Historical names: Aldecote Hall (Manor) | Old Coton Hall (Manor)
Location: Coleshill, Warwickshire
Places / associated places: Coleshill, Warwickshire
Location & Extent
GPS Location & Recorded Land Areas
Representative GPS point: 52.4745, -1.7413
Identity: confirmed — The registry's alternative names match the documented Alcott Hall/Aldcote forms. Birmingham Archives records a 1610 covenant for the Manor of Alcote with John Bellers of Alcote/Alcott Hall in the parish of Coleshill, and a 1615 grant of the Manor house of Alcot with lands in Alcot, Coleshill and Sheldon. Historic England identifies the surviving Alcott Hall at Berwicks Lane, historically in Warwickshire, confirming the manor-house location despite its present location in Solihull/Chelmsley Wood.
Representative point: 52.4745, -1.7413
Basis: documented_manor_house — Historic England lists Alcott Hall, Berwicks Lane, at National Grid Reference SP 17667 86316; this is the surviving hall corresponding to the 1615 documented Manor house of Alcot and the 1610 reference to John Bellers of Alcote/Alcott Hall.
Point confidence: high
Boundary status: representative_point_only
Boundary period: Medieval to early modern; specifically evidenced in 1610-1743 records
Boundary confidence: none
Boundary basis: The sources establish the hall/manor site and identify associated holdings or appurtenances in Alcot/Alcott, Coleshill and Sheldon, with later records also naming lands in Bickenhill, Bentley, Blythe, Shustoke, Lyndon and related places. These are conveyance descriptions of holdings and associated estates, not a surveyed perimeter of the Alcott manor. No reliable manor map, rental map, enclosure map or other source was located that would support a historical polygon without conflating the manor with parish or modern administrative boundaries.
Sources:
- Historic England, Alcott Hall, Chelmsley Wood, List Entry 1055808: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1055808 — Official listing identifies Alcott Hall, Berwicks Lane, with National Grid Reference SP 17667 86316 and confirms its historical county as Warwickshire.
- Birmingham Archives, MS 3375/434076: https://calmview.birmingham.gov.uk/calmview/TreeBrowse.aspx?field=RefNo&key=MS+3378%2F3%2F1%2F434073&src=CalmView.Catalog — 1615 grant of the Manor house of Alcot and lands in Alcot, the messuage called Bacons End, Coleshill and Sheldon.
- Birmingham Archives, MS 3375/430305: https://calmview.birmingham.gov.uk/calmview/TreeBrowse.aspx?field=RefNo&key=MS+3378%2F3%2F10&src=CalmView.Catalog — 1610 covenant by John Bellers of Alcote/Alcott Hall in the parish of Coleshill to levy a fine of the Manor of Alcote and appurtenances in Coleshill and Sheldon.
- Birmingham Archives, MS 3375/434092-434093: https://calmview.birmingham.gov.uk/calmview/TreeBrowse.aspx?field=RefNo&key=MS+3378%2F3%2F1%2F434073&src=CalmView.Catalog — 1692 recovery of the Manor of Aldecotte alias Aldcote/Alcott and 1743 grant listing lands in Aldecote, Coleshill, Sheldon, Bickenhill, Bentley, Blythe and related places; useful for extent context but not a perimeter.
- The National Archives, F242196: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F242196 — Registry record for the exact manor identity and associated historical names.
- English Place-Name Society, Warwickshire volume: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/epns/documents/warwickshire.pdf — Documents the historical place-name sequence for Alcott Hall, including Aldcotenhall, Aldecotenhal, Olde Cotenhal, Aldecote and Alcott forms.
Warnings / uncertainty:
- The surviving Alcott Hall is an eighteenth-century building, while the manor is documented from the thirteenth century; the point is therefore the documented surviving manor-house site rather than proof that the present structure is medieval.
- The historical manor's lands were potentially dispersed across several townships and parishes. The available evidence does not define a defensible continuous manorial boundary.
- Present-day administrative references to Solihull, Chelmsley Wood and the West Midlands should not be interpreted as the historical territorial extent of the manor.
About the Manor
Alcott Manor, also recorded as Aldecote Hall, Aldcotenhall, Olde Cotenhal and Old Coton Hall, was a medieval and early-modern manor and hall estate in the Alcott hamlet of the parish of Coleshill, Warwickshire. The earliest located reference is to Aldcotenhall in 1247. The estate appears to have included the hall site, woodland and pasture, with associated land extending into Coleshill and, in some later instruments, Sheldon. The documentary record shows that it was distinct from the principal Manor of Coleshill, although in the fifteenth century Alcott was held of the lord of Coleshill. By the early seventeenth century it was expressly styled the Manor of Alcote or Aldcote. The surviving evidence establishes a substantial descent, but not an uninterrupted chain from the thirteenth century to the eighteenth century; several intermediate transfers remain undocumented in the sources located.
Ownership / Holder Account
The manor or hall estate is first recorded at Aldcotenhall in 1247. A local historical account states that William de Charneles and his wife Margaret settled at Alcott in 1332, while a 1404–05 quitclaim concerning lands late of John Charnels expressly included Alcott Hall and named William Mountfort among the recipients. By 1492, pasture and woodland in Alcotenhall were held of Sir Simon Mountfort, lord of Coleshill; this is evidence of Mountfort overlordship or lordship over the Alcott estate, but does not by itself prove that every component of the Alcott estate was in his direct possession. A later local account places the estate in the hands of Sir Simon Mountford in the late fifteenth century and in the hands of the Bellers family by the sixteenth century. The first directly located early-modern title evidence is a 1610 covenant by John Bellers, Ellen his wife and William Bellers to levy a fine of the Manor of Alcote, followed by a 1615 grant by John Brandreth to John Bellers and John Alderson of the manor house of Alcot and associated lands. In 1692 Arthur Devereux was claimant in a common recovery of the Manor of Aldecotte alias Aldcote, together with Lyndon and Shustoke. In 1743 Pryce, Viscount Hereford, granted the Manor of Aldecote alias Aldcote to Edward Vernon as collateral security for a debt; this was a security transaction rather than an unqualified sale, and the preceding conveyance into Pryce's hands has not been located.
Records & References
Sources and references mentioning this manor/title which are not necessarily conveyances or transfers.
1 record found · showing 1–1.
1322-1324: ministers' accounts, with other manors
Held by: The National Archives
Conveyance & Descent
First holder to present holder: blood proximity & distance travelled
First recorded holder: William Mountfort, William de Astley and William, lord of Willoughby
Present holder:
Recorded title journey: 7 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.
William Mountfort, William de Astley and William, lord of Willoughby, Of Coleshill in the cited conveyance
Transfer: Quitclaim to lands and premises late of John Charnels, including Alcott Hall
Holding arrangement: Joint — Unspecified joint interest
Shared holding: Mountfort, Astley and Willoughby
Previous holder: John Charnels
A summary of a 1404–05 quitclaim records Hugh de Waterton, Richard Craddok and others quitclaiming to William de Astley, William, lord of Willoughby, and William Mountfort lands and premises late of John Charnels in Pailton, Bedworth, Corley, Alcott Hall in Coleshill, Sowe, Boulton and elsewhere. This is direct evidence that the Alcott Hall estate formerly associated with John Charnels was included in a joint conveyance to the three named recipients. The instrument does not specify whether the recipients held the entire manor, a tenurial interest, or only particular lands and premises.
Source: Summary of a 1404–05 quitclaim reported in a correction concerning Sir William Astley and Joan Grey, citing the underlying medieval conveyance and the Alcott Hall property. — source link
Transfer: Lordship or overlordship evidenced by pasture and woodland in Alcotenhall being held of him; the source does not prove a specific transfer of the whole manor
Holding arrangement: Other — Unspecified lordship or overlordship
Shared holding: Mountfort lordship
Previous holder: Earlier holder or superior lord unknown
At the death of Edward Grey, Viscount Lisle, in 1492, pasture and woodland in Alcotenhall were recorded as held of Sir Simon Montfort, described as lord of Coleshill. Alcotenhall is identified in the source as a manor in Coleshill. This establishes Simon Mountfort's superior lordship or overlordship in relation to at least the specified Alcott property, but should not be expanded into an unsupported assertion that he personally owned every element of the manor. Sir Simon was attainted and executed in January 1495, after which his Coleshill estates were forfeited to the Crown; the precise legal treatment of Alcott Manor is not established by the located evidence.
Source: Entry on Simon Mountford, citing the inquisition post mortem of Edward Grey, Viscount Lisle, and the history of Coleshill and Mountford estates. — source link
John Bellers, Ellen Bellers and William Bellers, Gentleman, of Alcote Hall, Coleshill
Transfer: Covenant to levy a fine of the Manor of Alcote and appurtenances
Holding arrangement: Joint — Unspecified joint interest
Shared holding: Bellers family
Previous holder: Unknown; the preceding conveyance is not stated
An indenture records John Bellers of Alcote Hall, Ellen his wife and William Bellers his son covenanting with John Brandreth to levy a fine of the Manor of Alcote and its appurtenances in the parishes of Coleshill and Sheldon. Because the instrument identifies the Bellers parties as the persons covenanting over the manor, it is direct evidence of their legal interest in the manor at that date. The precise shares and whether Brandreth held a superior or concurrent interest are not stated in the catalogue description.
Source: Birmingham Archives and Collections, MS 3378/3/10, item 430305, Indenture between John Bellers of Alcote Hall, Ellen his wife, William Bellers his son and John Brandreth, covenant to levy a fine of the Manor of Alcote and appurtenances, 1 April 1610. — source link
John Bellers and John Alderson, Of Kings Norton
Transfer: Grant by John Brandreth of the manor house of Alcot and lands and premises in Alcot, with Bacon's End in Coleshill and lands in Sheldon
Holding arrangement: Joint — Unspecified joint interest
Shared holding: Bellers and Alderson
Previous holder: John Brandreth
John Brandreth granted John Bellers of Alcott in Coleshill and John Alderson of Kings Norton the manor house of Alcot and associated lands and premises, together with Bacon's End and lands in Coleshill and Sheldon. The catalogue calls the property the manor house rather than expressly stating that the entire manorial franchise was conveyed. It is therefore strong evidence for a joint estate interest in the Alcott manor-house estate, while the extent of the legal manor transferred remains subject to the original deed.
Source: Birmingham Archives and Collections, MS 3378/3/1, item 434076, Counterpart of grant from John Brandreth to John Bellers and John Alderson of the Manor house of Alcot and associated lands, 5 September 1615. — source link
Arthur Devereux of Nantcribber, Esquire, Montgomeryshire
Transfer: Creation of a tenant to the praecipe followed by common recovery of the Manor of Aldecotte alias Aldcote, with Lyndon and Shustoke
Shared holding: Devereux
Previous holder: John Bembowe is named as defendant in the recovery; the earlier beneficial holder is not stated
Two Birmingham Archives records show Arthur Devereux of Nantcribber creating a tenant to the praecipe of the Manors of Alercoate alias Aldcotte, Lyndon and Shustoke and then recovering those manors against John Bembowe. This directly links Arthur Devereux with the Manor of Aldecotte alias Aldcote. The legal form is a common recovery used to establish or bar title and should not automatically be interpreted as an ordinary sale from John Bembowe to Arthur; the preceding title is not supplied by the catalogue entries.
Source: Birmingham Archives and Collections, MS 3378/3/1, items 434091 and 434092, indenture creating a tenant to the praecipe, 21 April 1692, and exemplification of recovery by Arthur Devereux against John Bembowe, 15 June 1692. — source link
Pryce Devereux, Viscount Hereford
Transfer: Grant of the Manor of Aldecote alias Aldcote to Edward Vernon as collateral security for £18,720
Holding arrangement: Other — Security interest and retained equity of redemption; precise legal shares unspecified
Shared holding: Devereux–Vernon security transaction
Co-holder: Edward Vernon
Previous holder: Earlier Devereux holder not securely identified in the located evidence
Pryce, Viscount Hereford, granted Edward Vernon the Manor of Aldecote alias Aldcote, together with Lyndon and Shustoke with Bentley and associated lands, as collateral security for a debt of £18,720. This is not evidence of an outright conveyance in fee; it is a security transaction in which Vernon acquired a secured legal interest and Pryce retained the underlying equity, subject to the terms of the original deed. The source does not establish how the manor passed into Pryce's hands.
Source: Birmingham Archives and Collections, MS 3378/3/1, item 434093, grant from Pryce, Viscount Hereford, to Edward Vernon as collateral security for £18,720, 29 September 1743. — source link
The Honourable Edward Vernon, of Nacton, Suffolk
Transfer: Receipt of a secured grant of the Manor of Aldecote alias Aldcote as collateral security for £18,720
Holding arrangement: Other — Security interest; precise extent unspecified
Shared holding: Devereux–Vernon security transaction
Co-holder: Pryce Devereux, Viscount Hereford
Previous holder: Pryce Devereux, Viscount Hereford
Edward Vernon received a grant of the Manor of Aldecote alias Aldcote from Pryce, Viscount Hereford, as collateral security for £18,720. Vernon should be treated as a secured interest-holder or mortgagee rather than unqualified beneficial owner unless the underlying security was later enforced or redeemed. No later discharge, foreclosure or release has been located.
Source: Birmingham Archives and Collections, MS 3378/3/1, item 434093, grant from Pryce, Viscount Hereford, to Edward Vernon as collateral security for £18,720, 29 September 1743. — source link
Corrections / Challenges
Sign in to challenge or submit evidence against a recorded assertion.
JSON API
Machine-readable published manor data, including public images, mapped land areas, notes, rights, conveyances, relationships, records, source/document-library entries and public file links.
https://manorialregistry.com/index.php?rest_route=/mhr/v1/manor/alcott-manorPublic API access is currently disabled. Authorised API clients must use a private X-MHR-API-Key; currently only administrator keys are enabled.
Private source files, pending edits, moderation/admin information, user API keys and non-public import identifiers are not returned.