Title Deeds

Tasburgh Title Deeds

Because buying and selling land and properties has been central to the life of communities over many centuries, title deeds survive in abundance, not just in institutions such as record offices, but also in everyday homes. Although they are sometimes overlooked, they are important sources for anyone researching the history of a house or a village, as well as the people who lived there. Among their many uses, they can throw light on land ownership, the lie of the land and its use (especially when used in conjunction with other sources such as maps), financial matters, the history of buildings, the development of settlements, relationships within families and between people within the community, and so forth.

Title deeds are a mine of information. They will name the parties in the transaction and should include short descriptions of the property and its location, while they may also mention former owners and occupiers. Descriptions of boundaries and abuttals can help to locate a piece of land geographically. Purchase prices, rents and other considerations mentioned may assist in indicating the value of property at a particular date. Deeds such as leases, mortgages and marriage settlements can throw light on family finances. Copies of court roll can give information about land tenure within manors, while the complexities of land law through the ages are reflected in a variety of different deed types, such as final concords or fines, common recoveries, deeds of bargain and sale and the lease and release.

Bundles of deeds may include abstracts of title, which may also contain extracts from earlier deeds which no longer survive, while the contents of bundles and individual deeds may usefully be used in conjunction with one another to build up a comprehensive picture of a place.

Tasburgh Title Deeds

Tasburgh is exceptionally fortunate in that the Norfolk Record Office holds a great wealth of several hundred title deeds relating to the village, extending from the fourteenth century to the twentieth century. Some seventy of these date from the middle ages and they are a major source for the study of medieval Tasburgh.

A small selection of these medieval deeds appears in the image above, while the deed of gift by which Geoffrey, called le Loksmith,of Taburgh, conveyed freehold land to David, son of John Glovere, of Tasburgh, is described in more detail in the adjoining panel.

All these medieval deeds, plus some dating from as late as the seventeenth century, are written in Latin and therefore demand a certain level of specialist knowledge from persons wishing to consult them. However, many deeds dating from the seventeenth century onwards are written in English, while, after 1733, all deeds are written in that language, and are therefore far more accessible. Reading deeds of title can be great fun and is very rewarding, as the Tasburgh documentary research group working on the 'Imagined Land' project have already found out. Have you ever looked at the deeds of your own house?