The Hampstead Court Rolls

The Hampstead manorial court rolls and court books cover a much wider area than modern Hampstead - from West End (bordering on Kilburn) in West Hampstead to the village of Pond Street in the east and from North End Way to the borders of Belsize and Chalcots in the south.

The Court Rolls are copies of all the transfers of property and land, by sale or inheritance, approved by the manorial court under the Lord of the Manor. These were recorded in the lost Court Books; two copies were made, one for the tenant and one for the Steward. The folios were rolled up together for ease of storage and later reference. Some of the Rolls cover a number of years, sometimes a single year.

Many of the earliest court rolls have been lost, but we have them intermittently from 1572 till 1620, and then continuously until 1733, after which they were available in English.

An interesting account of the family who owned the manor of Hampstead through most of the 17th century can be found in Dr Peter Woodford's article in the Camden History Review No. 36, p20.

Index - Place names in court records from 1572 to 1732

Index - Personal names court records from 1572 to 1732

Index - Occupations in court records from 1572 to 1732