Sheffield and its Environs 13th to the 17th century: A descriptive catalogue of land charters and other documents forming the Brooke Taylor collection

In Short

This volume presents a curated catalog of medieval and early modern land charters, quitclaims, and genealogical trees centered on the rural peripheries of Sheffield and northern Staffordshire. Compiled from the private Brooke Taylor collection, the book transcribes, translates, and rigorously analyzes legal instruments spanning from the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries. It traces the passage of estates, maps forgotten field boundaries, and investigates a suspect fourteenth-century deed of gift involving John of Gaunt. The work endures as an essential historical study, demonstrating how raw archival documents illuminate the social structure, family ties, and landscape of bygone eras.

The Story

The narrative begins with an urgent call to historical preservation, arguing that the unexamined title deeds resting in private chests hold the key to understanding regional heritage. The text moves directly into the early medieval period, opening with land transactions from the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries in locations such as Pickburn, Scawsby, and Wigtwisle. Through brief quitclaims and agreements—such as a 1353 maintenance contract between William de Tatton and his son Robert—the record illustrates how smallholders secured their livelihoods and passed family lands down through generations.

As the documents progress chronologically into the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the focus shifts from small-scale peasant holdings to larger estate transactions and legal disputes. A major narrative arc emerges around a set of deeds concerning the estate of Hawksyard in the parish of Alstonefield. The earlier deed, dated May 15th, 1399, purports to record a royal hawking expedition in the High Frith led by John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and hosted by Sir Edward Mundy of Markeaton. Delighted by the sport on the moorlands of Lady Edge, the Duke allegedly named the uncultivated ground "Hawksyard" and granted the land to Sir Edward.

However, the narrative takes a detective-like turn as the author subjects this foundational charter to critical scrutiny. Anachronisms abound: the document bears a date months after John of Gaunt’s actual death in early 1398, refers to the reign of Henry IV before it began, and exhibits mixed handwriting alongside a non-royal seal depicting a hunting horn. The text details how the Lancastrian estates were seized by Richard II, prompting Henry Bolingbroke's return from exile and the eventual overthrow of the Crown.

Rather than dismissing the document entirely, the book explores how Elizabethan lawyers in 1568 may have manufactured or patched together this elaborate root of title when Vincent Mundy and his son Edward sold Hawksyard to John Weston for three hundred pounds. The subsequent land transfers demonstrate how the estate passed to the tenant Ralph Bradbury, then to the Cock family, and ultimately to the Shirley family. Despite the suspicious origins of its written charter, the place-names, boundary lines, and physical farmstead endure intact across centuries.

How It Unfolds

The archivist's call The volume opens by emphasizing the historical value hidden within private land deeds, asserting that regional identity relies on systematically cataloging these neglected records.

Voices of the early manors Thirteenth and fourteenth-century charters detail grants and quitclaims across northern hamlets, establishing local family lineages through formal legal exchanges of messuages, rents, and milling rights.

The legend of High Frith A 1399 deed recounts John of Gaunt’s hawking party at Lady Edge, describing how the Duke named and gifted the moorland parcel of Hawksyard to Sir Edward Mundy.

The shadow of forgery An analytical examination exposes glaring historical impossibility in the 1399 charter, noting post-dated royal reigns, conflicting scripts, and the Duke’s known death prior to the deed's execution.

Crown turmoil and political shift The historical backdrop unfolds, recounting Richard II’s seizure of the Lancastrian inheritance, Bolingbroke’s invasion, and the ultimate deposition that crowned Henry IV in Westminster Hall.

The Elizabethan conveyance In 1568, Vincent and Edward Mundy sell Hawksyard to John Weston, utilizing the dubious medieval charter to fortify their title and justify its three-hundred-pound purchase price.

Centuries of quiet ownership The property transfers continuously through the Bradbury, Cock, and Shirley families, maintaining its medieval field names and physical boundaries into the modern era.

The People

• John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster: The powerful royal prince whose recorded 1399 hawking excursion on the Staffordshire moorlands forms the centerpiece of the Hawksyard title legend. Though he dies prior to the date written on the disputed deed, his historical overlordship shapes the regional property landscape.
• Sir Edward Mundy: A knight of Markeaton who entertains the Duke during the high-country hunt. He seeks the parcel of moorland waste as a royal gift, establishing his family's long-standing claim to the estate.
• Vincent Mundy and Edward Mundy: Sixteenth-century descendants who sell the Hawksyard property in 1568 to John Weston for three hundred pounds, relying on old recitals to validate their family's conveyances.
• John Weston: The purchaser from Mackworth who acquires the farmstead and its manorial privileges in 1568, holding the property briefly before transferring it to his resident tenant.
• Ralph Bradbury: The practical tenant occupying Hawksyard in 1568 who purchases the freehold outright four years later, securing his family's domestic footprint on the land.

In Its Own Voice

"Every countryside, every village and every town becomes a more interesting place to its inhabitants, when its history is known." — An introductory reflection on the ultimate purpose of preserving local legal records.

"Fyrste, we award etc, that the sayd partyes shall frome hencefurthe be faythefull lovers and friends and deale as lovynge nebors ought to do..." — A 1565 arbitration award resolving a heated land dispute between yeomen in Wigtwisle.

"So pleased was the duke, that he honoured the place where the hawks took their quarry by giving it the name of Hawksyard otherwise Hawksearth..." — The narrative reconstruction of John of Gaunt's legendary visit to the High Frith moorlands.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores how written records create, preserve, and sometimes fabricate human history. It contrasts the cold legality of property rights with the living memory of the countryside. Beyond the technical cataloging of medieval Latin charters and family trees, the text addresses the tension between authentic historic events and the convenient legal fictions invented by later generations to secure land tenure. It demonstrates how local place-names—like Lady Edge, Rye Pingle, and Kiln Croft—outlast monarchies, forged dates, and shifting legal regimes, anchoring community identity directly to the physical landscape across half a millennium.

Why Read It Today

This work speaks directly to local historians, genealogists, and readers fascinated by the mechanics of medieval property and archival detective work. Reading it feels like sitting alongside a methodical researcher who brings dry, centuries-old legal records to life through careful contextual analysis.

The book does present distinct challenges: large portions consist of formal Latin abstracts, dense genealogical tables, and detailed boundary listings that require patient reading. Furthermore, the prose reflects early twentieth-century antiquarian conventions, focusing heavily on land tenure and legal minutiae rather than narrative storytelling.

Yet, for those willing to look past the technical jargon, the volume offers a deeply rewarding experience. It demonstrates how a single piece of questionable parchment can unlock broad historical narratives involving royal intrigue, local feuds, and the quiet persistence of rural life. What remains with the reader is a heightened appreciation for the hidden histories beneath everyday topographies.