Location: Aldeburgh with Hazlewood, Suffolk
Places / associated places: Aldeburgh with Hazlewood, Suffolk
Listed in Domesday Book: Yes
Location & Extent
GPS Location & Recorded Land Areas
Representative GPS point: 52.1573, 1.5906
Identity: confirmed — The National Archives record F249821 is the exact Aldeburgh Manor record for Aldeburgh with Hazlewood, Suffolk. The associated 1610 deed describes the manor's capital messuage and site together with lands in Aldeburgh and Haslewood, while the 1812-1813 survey is explicitly titled a map and survey of the manor and town of Aldeburgh.
Representative point: 52.1573, 1.5906
Basis: documented_manor_house — Aldeburgh Hall on Saxmundham Road, identified by Historic England at National Grid Reference TM4570457110. Aldeburgh Hall is also associated with Aldeburgh Hall Farm and local historical material concerning Aldeburgh Manor.
Point confidence: medium
Boundary status: representative_point_only
Boundary period:
Boundary confidence: none
Boundary basis: The 1812-1813 manor and town survey is an important boundary source and records numbered tenement boundaries, but the publicly available catalogue describes its coverage as fragmentary and does not expose a complete georeferenced perimeter. The 1610 deed confirms lands in Aldeburgh and Haslewood but gives no complete boundary description. The evidence therefore supports the manor's location and territorial association with Aldeburgh and Haslewood, but not a defensible polygon for the historical manorial extent.
Sources:
- The National Archives: Aldeburgh Manor, F249821: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F249821 — Registry authority record for Aldeburgh Manor in Aldeburgh with Hazlewood, Suffolk.
- Aldeburgh Manor deed, 1610, Arundel Castle archive box list: https://www.arundelcastle.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Box-list-of-uncatalogued-collections.pdf — Lists a deed for the Manor of Aldeburgh describing the capital messuage and site of the manor and various lands in Aldeburgh and Haslewood.
- A map and survey of the manor and town of Aldeburgh, 1812-1813: https://townmaps.history.ac.uk/townmap/suffolk-aldeburgh-1813/ — Catalogue entry for Suffolk Record Office reference HB 6/406/180; explicitly identifies the map as a survey of the manor and town, with accompanying area references and apparently fairly complete tenement boundaries, but fragmentary overall coverage.
- Aldeburgh Hall, Historic England listing 1269723: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1269723 — Authoritative location for Aldeburgh Hall at National Grid Reference TM4570457110, used for the representative point.
- Aldeburgh Hall Farm, Suffolk Heritage Explorer MSF38517: https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/Monument/MSF38517 — Places Aldeburgh Hall Farm at TM45695710 and records the historic farmstead and associated Aldeburgh Hall, supporting the manor-house/estate-centre identification.
Warnings / uncertainty:
- The representative point is based on Aldeburgh Hall and should not be interpreted as the boundary of the manor.
- The historical manor may have comprised dispersed lands in Aldeburgh and Haslewood; no complete, publicly verifiable polygon was found.
- Do not substitute the modern Aldeburgh civil-parish boundary for the manorial boundary.
About the Manor
Aldeburgh Manor was the principal manor associated with the ancient borough and parish of Aldeburgh, Suffolk, later administered ecclesiastically with Hazlewood. The Aldeburgh parish history records an 80-acre manor held before the Norman Conquest by Wulfric, a free man of Edric of Laxfield, and in 1086 by Robert Malet. The medieval and early modern manor was subsequently connected with William Martel, the Abbot of Colchester, the Crown, Butley Priory, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. The manor should be distinguished from the separate Vicarage Manor and from other sub-manors and estates in the wider Aldeburgh and Hazlewood area. The surviving public summary establishes the principal descent, but documentary gaps remain between several of the recorded ownership points.
Ownership / Holder Account
The earliest securely identified holding is the 80-acre Aldeburgh manor of Wulfric in 1066, held under Edric of Laxfield. In 1086 the manor was held by Robert Malet as tenant-in-chief, with the Domesday entry also identifying the immediate pre-Conquest and local lordship context. By 1155 William Martel held the manor and granted it in frankalmoin to the Abbot of Colchester. The manor was recorded as being in the King's hands in 1405 and was granted to Butley Priory in 1508. Cardinal Wolsey was recorded as owner in 1525; a 30-year lease was granted to Thomas Russhe in 1530 at an annual rent of £45 6s. 8d. In 1533 the manor was held by Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. The next publicly summarised ownership point is circa 1696, when Sir Henry Johnson was recorded as owner. By 1902 the manor was recorded as held by Commander F.C.U. Vernon-Wentworth, whose family was also associated with Friston and Hazlewood. The public sources consulted do not securely document every intermediate conveyance, and no transfer has been inferred across those gaps.
Records & References
Sources and references mentioning this manor/title which are not necessarily conveyances or transfers.
32 records found · showing 1–8.
1913-1913: deed and award of enfranchisement of copyhold land
Held by: The National Archives
1909-1909: draft correspondence rel to enfranchisement of property belonging to the Quay Trust
Held by: Suffolk Archives - Ipswich
1899-1899: deed and award of enfranchisement of copyhold land
Held by: The National Archives
1879-1890: deeds and awards of enfranchisement of copyhold land (9)
Held by: The National Archives
1875-1936: list of tenants, with notes as to extinguishment of manorial incidents by agreement
Held by: Suffolk Archives - Ipswich
1871-1927: list of tenants
Held by: Suffolk Archives - Ipswich
1866-1928: papers and correspondence, chiefly rel to enfranchisement (2 bundles)
Held by: Suffolk Archives - Ipswich
1864-1867: deeds and awards of enfranchisement of copyhold land (3)
Held by: The National Archives
Conveyance & Descent
First holder to present holder: blood proximity & distance travelled
First recorded holder: Wulfric
Present holder:
Recorded title journey: 13 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.
Transfer: Recorded as holding the 80-acre manor before the Norman Conquest; the Domesday record shows the manor in the hands of Robert Malet by 1086.
Previous holder: Edric of Laxfield, under whom Wulfric was described as a free man
The Suffolk parish manorial summary identifies an 80-acre Aldeburgh manor held in 1066 by Wulfric, a free man of Edric of Laxfield. This is a manorial holding record rather than evidence of a later hereditary conveyance. The Domesday evidence indicates that the holding had changed hands by 1086.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section; Open Domesday, Aldeburgh, Domesday Book entry. — source link
Transfer: The manor was recorded in Domesday Book as belonging to Robert Malet. The subsequent change to William Martel is documented by the 1155 ownership entry, but the precise conveyance is not stated in the public summary.
Shared holding: Tenant-in-chief
Previous holder: Wulfric, Free man under Edric of Laxfield
The Domesday entry for Aldeburgh records an 80-acre holding belonging to Robert Malet. Aldeburgh also contained a separate small ecclesiastical holding belonging to the Abbey of Ely; that separate Domesday holding has not been merged into this manor record.
Source: Open Domesday, Aldeburgh, Domesday Book, Phillimore reference Suffolk 6,130; corroborated by Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history. — source link
Transfer: William Martel is recorded as owner in 1155 and granted the manor in frankalmoin to the Abbot of Colchester.
Previous holder: Robert Malet, Norman baron, tenant-in-chief in Domesday Book
The Suffolk manorial summary records William Martel as owner in 1155 and states that he granted the manor in frankalmoin to the Abbot of Colchester. The date is a recorded reference point rather than necessarily the exact date of both ownership and grant.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section. — source link
Transfer: Received the manor from William Martel by a grant in frankalmoin. By 1405 the manor was recorded as being in the King's hands; the intervening history is not supplied by the public summary.
Shared holding: Colchester Abbey
Previous holder: William Martel
The manor was granted in frankalmoin to the Abbot of Colchester. The source does not specify the precise institutional name of the religious house, nor does it document the date or legal mechanism by which the manor later came into the King's hands.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section. — source link
Transfer: The manor was recorded as being in the King's hands in 1405 and was later granted to Butley Priory in 1508. The reason for Crown custody and the precise grant instrument are not stated in the public summary.
Holding arrangement: Other — Royal custody or Crown holding; precise legal status not stated
Shared holding: Royal hands
Previous holder: Abbot of Colchester
The phrase 'in King's hands' is preserved as a Crown custody or Crown-holding entry rather than being interpreted as an ordinary private conveyance. The public source does not explain whether the Crown held the manor by escheat, forfeiture, resumption or another legal process.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section. — source link
Transfer: The manor was granted to Butley Priory in 1508. By 1525 it was recorded as belonging to Cardinal Wolsey; the precise transfer is not stated.
Shared holding: Butley Priory
Previous holder: The Crown, Royal holder or custodian
The Aldeburgh manorial summary records a grant to Butley Priory in 1508. The source does not state whether the grant was made directly by the Crown or under a particular royal patent, although the immediately preceding entry places the manor in the King's hands.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section. — source link
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, Lord Chancellor, Lord Chancellor of England
Transfer: The manor was recorded as belonging to Cardinal Wolsey in 1525. In 1530 he granted Thomas Russhe a 30-year lease at an annual rent of £45 6s. 8d.
Previous holder: Butley Priory, Augustinian priory
The 1525 entry identifies Cardinal Wolsey as owner. The 1530 lease to Thomas Russhe is recorded as a leasehold transaction and does not replace Wolsey's ownership unless further evidence demonstrates otherwise. The source states the lease term and rent but does not identify whether the lease covered the whole manor or a defined part of it.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section. — source link
Thomas Russhe, Lessee of Aldeburgh Manor or the manor interest described in the source
Transfer: Received a 30-year lease of the manor, or of the interest described by the source as the manor, from Cardinal Wolsey in 1530 at an annual rent of £45 6s. 8d. The source does not state the subsequent outcome of the lease.
Holding arrangement: Other — Leasehold for 30 years; extent of leased interest not stated
Shared holding: Leaseholder
Previous holder: Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, Lord Chancellor, Lord Chancellor of England
Thomas Russhe is included as a leaseholder, not as an outright lord, because the source expressly describes a 30-year lease at rent. The date range is calculated from the stated 1530 term and is not evidence that he retained the lease continuously until 1560.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section. — source link
Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Surrey, later 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Transfer: Recorded as owner in 1533. The source does not document the intervening descent to Sir Henry Johnson, recorded circa 1696, and no conveyance has been inferred.
Shared holding: Howard family
Previous holder: Cardinal Thomas Wolsey or the Crown after Wolsey's fall; exact transfer not stated
The Suffolk summary records Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, as owner in 1533. This entry follows the 1530 lease to Thomas Russhe, but the source does not explain the legal relationship between that lease and the Duke's ownership. The later transition to Sir Henry Johnson is left as an explicit documentary gap.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section. — source link
Sir Henry Johnson, landowner, Knight, Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh, shipbuilder
Transfer: Recorded as owner circa 1696. The later change to the Vernon-Wentworth family is not documented by a secure conveyance in the sources consulted.
Shared holding: Johnson family
Previous holder: Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk or an unrecorded intermediate holder
The Suffolk parish history records Sir Henry Johnson as owner of Aldeburgh Manor circa 1696 and links him with Friston. The date is approximate and the source does not state the precise acquisition or disposal transaction. The end date is only a research boundary marking the next period for which the consulted public sources suggest a Vernon-Wentworth connection; it is not an exact transfer date.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section; Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Friston parish history, for the linked Friston association. — source link
Transfer: The Aldeburgh parish history records W.F.T. Vernon-Wentworth as principal owner in 1844. It does not expressly state the precise date or instrument by which the Vernon-Wentworth family acquired the manor.
Shared holding: Vernon-Wentworth family
Co-holders: T.F.C. Vernon-Wentworth, Commander F.C.U. Vernon-Wentworth
Previous holder: Earlier holder not securely documented in the consulted sources
The 1844 land-ownership entry identifies W.F.T. Vernon-Wentworth as principal owner in Aldeburgh. This is corroborative of the family’s estate interest but is less explicit than the separate manorial entry for 1902; it is therefore included with medium evidence strength and the distinction between principal landownership and formal lordship is preserved.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Land ownership section. — source link
Transfer: Recorded as principal owner in 1891 and as the predecessor of Commander F.C.U. Vernon-Wentworth in the 1902 manorial entry. The precise transfer mechanism is not stated.
Shared holding: Vernon-Wentworth family
Co-holders: W.F.T. Vernon-Wentworth, Commander F.C.U. Vernon-Wentworth
Previous holder: W.F.T. Vernon-Wentworth, Vernon-Wentworth family landowner
T.F.C. Vernon-Wentworth is recorded as principal owner of Aldeburgh in 1891. The same family is recorded as holding the manor in 1902 under Commander F.C.U. Vernon-Wentworth. The sources support continuity of family estate ownership but do not provide a precise conveyance between the two individuals.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Land ownership and Manorial sections. — source link
Commander F.C.U. Vernon-Wentworth, Vernon-Wentworth family landowner, Royal Navy designation in related parish material
Transfer: Recorded as owner of Aldeburgh Manor in 1902. The consulted public sources do not establish a later historical holder of the manor itself.
Shared holding: Vernon-Wentworth family
Co-holders: W.F.T. Vernon-Wentworth, T.F.C. Vernon-Wentworth
Previous holder: T.F.C. Vernon-Wentworth or another member of the Vernon-Wentworth family; precise transfer not stated
The 1902 manorial entry is the latest direct public record located for Aldeburgh Manor. Related parish summaries record Commander F.C.U. Vernon-Wentworth as connected with Aldeburgh, Friston and Hazlewood, but later references to principal landownership or estate sales have not been treated as proof of a later transfer of the formal manor.
Source: Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Aldeburgh parish history, Manorial section; Suffolk Heritage Explorer, Friston parish history, Manorial and Land ownership sections; Kelly's Directory evidence reproduced in the Aldeburgh and Hazlewood parish summaries. — source link
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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.
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