Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1474, 1612-1888 / (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
0.058 cubic metres (2 boxes)
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Cottesmore was originally called Cotts, and was the home of a Williams family from at least 1731 until 1801, when Francis Williams sold Cotts to Louis Devandes and Mary (Stokes) his wife. In 1814 they sold Cotts to Lawrence Peel (d. c.1823) of Ardwick, Lancashire. Jonathan Howarth Peel of Cotts (fl. 1826-1839), a first cousin to Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850) the prime minister, was sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1826. His only daughter Helen Peel married in 1835 with Edward Taylor Massy (b. 1807,) who inherited the Massy family's substantial estate in Limerick, Ireland, in 1836. In 1839, he bought Cotts from his father-in-law and started building a new house close to the old house. The new house was completed in 1841 and called Cottesmore. One of the last members of the family at Cottesmore was Lieutenant-General H. R. S. Massy, sheriff of Pembrokeshire 1946. Some years later Cottesmore was purchased by Colonel G. T. Kelway (d. 1990), sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1958.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Deposited by Brigadier-General H. R. S. Massy of Salisbury in 1937.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Family and estate records of the Williams family of Cotts, Pembrokeshire, 1775-1801, Louis Devandes of Cotts, 1801-1814, the Peel family of Cotts and Denant, 1814-1847, and of the Massy family of County Limerick, Cotts and Cottesmore, 1828-1883, mainly title deeds relating to premises in Pembrokeshire and County Limerick, together with copies and abstracts of the charters of the borough of Askeaton, County Limerick, 1613-1723, returns of MPs for the borough, 1613-1713, burgess lists, 1613-1723, the court book of the corporation, 1692-1724, and other papers relating to the borough, c.1715-95; and a volume containing letters, 1820-1875, relating mainly to British Museum matters.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Action: All records deposited at NLW have been retained..
Accruals
Accruals are not expected.
System of arrangement
Arranged chronologically in two groups: deeds and documents mainly relating to properties in Pembrokeshire, and deeds and documents relating to Irish and other estates.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.
Conditions governing reproduction
Usual copyright laws apply.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
English.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Hard copies of the catalogue are available at NLW and HMC (now part of the TNA).
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Title supplied from contents of fonds.
Alternative identifier(s)
Virtua system control number
GEAC system control number
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
- British Museum (Subject)
- Askeaton (Ireland : Borough) -- Records and correspondence. (Subject)
- Cottesmore Estate (Wales) -- Records and correspondence. (Subject)
- Askeaton (Ireland : Borough) (Subject)
- Cottesmore Estate (Wales) (Subject)
- Peel family, of Cottesmore and Denant (Subject)
- Devandes family, of Cottesmore (Subject)
- Williams family, of Cottesmore (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
This description follows NLW guidelines based on ISAD(G) Second Edition; AACR2; and LCSH.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
January 2002.
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Compiled by Stephen Benham.
Archivist's note
The following source was used in the compilation of this description: Jones, Francis, Historic Houses of Pembrokeshire and Their Families (Newport, 1996);