.

• You will have to sign in to access the images. If you do not have an account on familysearch, you will first need to set one up. This is free of charge.

• This is an external site and is the responsibility of the Genealogical Society of Utah, not of Durham University.

For copyhold rentals before 1800 see the separate catalogue of rentals at DHC 4.
See also catalogue of miscellanea under DHC 10/B1/14 and 15, for extracts from Bedlington rentals 1742-1857.

DHC 1/VII: Index and Alphabet Books   1594-1925
These books provide an alphabetical means of reference to the halmote court books of corresponding dates, and is chiefly needed for the period before 1720 (when the court books in DHC 1/I do not include name indexes). The series starts in 1594 but there is a gap between 1597 and 1607.
Within the alphabet books, names of tenants are listed under their initial letter, in (approximate) date or court book order. Entries generally give both the name of the tenant being indexed, plus the other party to the transaction (or for properties that are being inherited, the name of the copyholder who has died). But note that where multiple tenants are being admitted, sometimes the first one only is indexed.
The folio references in the index and alphabet books refer to the old foliation in the halmote court books (not the numbers in pencil). Several volumes of these books were numbered continuously e.g. the three books between 1660 and 1674 are continuously numbered from 1 to 1813, and the seven books between 1674 and 1705 from 1 to 2165. Since the index and alphabet book for the period 1660-1706 covers all ten volumes the numbers 1-1813 appear twice in it for different dates. The dates are not always indicated in the index and alphabet books but, since the names are arranged chronologically, it is in practice easy enough to tell from the preceding and following numbers within each letter to which section of the court books any given folio reference relates.
These volumes have been microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, and digital copies derived from the microfilms are available at their familysearch website. When accessing images on familysearch, note:

• The images have not been indexed, so will not be found by carrying out a surname search on familysearch. They are only available for browsing on that site.

• You will have to sign in to access the images. If you do not have an account on familysearch, you will first need to set one up. This is free of charge.

• This is an external site and is the responsibility of the Genealogical Society of Utah, not of Durham University.

DHC 1/VIII: Transactions after 1925
(Mortgages, Conveyances, Releases etc.)

DHC 1/IX: Other court books and rolls
DHC 1/M: Miscellaneous Books
Dates of creation: 1589-1939