Historical names: Cornard Magna (Manor) | Great Cornard (Manor)
Location: Great Cornard, Suffolk
Places / associated places: Great Cornard, Suffolk
Location & Extent
GPS Location & Recorded Land Areas
Representative GPS point: 52.0295, 0.7697
Identity: confirmed — The registry aliases Cornard Magna Manor and Great Cornard Manor match the documented Lordship of the Manor of Abbas Hall in the parish of Cornard Magna/Great Cornard. Historic England and Suffolk Heritage Explorer identify Abbas Hall as the medieval manorial steward's hall associated with this manor, distinct from the later Greys Hall sub-manor.
Representative point: 52.0295, 0.7697
Basis: documented_manor_house — Grade I-listed Abbas Hall, the surviving late-thirteenth-century aisled hall and documented residence of the manor's steward, at National Grid Reference TL 90097 40408.
Point confidence: high
Boundary status: representative_point_only
Boundary period:
Boundary confidence: none
Boundary basis: The sources establish the manor house and identify some associated interests, including Great Cornard Mill, the river fishery and parcels in the open fields, but do not provide a complete, reliable perimeter of the historical manorial land. A 1609 description gives the bounds of Great Cornard parish, but the manor cannot safely be equated with that parish boundary; the parish also contained the distinct Greys Hall sub-manor and other holdings.
Sources:
- Historic England: Abbas Hall, National Heritage List for England entry 1180619: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1180619 — Identifies Abbas Hall in Great Cornard, Suffolk, at NGR TL 90097 40408, and describes the surviving late-thirteenth-century timber-framed aisled hall.
- Suffolk Heritage Explorer: COG 020 - Abbas Hall: https://suffolkher.esdm.co.uk/Monument/MSF21309 — Identifies Abbas Hall as the medieval hall associated with the manor, records its location at TL 90098 40407, dates the building to approximately 1289/90, and summarizes the Cornard Magna/Abbas Hall manorial history.
- Historic England: Tree-ring analysis of timbers from Abbas Hall: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/4947/TREE-RINGANALYSISOFTIMBERSFROMABBASHALLGREATCORNARDSUDBURYSUFFOLK — States that Abbas Hall was the house of the steward of the manor of Great Cornard during West Malling ownership and confirms its late-thirteenth-century construction context.
- Suffolk Institute of Archaeology: The de Greys of Little Cornard and the Manor of Abbas Hall: https://suffolkinstitute.pdfsrv.co.uk/customers/Suffolk%20Institute/2014/01/10/Volume%20VI%20Part%201%20%281888%29_The%20de%20Greys%20of%20Little%20Conard%20G%20Crabbe_13%20to%2039.pdf — Provides historical identification of the Manor of Abbas Hall in Great Cornard and records Thomas de Grey's lordship before the documented West Malling connection.
- Feudal Titles: Lordship of the Manor of Abbas Hall, Suffolk: https://feudaltitles.com/titles-index-a-b — Transcribes historical manorial material identifying the lordship in Cornard Magna, including the 1609 reference to the manor's river fishery, parish-boundary description and later copyhold/open-field evidence. It does not establish a complete manor-land perimeter.
- The National Archives: TNA/MDR record F249813: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F249813 — Registry record supplied for the exact manor identity and authority/reference GB/NNAF/M242106.
Warnings / uncertainty:
- No historically defensible complete polygon was found in the consulted online evidence.
- The Great Cornard parish bounds described in the 1609 material were not used as a manor boundary.
- The surviving Abbas Hall house is a documented manorial centre and steward's residence, not proof that its immediate modern grounds represent the full historical manor.
- The distinct Great Cornard sub-manor later known as Greys Hall must not be merged into the Abbas Hall Manor extent without parcel-level historical evidence.
About the Manor
Abbas Hall Manor was the manor known historically as Cornard Magna or Great Cornard Manor in Great Cornard, Suffolk. The medieval manor had an assessment of three carucates in Domesday-era descriptions. Abbas Hall itself is a late-thirteenth-century aisled timber hall, dendrochronologically dated to approximately 1289–1290. During the ownership of the nunnery of West Malling in Kent, Abbas Hall was the residence of the manor's steward. The manor should not be confused with the distinct Great Cornard sub-manor later known as Greys Hall, although the two estates were historically connected and the Greys Hall sub-manor was eventually absorbed into the main manor in the sixteenth century.
Ownership / Holder Account
The earliest reported medieval holder of the Great Cornard manor was Serlo de Cornerthe, recorded in a twelfth-century tradition. The manor subsequently came to Thomas de Grey through his marriage, probably to Alice, daughter and heir of Sir Richard de Cornard, by about 1304. A direct source states that Thomas de Grey was lord of Abbas Hall before 1316 and that the Abbess of Malling held the manor in 1316 by purchase from him. Another near-contemporary record creates an evidential complication: a 1362 rental for Great Cornard describes Roger de Grey as owner and mentions Fulk de Grey and the Abbess of Malling. The surviving evidence therefore does not establish a simple uninterrupted descent between the de Grey family and West Malling, although the manor was certainly associated with West Malling before the Dissolution. After the Dissolution, the manor was recorded in the hands of Thomas Danyell in 1539/40, but the conveyance from West Malling is not established in the sources consulted. A 1612 grant named William Whitmore and John Verdon, while John Brand was lord by 1624. The manor then passed to the Eldred family, with John Eldred and his successors recorded through manorial court activity from the later seventeenth century until 1738. It was evidently sold to John Wall junior, who held courts from 1739; John Wall and his wife Anne held courts jointly from 1751, and Anne continued to hold courts as widow after his death before 1761. In 1770 the manor passed to a group including James Sparrow and Margaret Sparrow, the Reverend John Harrison and Ann Harrison, John Goodeal and Elizabeth Goodeal, and Bridget Bernard. James Sparrow became the principal recorded holder and died in 1777. The manor seems to have vested in his son James Goodeve Sparrow after the deaths of James Sparrow's elder sons in 1786 and 1793. James Goodeve Sparrow died in 1838, after which the manor passed to his son Henry Weare Sparrow and then to Henry's brother Basil Sparrow. On Basil Sparrow's death in 1880 it vested in his son, the Reverend Basil James Harrold Sparrow-Beridge, who was recorded as lord in 1896. The sources also refer to trustees under settlements in favour of Sparrow-Beridge, but do not provide a complete later conveyance or identify all trustees.
Manorial Rights & Privileges
Historic manorial rights / privileges (1)
Holding manorial courts
Provisional
The registry records repeated courts held by successive holders, including the Eldred, Wall, Sparrow and later interests, supporting the existence of historic manorial court rights or court authority.
Records & References
Sources and references mentioning this manor/title which are not necessarily conveyances or transfers.
35 records found · showing 25–32.
1624-1694: court rolls (4)
Held by: Suffolk Archives - Ipswich
1609-1609: extent
Held by: Suffolk Archives - Ipswich
1609-1609: view of the manor (within vol of court extracts)
Held by: Suffolk Archives - Ipswich
Further information: NRA 3517 Suffolk misc (Bury)
1594-1602: court rolls (9)
Held by: British Library, Manuscript Collections
1592-1592: survey
Held by: British Library, Manuscript Collections
1583-1585: court rolls (2)
Held by: British Library, Manuscript Collections
1559-1577: court rolls (10)
Held by: British Library, Manuscript Collections
1512-1545: court roll
Held by: Suffolk Archives - Ipswich
Conveyance & Descent
First holder to present holder: blood proximity & distance travelled
First recorded holder: Serlo de Cornerthe
Present holder:
Recorded title journey: 20 holder entries in this manor's saved Conveyance & Descent history.
No recorded holder currently has a usable saved direct-blood or collateral-blood relationship path from which to calculate proximity percentages.
First recorded holder → present holder
A usable saved blood relationship path between the first recorded holder and the present holder has not yet been recorded, so that first-to-present genealogical distance cannot be calculated.
Serlo de Cornerthe
Transfer: Earliest reported holder in the Cornard family sequence; the source does not preserve the immediate conveyance to the next holder.
Shared holding: de Cornerthe family
Previous holder: Not securely identified
The Great Cornard manorial summary records that Serlo de Cornerthe owned Cornard Magna in approximately the twelfth century. The precise date and legal form of acquisition are not stated.
Source: Suffolk County Council, Great Cornard parish summary, Manorial section: Cornard Magna/Abbas Hall; W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 86. — source link
Thomas de Grey, Knight, lord of Abbas Hall before 1316
Transfer: Acquired through marriage to Alice de Cornard, daughter and heir of Sir Richard de Cornard, according to the published de Grey study; he was lord before 1316.
Shared holding: de Grey family
Co-holder: Roger de Grey
Previous holder: Cornard family, probably through Alice de Cornard
The marriage-based acquisition is supported by the de Grey study, which identifies Thomas de Grey as lord of Abbas Hall before 1316 and connects his acquisition with Alice de Cornard. The exact date is approximate and the source does not provide a complete settlement or conveyance deed.
Source: G. Crabbe, 'The de Greys of Little Cornard', Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, vol. 6, part 1, 1888, pp. 17–18. — source link
Abbess and Convent of West Malling, Benedictine nunnery of the Blessed Virgin at West Malling, Kent
Transfer: Held by purchase from Thomas de Grey in 1316; the later termination corresponds broadly with the Dissolution, but the precise surrender date for this manor is not established here.
Shared holding: West Malling nunnery
Previous holder: Thomas de Grey, Knight, lord of Abbas Hall before 1316
A published account states expressly that in 1316 the Abbess of Malling held Abbas Hall Manor by purchase from Thomas de Grey. Historic England's tree-ring report identifies Abbas Hall as the house of the steward of the Great Cornard manor during its ownership by the nunnery of West Malling from approximately 1107 to the Dissolution, while other local material places the relevant grant or ownership in the early twelfth century. A 1362 rental nevertheless names Roger de Grey as owner of Great Cornard, so the documentary position is conflicting and may reflect divided rights, a temporary de Grey interest, or a distinction in the estate described by the rental. No assumption is made here about the precise legal effect of that conflict.
Source: G. Crabbe, 'The de Greys of Little Cornard', Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, vol. 6, part 1, 1888, p. 18; Historic England Research Report 4947, Tree-ring analysis of timbers from Abbas Hall, Great Cornard. — source link
Transfer: Recorded as owner in a 1362 rental of Great Cornard; the source does not establish whether this was a reversion, a retained interest, a temporary holding, or a reference to a different portion of the estate.
Shared holding: de Grey family
Co-holder: Thomas de Grey
Previous holder: Abbess and Convent of West Malling, according to the 1316 account; relationship between the records is unresolved
The 1362 rental headed Cornerd Magna describes an account of Roger de Grey's manor and names Roger as owner. This directly links Roger de Grey to Great Cornard but conflicts with the separate statement that the Abbess of Malling held Abbas Hall by purchase in 1316. The entry is retained as a documented conflicting holding rather than used to construct an unproven conveyance.
Source: G. Crabbe, 'The de Greys of Little Cornard', Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, vol. 6, part 1, 1888, p. 17, quoting the 1362 rental preserved at Merton, Norfolk. — source link
Thomas Danyell, Owner or lord of Abbas Hall Manor by 1539/40
Transfer: Recorded as owning the manor after the Dissolution; the means and date of acquisition are uncertain.
Previous holder: Abbess and Convent of West Malling, Benedictine nunnery of the Blessed Virgin at West Malling, Kent
The Great Cornard manorial summary records Thomas Danyell as owner in 1539/40. A published manorial account prints the surname as Dangell and expressly states that it is uncertain how he acquired the manor. The entry therefore records the documented appearance of Thomas Danyell without asserting a conveyance from West Malling.
Source: Suffolk County Council, Great Cornard parish summary, Manorial section; W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 86. — source link
William Whitmore and John Verdon, Grantees of Abbas Hall Manor in 1612
Transfer: Received a grant of the manor in 1612; the source does not identify the grantor or establish the subsequent legal disposition.
Holding arrangement: Joint
Previous holder: Thomas Danyell, according to the sequence of recorded owners, but the intervening title is uncertain
A published account states that William Whitmore and John Verdon had a grant of the manor in 1612. Because the grantor and the relationship to Thomas Danyell are not given, this is recorded as a documented grant rather than as a fully reconstructed conveyance.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 86, as reproduced in the Abbas Hall Manor title summary. — source link
John Brand, Lord of Abbas Hall Manor in 1624
Transfer: Documented as lord in 1624; the exact date and instrument by which he obtained the manor are not stated.
Shared holding: Brand family
Previous holder: William Whitmore and John Verdon, whose 1612 grant is separately recorded
John Brand is identified as lord of Abbas Hall Manor in 1624. The source describes the earlier 1612 grant to Whitmore and Verdon as vague and does not establish whether Brand acquired the manor directly from them or through another transaction.
Source: Suffolk County Council, Great Cornard parish summary, Manorial section; W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 86. — source link
Eldred family, Lords of Abbas Hall Manor
Transfer: The manor passed from John Brand to the Eldred family at an uncertain date; no conveyance instrument is identified.
Shared holding: Eldred family
Co-holders: John Eldred junior, Mary Eldred, Anne Eldred
Previous holder: John Brand, Lord of Abbas Hall Manor in 1624
The published title account states that the manor shortly afterwards passed to the Eldred family and remained in that family for more than a century. Court-roll evidence later identifies individual Eldred lords, but the first Eldred holder and the exact transfer from John Brand are not established.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 86, and the associated account of Abbas Hall Manor court books. — source link
John Eldred junior, Lord of Abbas Hall Manor, styled junior in the court rolls
Transfer: Succeeded another John Eldred as lord; the precise legal transfer is not stated.
Shared holding: Eldred family
Co-holders: Eldred family, Mary Eldred, Anne Eldred
Previous holder: Another John Eldred
The court-roll summary states that another John Eldred succeeded as lord and was styled John Eldred junior. He held his first recorded court on 28 June 1703 and subsequent courts through 1732. This entry is based on manorial court evidence and does not imply that the succession occurred by inheritance rather than another transfer.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, court-roll summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
Transfer: Held courts as the widow of the last Eldred lord; this evidence demonstrates exercise of manorial lordship or court authority but does not by itself establish the nature of her beneficial title.
Holding arrangement: Other
Shared holding: Eldred family
Co-holders: Eldred family, John Eldred junior, Anne Eldred
Previous holder: John Eldred, her deceased husband according to the court-roll account
Mary Eldred, described as the last lord's widow, held courts in 1733, 1735, 1736 and 1737. She is included because the source expressly identifies her as acting for the manor, while the precise legal basis of her holding is not given.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, court-roll summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
Transfer: Held one recorded court before the manor was evidently sold to John Wall junior.
Holding arrangement: Other
Shared holding: Eldred family
Co-holders: Eldred family, John Eldred junior, Mary Eldred
Previous holder: Mary Eldred or the Eldred family
Anne Eldred, described as a spinster, held a court on 15 November 1738. The source then says the manor was evidently sold to John Wall junior. Because the legal status of Anne's appearance is not explained, this is recorded as a brief documented exercise of manorial authority rather than a definite beneficial conveyance.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, court-roll summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
John Wall junior, Lord of Abbas Hall Manor by 1739
Transfer: The manor was evidently sold to him after the Eldred family's last recorded court in November 1738.
Previous holder: Eldred family, Lords of Abbas Hall Manor
John Wall junior held his first recorded court on 3 October 1739 and further courts through 1750. The source uses the cautious term evidently sold, so the transaction is treated as probable rather than fully documented by an identified deed.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, court-roll summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
John Wall and Anne Wall, Joint holders of Abbas Hall Manor courts in 1751–1755
Transfer: John Wall and Anne his wife jointly held the courts; the source does not state whether Anne held a beneficial share, dower, or joint legal title.
Holding arrangement: Joint
Shared holding: Wall family
Co-holder: Anne Wall
Previous holder: John Wall junior, Lord of Abbas Hall Manor by 1739
Courts from November 1751 through August 1755 were held by John Wall and Anne his wife. This is direct evidence of joint exercise of manorial authority, but the precise ownership shares are not stated.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, court-roll summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
Anne Wall, Widow and holder of Abbas Hall Manor courts, 1761–1770
Transfer: Continued to hold the courts as John Wall's widow after his death; the source then records the manor as passing to James Sparrow and associated co-holders in 1770.
Holding arrangement: Other
Shared holding: Wall family
Co-holder: John Wall and Anne Wall
Previous holder: John Wall
Anne Wall held the courts from July 1761 through January 1770 as John Wall's widow. The source establishes her continuing manorial role but does not specify whether she held the manor beneficially, by dower, or as representative of the estate.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, court-roll summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
James Sparrow, Margaret Sparrow, Rev. John Harrison, Ann Harrison, John Goodeal, Elizabeth Goodeal and Bridget Bernard, Joint holders of Abbas Hall Manor from 1770
Transfer: The manor passed from Anne Wall to this group, which held the first court in April 1770; the source does not identify the conveyance instrument or the shares of the several parties.
Holding arrangement: Joint
Shared holding: Sparrow, Harrison, Goodeal and Bernard interests
Previous holder: Anne Wall, Widow and holder of Abbas Hall Manor courts, 1761–1770
The recorded 1770 holders included James Sparrow and Margaret his wife, the Reverend John Harrison and Ann his wife, John Goodeal and Elizabeth his wife, and Bridget Bernard. The parties may have held through separate undivided interests or a settlement, but the source does not give the shares. Later courts were held by James Sparrow and the Reverend John Harrison.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, court-roll summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
Transfer: The later court entries were held by James Sparrow and the Reverend John Harrison; after James Sparrow's death in 1777 the manor ultimately vested in his third son, according to the source's cautious succession account.
Shared holding: Sparrow family
Co-holders: James Goodeve Sparrow, Henry Weare Sparrow, Basil Sparrow
Previous holder: Joint group including James Sparrow and the Reverend John Harrison
James Sparrow is the principal recorded holder in the later 1770s. He died on 29 October 1777. The source does not provide a separate deed converting the earlier group holding into sole ownership, so the entry is based on the court-roll sequence and the later succession narrative.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, court-roll summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
James Goodeve Sparrow, Lord of Abbas Hall Manor
Transfer: The manor seems to have vested in him after the deaths of his elder brothers, the Reverend John Sparrow in 1786 and Thomas Bernard Sparrow in 1793; the source does not cite the vesting instrument.
Shared holding: Sparrow family
Co-holders: James Sparrow, Henry Weare Sparrow, Basil Sparrow
Previous holder: James Sparrow's estate and surviving Sparrow family interests
The source states that after James Sparrow's death, his eldest son died in 1786 and his second son in 1793, after which the manor seems to have vested in the third son, James Goodeve Sparrow. The wording is cautious and the exact date of vesting is not supplied.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, court-roll and succession summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
Henry Weare Sparrow, Holder of Abbas Hall Manor, son and heir of James Goodeve Sparrow
Transfer: Inherited or otherwise received the manor as the son and heir of James Goodeve Sparrow; the source does not give his date of death or a separate conveyance.
Shared holding: Sparrow family
Co-holders: James Sparrow, James Goodeve Sparrow, Basil Sparrow
Previous holder: James Goodeve Sparrow, Lord of Abbas Hall Manor
On the death of James Goodeve Sparrow on 2 October 1838, the source states that the manor passed to his son and heir Henry Weare Sparrow. The end date of Henry's holding is not provided, but the source next states that it passed to Henry's brother Basil Sparrow.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, succession summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
Basil Sparrow, Holder of Abbas Hall Manor
Transfer: Received the manor from his brother Henry Weare Sparrow; the exact date and legal instrument are not stated.
Shared holding: Sparrow family
Co-holders: James Sparrow, James Goodeve Sparrow, Henry Weare Sparrow
Previous holder: Henry Weare Sparrow, Holder of Abbas Hall Manor, son and heir of James Goodeve Sparrow
The manor account states that after Henry Weare Sparrow's tenure it passed to his brother Basil Sparrow, who held it until his death in 1880. The source does not specify whether the transfer occurred by inheritance, settlement, or another instrument.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88, succession summary for Abbas Hall Manor. — source link
Transfer: Inherited or otherwise received the manor on the death of his father Basil Sparrow in 1880; by 1896 the manor had vested in him as lord.
Shared holding: Sparrow-Beridge family
Previous holder: Basil Sparrow, Holder of Abbas Hall Manor
The manor passed to Basil Sparrow's son and heir, the Reverend Basil James Harrold Sparrow-Beridge, in 1880. A later title account states that by 1896 the manor had vested in him and that he was then lord. The same account refers to trustees under settlements in his favour, but the identities and dates of those trustees are not sufficient to create separate conveyance entries.
Source: W. A. Copinger, The Manors of Suffolk, vol. 1, p. 88; Abbas Hall Manor title summary citing the 1896 lordship position and later court books. — source link
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