Miles Weatherhead

[tobyjug]

Miles lived in Kirkby Lonsdale and died there 1750. I have a copy of his will in which he left a lot of land, farms, houses, cattle to his wife Agnes. I believe he must have been left all this. Where would I find records of land sales, or papers showing the change of ownership please. Tobyjug

[gasser]

According to this....https://discovery.nationalarchives.go...b-d0764c3aa1f1
Agnes had been previously married to a John Foxcroft. Maybe some clues there??

[tobyjug]

Gasser thank you for quick reply. Agnes was left a small annuity from her father, but believe the property etc came from Miles father. I have been unable to 'prove' Miles's birth, but believe it was in Ingleton 1709. Unfortunately there are many Miles Weatherheads in that area over about 20 years and can't decide which was his father - don't think it possible! I thought I would try to find any mention of exchange of land or farms or houses in that name would point me in the right direction. Was wondering if any records existed anywhere that I could access?

[Megan Roberts]

I would talk to the local record office to see what if any land / estate papers they have.

Another source might be the hearth records, although that would only give you who was living somewhere and not deal with property sales etc.

[tobyjug]

Megan thank you, I will do that tomorrow. Kirkby Lonsdale was in Westmoreland so I expect that would be Kendal, but will try Yorkshire as well. Tobyjug

[tobyjug]

Megan, I was able to check lists and lists of hearth records for Yorkshire, and found just four mentions of the surname Weatherhead, not a Miles among them, but they came up in the right areas so think I am now on to more relatives earlier on!
Does anyone know of similar records of just names in the West Yorkshire area I could check ? And is there a land registry for 1600s-1750? Tobyjug.

[Megan Roberts]

I don't think that you will find any central registry for land.

I know that when I have been looking I find land documents held in local record offices or in some cases the national ones. For instance in Wales the National Library has various documents that have been donated to them by solicitors, probably clearing out their dusty store cupboards.

When I am trying to work out which areas abut others I often refer to GENUKI as that has good maps and good suggestions:

https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/index.html

[Megan Roberts]

Ancestry have the following data set:
UK, Land Tax Redemption, 1798
Original data:
Land Tax Redemption Office: Quotas and Assessments. IR23. Records of the Boards of Stamps, Taxes, Excise, Stamps and Taxes, and Inland Revenue. The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England.

These records list names of both owners and occupants of property in England and Wales that was subject to the national land tax.



What’s in the Records

Two Acts led to the creation of these tax lists. The first, 38 Geo. III, c. 5, set a land tax for the year 1798. Act 38 Geo. III, c. 60, made that tax perpetual. These registers list both owners and occupiers of land that was subject to the tax. While they provide no details on the properties, they do record the amount assessed and sometimes a redemption date.

Because this was a national tax, these records provide almost a mini census. If your ancestor was a landowner or renter, they will very likely be listed in these records.

Some records may contain information through 1811, particularly records for Buckinghamshire.

[tobyjug]

Thank you again Megan, you have given me some work to do!! But would these records go back to 1700+ Miles left a willleaving a lot of property , houses farms etc. his will was dated 1750. I think he inherited this property, so where might it be mentioned earlier? Tobyjug

[Megan Roberts]

I think that it is something that is a matter of luck if you can find anything. Most of my experience is in Wales, so I will draw on that.

As I said in an earlier post I have found documents lodged at the National Library of Wales which have come from solicitors. These are a mixture of mortgages and other bonds / loans where property is described. I have found similar documents in the county record offices. The way that I have found them is by using the search functions either by name of person or perhaps a location.

Sometimes references can be found in Wills, but these can equally be unhelpful. One that I have from around 1730 says "all that whole little Burgage of mine together with each and every stable, outhouses, offices, back-sides and gardens unto the same belonging, situate, lying and being in the Town of Cardigan". In another instance in the late 1700s I have a very detailed grant of probate which list endless debts owned to and by the deceased, including property rents due to him. But even that does not identify the property.

So unfortunately I can only suggest that you try as many local record offices as you can find, and ask the invariably helpful staff, what property documents if any that they have.