| Ref No | MS 2126 |
| Title | The Calthorpe Edgbaston Estate Office Archive |
| Level | Collection |
| Date | 1616 - 1991 |
| Description | The Calthorpe Edgbaston Estate Office papers comprise a substantial estate archive with a limited amount of Gough, Gough-Calthorpe and Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe family material. The main bulk of the records are concerned with the development and subsequent administration of the Edgbaston Estate in Birmingham, much of which is still in the family's ownership. Additionally there are records concerning the administration of other estates in Staffordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, London, Wiltshire and Hampshire although these are mainly combined with the Edgbaston records. Just a couple of records survive from the Gough family's wool merchant activities in Wolverhampton. The bulk of the collection dates from predominantly 1811-1900.
The collection comprises a considerable amount of property deeds, wills, settlements. The development and administration of the estates, particularly Edgbaston, has resulted in a very extensive corpus of estates records and related correspondence, which throw a fascinating light on the life and times of the Calthorpe family, their agents and their tenants and on relationships between them. The two main lease series, MS 2126/3/5d/2/A and B, and the lease books (précised versions of leases) are particularly full and indicate just how carefully the Calthorpe's agents superintended building on the estate.
The correspondence series was primarily maintained by the Edgbaston agent who until 1894 was also agent for the other estates and contains letters about the routine making of roads, repairs to properties and so on as well as much information about the private opinions and lives of the agents. The letters of John Harris (agent 1811 - 1843, see: Appendix G), in particular, provide comment and detail about political events both in Birmingham and nationally and with several of the Gough's acting as MPs the tenants' interests were well represented at the highest level. There is also correspondence relating to the various philanthropic interests of the Calthorpe family, including items relating to the founding of several significant Birmingham institutions such as the Deaf and Dumb Institute, the Blind Asylum (later Royal Institute for the Blind), the Botanical Gardens and The University of Birmingham. The series comprises chronological bundles and later boxes and copybooks of letters.
It is perhaps surprising, given the nature of the estate as an exclusive urban development where tenants granted building leases often used architects high calibre such as S.S. Teulon, J.A. Chatwin or F.W. Fiddian, that very few architectural plans and very few photographs of houses exist within the collection.
A good run of estate maps and surveys does however survive, and may be reconstituted in the electronic version of the catalogue by searching the OrderingNo for the "Old Plan Series". These items have largely been relocated to the appropriate section of the catalogue. The collection includes a copy survey of 1727 showing the estate as it was in 1718 shortly after it was purchased by Sir Richard Gough (MS 2126/3/5ab/2) and a very handsome red morocco volume (MS 2126/3/5c/1) compiled by the surveyor John Snape in 1787 which is accompanied by a much thumbed and simplified agent's working copy and a single sheet wall plan with reference volume.
A reasonable run of accounting material (MS 2126/3/5d/8, MS 2126/3/5e and MS 2126/1/5e) from 1810s - 1970s relates mainly to income from rents and the expenditure for administration (see also items within the main correspondence series MS 2126/3/5f). 6 diary and account books detail the household and day to day purchases of Henry Gough-Calthorpe (MS 2126/3/6). The odd estate rental exists from 1700 onwards but are increasingly consistent from 1816 onwards (MS 2126/3/5d/8/1/9) and from 1854, under Joseph Edwards as agent, form a virtually continuous run to 1970 (MS 2126/3/5d/8/2). These are listed under the Edgbaston section of the list as the rentals for other estates frequently form subsections at the rear of the volumes. Separate rentals for the Norfolk and Suffolk estates are extant in the main correspondence run, see: MS 2126/3/5f.
In addition to the above-mentioned run of correspondence letters appear to have been kept with papers relating to particular facets of the administration (payment of tithes) or specific undertakings (e.g. building of churches). Just a handful of personal correspondence exists and readers are directed to the collections at Hampshire for more extensive coverage of family matters.
The building and maintenance of churches on the Edgbaston estate seems to have been of particular interest to the family and this is reflected by the extensive amount accounts, deeds, architectural plans and letters, which have been brought together to form MS 2126/3/9.
Some of the most recent material within the collection relates to town planning initiatives of the interwar period and can be found at MS 2126/2/5q/3. Other records about public undertakings include: railways (MS 2126/2/5q/2), canals (MS 2126/2/5q/1), tramways (MS 2126/2/5q/4) and roads (MS 2126/3/5q). |
| Extent | 11.8 |
| Format | Cubic metres |
| Term | Architectural design |
| Church history |
| Estate management |
| Houses |
| Housing design |
| Housing policy |
| Religious buildings |
| Rented housing |
| Schools |
| Suburbs |
| University campuses |
| Urban communities |
| Urban decentralization |
| Urban planning |
| Urbanization |
| Building estates |
| Related Material | See also: A very closely interrelated collection of material exists at Hampshire Record Office, Winchester referenced ''26M62 Calthorpe of Elvetham''. This collection has a larger number of personal, private and household records is listed thus:
T = ''Deeds'':
- T1/1-91 – Hampshire medieval charters and 16th century deeds (primarily Elvetham Estate), 1142 – 1598.
- T2/1-386 – Norfolk medieval charters, 13th – 17th century
- T3-T112 – Title Deeds, 17th – 20th century (countrywide and including the following of west midlands interest: Lichfield -T71, Solihull - T106, Frankley and Bromsgrove - T1071-11, Harvington T108)
M = ''Manorial'':
- M1-63 – Manorial papers for Elvetham, Odiham, Acle and Pakenham.
00 = Unreferenced:
- ''Estate and Personal Papers'' – boxes 13, 15 and 19-31. Box 24 is of particular relevance to Edgbaston.
- ''Shelved Volumes'', 15th – 19th century
- ''Shelved Maps'', Elvetham 1840, 1860 and 1867.
F/C = ''Family Correspondence''
-F/C1-C1419 - predominantly the incoming correspondence of George Gough-Calthorpe, 3rd Baron, 1821 – 1862.
Paper catalogues for the collection are in two volumes. Volume II covers the F/C series. Volume I covers the T, M and Unreferenced sections. Volume II may be browsed and searched on the Hampshire record office website and it is hoped the other sections will be added shortly. A photocopy of the collection level description and the unreferenced section is held at Birmingham City Access. Please ask a member of staff if you wish to view it.
There are some instances of document series being split between the two repositories. Cross reference entries are placed in the appropriate points of this list.
Much of the Hampshire catalogue can now be viewed online at the Record Office website. A photocopy of the hard copy catalogue referred to in some entries is available here at Birmingham City Archives on request.
Other collections of interest are:
*Gough Family of Perry Hall
- 12th cent-19th cent: Warwicks (Perry Hall and Perry Barr in Birmingham, etc) and Staffs (Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, etc) deeds, legal, family and estate papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 7423
*Gough-Calthorpe Family
- 17th cent-20th cent: Hants (Elvetham, etc) deeds and papers
Repository: Hampshire Record Office
Record Reference: 50M63/B15
NRA catalogue reference: NRA 41331 Lamb
- 1799-1899: London estate deeds and papers
Repository: London Metropolitan Archives: Joint Archive Service of the Corporation of London
Record Reference: E/CAL
Other reference: see Guide 1993
- 16th cent-20th cent: Norfolk (Blakeney, etc) manorial records
Repository: Norfolk Record Office
Record Reference: MC 1812
NRA catalogue reference: NRA 7825 Norfolk RO miscellaneous
- 1804: Norfolk (Cockthorpe, etc) estate map
Repository: Norfolk Record Office
Record Reference: DS 634
NRA catalogue reference: NRA 43390 Singh
- 15th cent-17th cent: Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe family and collected papers, including some of Robert Beale (1572-1601) and the Yelverton family
Repository: British Library, Manuscript Collections
Record Reference: Add MSS 48000-48196
*Calthorpe, Sir Richard Hamilton Anstruther-Gough- (1908-1985) 2nd Baronet Brigadier
- Autobiography, Repository: King's College London: Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
Record Reference: KCLMA Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe
*Other Families, People, Organisation and Institutions:
Albright family of Edgbaston
- 1671-1982: Albright family correspondence and papers, with miscellaneous deeds and papers relating to Charlbury (Oxon)
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 1509
Albright, Alfred Beaumont (d1932) of India
- 1873-1927: diary and letters to family mainly while travelling abroad
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 1509/4/54-60
Barford Road Boys County Secondary School, Rotton Park
- 1887-1966: log books, admission registers and visitors' book
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: S13
Barford Road County Primary School, Rotton Park
- 1887-1946: log book, admission registers and punishment book
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: S12
Birmingham & Edgbaston Proprietary School
- 1838-1882: minutes, registers, deed of settlement, accounts, letter books, miscellaneous papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Birmingham and Edgbaston Debating Society
- 1846-1955: records
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 607
Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society
- 1829-1987: financial and administrative records
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 1520
Bowmen of Edgbaston
- 1796-97: papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
See West Midlands archives newsletter 8 Autumn 1981
Church of the Redeemer, Hagley Road, Edgbaston
- 1900-72: church management committee minutes and marriage registers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: BC6
City Road Methodist Church, Edgbaston
- 1901-1989: minutes, accounts, correspondence and papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MC 23
Thomas Dawes, builder
- 1880-85: account book
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 422
Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society
- records
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 2458
Edgbaston Church of England College for Girls
- 1886-1974: records including minutes, staff and financial records
Repository: Private
Record Reference: 516
NRA catalogue reference: NRA 28631 Business
Edgbaston Congregational Church
- 1890-1970: deacons meeting minutes, accounts, correspondence
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: CC3
Edgbaston High School for Girls
- 1875-1962: records including minutes, correspondence, registers
Repository: Private
Record Reference: 252
NRA catalogue reference: NRA 28631 Business
Edgbaston Methodist Circuit
- 1883-1951: minutes, register of members, accounts, trust schedules and miscellaneous papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MB 11
Edgbaston parish
- 1664: churchwardens and overseers accounts
Repository: Warwickshire County Record Office
NRA catalogue reference: NRA 12687 Fetherston-Dilke
Edgbaston tithes
- 1821-51: tithe commutation papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: 77 Jewel Baillie
Edgbaston Ward National Savings Committee
- 1941-1955: papers including minutes and financial papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 1757
Islington Methodist Church, Edgbaston
- 1824-1976: registers, minutes, accounts, Sunday School minutes, trust records and miscellaneous papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MC 88
Islington Methodist Circuit, Edgbaston
- 1873-1963: minutes, schedule books, accounts and miscellaneous papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MB 7
Oratory R C School, Hyde Road
- 1882-1927: register of children
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: S 145
Albright, Rachel Stacey (d1899) of Edgbaston
- 1836: journal of visit to Cornwall
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 1509/5/20
Sandon Road Methodist Church, Edgbaston
- 1882-1992: baptism register, collection journals, trustees papers, minutes, accounts, Sunday School records, committee records, miscellaneous papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MC 89
St Augustine, Edgbaston
- 1868-1987: parish registers and records
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: EP 87
St Bartholomew, Edgbaston
- 17th-20th cent: parish registers and records
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: EP 53
St George, Edgbaston
- 1836-1993: parish registers and records
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: EP 58
St Germain, Edgbaston
- 1896-1983: Parish registers and records
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: EP 100
St James parish, Edgbaston
- 1852-1975: parish registers and records
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: EP 54
St Mary & St Ambrose, Edgbaston
- 1886-1996: parish registers and records
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: EP 65
Stirling Road Methodist Church, Edgbaston
- 1885-1970: registers, minutes, accounts, miscellaneous papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MC 98
The Immaculate Conception (Oratory) Roman Catholic parish, Edgbaston
- 1869-1979: papers
Repository: Birmingham Archdiocesan Archives
Record Reference: P16
Withering family of Edgbaston Hall (Warwickshire)
- 17th cent-19th cent: deeds and legal papers
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 3375
- c 1790-1820: family letters
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 3164
Butcher
- 1899-1902: ledger
Repository: Birmingham City Archives
Record Reference: MS 858
(Information compiled from the National Register of Archives, maintained by the National Archives and available online at: www.nra.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/) |
| Physical Description | Some large maps require the use of a large table. |
| Access Status | Partially closed (Content) |
| AccessConditions | Some items may have limited access under the provisions of the Data Protection Act, 1998. Some items will not be served until conserved. |
| Arrangement | The collection is arranged into 14 SubCollections primarily at county and estate level:
/1. Combined Estate Records and Miscellaneous
/2. Warwickshire
/3. Warwickshire, Edgbaston
/4. Hampshire and Elvetham Hall
/5. Hampshire, Hartley Wintney
/6. London
/7. Middlesex
/8. Norfolk: Acle, Blakeney and Cockthorpe
/9. Staffordshire
/10. Staffordshire, Perry
/11. Suffolk: Ampton and Pakenham
/12. Wiltshire, Hindon
/13. Worcestershire
/14. Worcestershire, Frankley
The material within each of these is divided into a rigid reference code scheme irrespective of whether intervening series are represented in the records. This is to allow the insertion of possible additional deposits at a later date, and to allow cross references where records may be subsumed within another series.
/1. Manorial Records
/2. Deeds of Title
/3. Wills and Settlements
/4. Legal Case Papers
/5. Estate Management
a. Policy Papers
b. Agent's Records
c. Surveys, Valuations and Terriers
d. Records Relating to the Letting of Property, To Tenants and To Leaseholders
e. Accounts and Financial
f. Correspondence
g. Records Concerning Employees
h. Records Associated With the Purchase and Sale of Property
k. Records of Building Development
m. Records of Major Improvements to the Estate
n. Business Records
p. Records of Leisure and Tourist Ventures/Activities
q. Records Relating to Public Undertakings
r. Records Relating to Boundaries
t. Records Relating to Game and Fisheries, Shooting and Sporting Rights
u. Records Relating to Forests and Woodlands, Coppices, Plantations and Timber
w. Records of Farming Activities
x. Records Relating to the Garden
y. Tithe Administration Records
aa. Wartime Records
ab. Maps and Plans
/6. Household Records
/7. Charity Records
/8. Education Records
/9. Ecclesiastical Records
/10. Business Records
/11. Family and Personal Papers
/12. Official Papers
/13. Maps and Plans
/14. Printed and Pictorial Material
/15. Miscellaneous
In the electronic list the searcher may thus select all records listed as e.g. Wills and Settlements across the collection by running a search on the reference code and inserting a wild card character at SubCollection level i.e. MS 2126/*/3.
N.B. Where items were found bundled together these bundles have been retained and listed in the section to which the majority of material corresponds. Thus the grant of probate of Augustus Cholmondeley [Gough-]Calthorpe is listed at MS 2126/1/2/25 and not in MS 2126/3/3 where one might immediately expect to find it. It may be worth word searching the electronic version of the list to overcome this issue. |
| AdminHistory | The Gough, later Gough-Calthorpe, family have played a significant and continuing role in the development of the city of Birmingham, and in particular of Edgbaston, since 1717, when Sir Richard Gough purchased the 1,700 acre Edgbaston estate. This was partly due to size; until the extension of the city's boundaries in 1891 the estate comprised one third of the city's land area.
Sir Richard Gough was descended from a family who originated as Wolverhampton wool merchants, before acquiring estates in Oldfallings, Walton and Perry in Staffordshire during the 17th century. As a second son he went into trade, becoming a director of the East India Company, and in 1714 he became MP for Braintree before receiving a knighthood in 1715. He was succeeded by his son and grandson, both called Henry, and the latter was made Baron Calthorpe of Calthorpe in 1796. He took his title from his mother, Barbara Calthorpe, from whose family he had inherited estates in Norfolk, Ampton in Suffolk and Elvetham in Hampshire. This inheritance was conditional on his adopting the arms and surname of the Calthorpe family and from 1788 he was known as Sir Henry Gough-Calthorpe.
The original purchase in Edgbaston was consistently enlarged during the 18th and early 19th centuries and by 1827 the Calthorpe family owned 85% of the total acreage of the parish, a position which gave them the power to set the pattern of the future development of the area. In 1786 the first building lease on the estate was granted and this marks the beginning of a conscious policy to develop the estate as an exclusive suburban housing development. The intention was to attract Birmingham's growing and increasingly prosperous middle classes, keen to escape the smoke and noise of the city for the clean air of Edgbaston. The success of this policy can be measured by the fact that the population of the parish increased from 9,269 in 1851 to 22,760 in 1881, although by that time market forces had taken a hand, and areas of working-class housing had appeared beside the luxurious villas for which Edgbaston is best known.
Although no member of the family resided at Edgbaston Hall after 1783, when they removed to the Calthorpe home at Ampton, the estate correspondence illustrates the active role that successive Lords Calthorpe played in the management of the estate, and the care which was taken to adhere to the pattern and standards of development which had been set in the early 19th century. |
| CreatorName | Calthorpe Estates, Calthorpe Edgbaston Estate Office, Land Agents to Lord Calthorpe. Predominantly the Calthorpe Edgbaston Estate Office with some earlier and associated material accrued by the Gough Family of Wolverhampton (later of Perry Hall), the Gough-Calthorpe family, Barons Calthorpe, of Edgbaston (later of Ampton and Elvetham) and the Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe family, baronets, of Elvetham Hall. |
| Language | English |
| Latin |