The Petworth House Archives (PHA)
John Edward Reginald Wyndham, 1st Baron Egremont (1920 - 1972)
Category
Archive Collections
Date
circa 1300 - circa 1950
Materials
Collection
Petworth House and Park, West Sussex
NT 487055
Summary
The Petworth House Archives (PHA). Manorial and family records, accounts, court rolls, correspondence, maps, wills. 'Includes a collection of letters between the 6th Duke of Somerset and his officers' which shed a new light on the building of the present Petworth House, and the laying-out of the formal gardens; the plan and contracts for the landscaping of Petworth Park by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown; and a complete series of personal, household, legal, and estate accounts of Algernon, 10th Earl of Northumberland, from 1650-1667. The dominant position which the family at Petworth House had in the surrounding area is demonstrated by the presence in the archives of the records of two local schools (Coates and Up Waltham), and of the local poorhouse at Sutton. Accounts of London tradesmen who supplied goods to the Earls of Egremont have been listed individually. This was time-consuming, but it was felt that otherwise so much information on individuals, and on the luxury goods of the time, would be obscured. The accounts also provide one of the major sources of information on the 3rd Earl of Egremont, since most of his personal papers were, regrettably, burnt by his son and executors. Apart from the accounts, and a considerable amount of estate administration papers, which form the backbone of the archives of a great estate such as Petworth, there are also several groups of documents of particular interest. These include a significant collection of letters and other papers concerning the financial affairs of Charlotte Smith, the writer, in whose affairs the 3rd Earl interested himself for a time. There are also documents concerning the claims made on the 3rd Earl's estate by J.E.Carew, the sculptor, and a number of parliamentary papers of Sir William Wyndham. Of more local interest are papers concerning the dispute between the 9th Earl of Northumberland and his tenants in the 1590s, and a wonderful collection of manorial accounts from the 14th to the 16th centuries. There is still a considerable amount of uncatalogued material in the Petworth House Archives, though all except the more modern material has been summarily listed, so there are unlikely to be any major unexpected finds. The uncatalogued material is in addition to the old title deeds relating to the Sussex, Yorkshire and Irish estates, which are listed under the estate office system established in the mid-19th century. These are accessible through the old lists and indexes, and so are not a priority for re-cataloguing. Enquiries about them should be addressed to West Sussex Record Office.' (Taken from the TNA and WSRO website) Comprises of 76 series within this archives. West Sussex Record Office reference number: PHA NRA 15719 Wyndham (Petworth) Administered by and access through West Sussex Record Office, Chichester but access has to be permitted by Lord Egremont. A considerable amount of material remains to be dealt with at Petworth. It is regretted that no access whatsoever can be allowed to this uncatalogued material. The catalogued material may only be consulted at the West Sussex Record Office at Chichester and at least two weeks notice must be given of any intended visit to Chichester to consult the Petworth House Archives, in order that the documents required may be brought from Petworth. Lord Egremont reserves the right to refuse access to any document listed here, and no post-1900 documents may be consulted without his special permission.
Makers and roles
John Edward Reginald Wyndham, 1st Baron Egremont (1920 - 1972), creator