Wentworth-Fitzwilliam family of Milton

This page summarises records created by this Family

The summary includes a brief description of the collection(s) (usually including the covering dates of the collection), the name of the archive where they are held, and reference information to help you find the collection.

Date:	1100-2000
History:	Sir William Fitzwilliam (d. 1534), household treasurer to Cardinal Wolsey, bought Gaynes Park (Essex) in 1501 and the estates of Milton and Marholm (1502) and Etton (1514) in the Soke of Peterborough (Northamptonshire). The Essex property was sold in 1636 but the Milton estate was extended and eventually included Woodhall and Helpston (bought 1572-6), Northborough and Lolham (bought 1681-2), Maxey (bought 1699) and Upton (bought 1750). William Fitzwilliam (d. 1644) was ennobled as Baron Fitzwilliam of Lifford in 1620, and the 3rd Baron (d. 1719) was created Earl Fitzwilliam in 1716. The 1st Earl's marriage in 1669 to Anne, heiress of Edmund Cremer, brought an estate in Norfolk (North Runcton, Setchey, West Winch, etc) while that of the 2nd Earl in 1718 to Anne, heiress of John Stringer, brought one in Nottinghamshire (Clarborough, Eaton, Sutton cum Lound, etc). In the early 18th century further property was acquired in Lincolnshire (Algarkirk and Fosdyke in Holland, Billinghay and North Kyme in Kesteven) and Yorkshire (Humbleton and Meaux in the East Riding, Smeaton and Stubbs in the West Riding). These outlying estates were mainly sold c1784-8, the Milton estate being further extended through subsequent purchases in Huntingtonshire (Stanground and Farcet in 1796, Great Gidding in 1827, Morborne c1854, etc). In 1782 the 4th Earl inherited the estates of his uncle the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham but in 1857, on the death of the 5th Earl, the former Rockingham estates passed to his elder son (who succeeded as 6th Earl) and the Fitzwilliam (Milton) estates to his younger son George Wentworth Fitzwilliam (see also Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, Earls Fitzwilliam). Following the death in 1886 of Lady Milton (widow of the 6th Earl's eldest son) the former Rockingham property in Northamptonshire and neighbouring counties (including Higham Ferrers and Great Harrowden) appears to have devolved on G.W. Fitzwilliam's son George Charles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (1866-1935), who sold much of it around 1895 (Great Harrowden) and later. In 1952 W.T.G. Wentworth-Fitzwilliam of Milton succeeded a cousin as 10th Earl Fitzwilliam. The presence of papers of the Godolphin family is explained by the marriage of Anne (1722-1805), daughter of the 2nd Earl Fitzwilliam, to the 2nd Baron Godolphin of Helston (d. 1785). Estates in 1883: Northants 18,116 acres, Hunts 5,202 acres, total 23,318 acres worth £39,547 a year.
Places:	Algarkirk, Lincolnshire Belhus, Essex Billinghay, Lincolnshire Boxted, Essex Clarborough, Nottinghamshire Dogsthorpe, Northamptonshire Eaton, Nottinghamshire Emley, Yorkshire Etton, Northamptonshire Farcet, Huntingdonshire Fosdyke, Lincolnshire Gaynes Park, Essex Great Gidding, Huntingdonshire Great Harrowden, Northamptonshire Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire Humbleton, Yorkshire Little Coggeshall, Essex Little Harrowden, Northamptonshire Little Smeaton, Yorkshire London Malton, Yorkshire Marholm, Northamptonshire Meaux, Yorkshire Milton, Northamptonshire Morborne, Huntingdonshire North Kyme, Lincolnshire North Runcton, Norfolk Peterborough, Northamptonshire Setchey, Norfolk Stanground, Huntingdonshire Stubbs, Yorkshire Theydon Garnon, Essex Thornhaugh, Northamptonshire Tickhill, Yorkshire Upton, Northamptonshire Wansford, Northamptonshire Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire West Winch, Norfolk
Sources of authority:	Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Guide to Principal Estate and Family Collections L-W, 1999.
Name authority reference:	GB/NNAF/F82734 (Former ISAAR ref: GB/NNAF/F10770 )

Collections
Number	Description	Held by	Reference	Further information
1	12th cent-20th cent: Hunts (Farcet, Stanground, etc), Norfolk (North Runcton, Setchey, etc) and Northants (Marholm, Milton, etc) deeds, manorial records, rentals, accounts, estate, household and Fitzwilliam and Wentworth-Fitzwilliam family corresp and papers 12th-20th cent, with deeds and estate papers for Essex (Gaynes Park, etc), Lincs (Algarkirk, Billinghay, etc), Notts (Clarborough, Eaton, etc) and Yorks (Humbleton, Little Smeaton, Stubbs, etc) 13th-18th cent, London deeds and household papers 17th-19th cent and misc estate and household papers 15th-19th cent, incl Boxted and Little Coggeshall (Essex) estate accounts c1709-22, Emley (Yorks) court roll 1424, Malton (Yorks) rental 1714, Tickhill (Yorks) rentals and accounts 1684-97, Yorks (Wentworth Woodhouse, etc) estate accounts 1781-95 and architectural papers 18th-19th cent, misc household papers for Belhus (Essex) 1653 and Dogsthorpe (Northants) 1617 and Northants (Great and Little Harrowden, Higham Ferrers, etc) estate papers 16th-20th cent (former Wentworth family estates), etc	Northamptonshire Archives Service	Fitzwilliam (Milton) MSS	NRA 5870 Wentworth See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [114a]
2	17th cent-20th cent: Northants (Great and Little Harrowden and Higham Ferrers) deeds, legal and estate papers 17th-20th cent, with Thornhaugh and Wansford (Northants) estate papers of Earl Fitzwilliam 1904-29, etc	Northamptonshire Archives Service	F/WW/1-502	NRA 5870 Wentworth See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [114b]
3	c1322-1329: Peterborough Abbey (Northants) cartulary (formerly amongst the Wentworth-Fitzwilliam of Milton collection)	British Library, Manuscript Collections	Add MS 39758	See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [114c]
4	13th cent: Peterborough Abbey (Northants) cartulary (in the possession of Lord Fitzwilliam in 1636)	British Library, Manuscript Collections	Eg MS 2733	See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [114c]
5	14th cent: Peterborough Abbey (Northants) register and book of fees (formerly amongst the Wentworth-Fitzwilliam of Milton collection)	Cambridge University Library: Department of Manuscripts and University Archives	Peterborough Dean and Chapter MSS 7, 39	See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [114c]
6	c1418-20th cent: Northants (Higham Ferrers, Milton, etc) estate papers 18th-20th cent and misc Fitzwilliam and Wentworth-Fitzwilliam family and legal papers c1418-19th cent	Sheffield City Archives	WWM	NRA 1083 Wentworth Woodhouse See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [113a]
7	c1802-1897: Northants (Milton, etc) legal papers	Sheffield City Archives	NBC	NRA 4701 Newman & Bond See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [113c]
8	late 16th cent: Irish papers of Sir William Fitzwilliam (d 1599)	Oxford University: Bodleian Library, Special Collections	MSS Carte 55-58, 131
9	c1760-1797: corresp and papers of Edmund Burke (1729-1797)	Northamptonshire Archives Service	Fitzwilliam (Milton) MSS	NRA 4120 Burke See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [114a]