Estate Records
Record offices contain a wealth of archives relating to country houses and great landed estates, from the Middle Ages to the recent past. Not all such collections have survived. They may have been destroyed when the estate was broken up or the house was sold or demolished. Estate collections may contain records relating to mineral rights, mines and quarries. If they survive, these can include royalty accounts, which give details of production over a period, and leases and takenotes, which provide details of when particular companies or individuals began to work a quarry, or extend it. Details of estate records can be obtained from the local record office, or by searching the Family Name on ARCHON (see Historical Manuscripts Commission).