MANORIAL HERITAGE REGISTRY CONVEYANCE & DESCENT HISTORY ============================================================================ ADSTON (ASHBY PRIORY) MANOR Public record: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_manor=adston-ashby-priory-manor Exported: 15 October 2026, 13:58 GMT+0000 Recorded historical holders: 6 Location: Adstone, Northamptonshire SUCCESSION REGISTER | EARLIEST RECORDED TO PRESENT ============================================================================ Relationships below reproduce saved published paths; unrecorded routes are not inferred. 1. Canons Ashby Priory, Augustinian priory of the Blessed Virgin Mary | reign of Henry III (1216-1272) - 1536 Transfer: Held the Adstone/Atteneston manor or the monastic estate from which the manor is identified Holding arrangement: Canons Ashby Priory Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=canons-ashby-priory-24956 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 2. Sir Francis Bryan, courtier and landowner | 1536 - 1538 Transfer: Purchased the dissolved priory and its associated village and lands from the Crown Holding arrangement: Post-Dissolution Canons Ashby estate / Co-holders: Sir John Cope Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-francis-bryan-24957 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 3. Sir John Cope, owner of Canons Ashby | 1538 - 1558 Transfer: Bought the Canons Ashby property from Sir Francis Bryan Holding arrangement: Post-Dissolution Canons Ashby estate / Co-holders: Sir Francis Bryan Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-john-cope-24958 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 4. Dryden family, John Dryden of Canons Ashby | 1558 - 1665 Transfer: The former Canons Ashby monastic estate passed to the Dryden family after the death of Sir John Cope; the Drydens held a considerable part of the manor and subsequently acquired most of it Holding arrangement: Dryden ownership of the Canons Ashby estate Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-dryden-24959 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 5. Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy, charitable corporation, lord of the manor of Adstone | 1714 - 1916 Transfer: Purchased the Stowe estate, which included Adstone as a separate estate unit Holding arrangement: Stowe and Adstone estate Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=corporation-of-the-sons-of-the-clergy-24960 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded 6. Unknown purchaser or purchasers | 2 June 1916 Transfer: The combined Stowe and Adstone estates were offered for sale; the purchaser of the Adstone manor component has not been securely identified Holding arrangement: Other / Stowe and Adstone estates Profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=unknown-purchaser-or-purchasers-24961 Relationship to present holder: Not recorded DETAILED CONVEYANCE HISTORIES AND LINKED PEDIGREES ============================================================================ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 1 | reign of Henry III (1216-1272) - 1536 Canons Ashby Priory, Augustinian priory of the Blessed Virgin Mary Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=canons-ashby-priory-24956 Transfer: Held the Adstone/Atteneston manor or the monastic estate from which the manor is identified Previous holder: Earlier local and Domesday interests are not securely shown to be the same manor holding Holding arrangement: sole Shared holding: Canons Ashby Priory Narrative / explanation: Samuel Lewis records that the monks of Canons Ashby were owners of land in Adstone in the reign of Henry III and that, after receiving free warren over their demesne lands in Adstone in the reign of Edward II, the monastery seems to have held the manor until the Dissolution. This is the principal direct evidence linking the Adstone manor to Canons Ashby Priory. The wording is cautious and does not establish an exact acquisition date. Source citation: Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of England, entry for Adstone, 1848; reproduced with the cited source attribution by Parishmouse. Source URL: https://parishmouse.co.uk/england/northamptonshire/adstone-northamptonshire-family-history-guide/ Other parties: The Augustinian canons of Canons Ashby Priory Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=canons-ashby-priory-24956 Person dates: founded 1147-1151; dissolved 1536 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 2 | 1536 - 1538 Sir Francis Bryan, courtier and landowner Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-francis-bryan-24957 Transfer: Purchased the dissolved priory and its associated village and lands from the Crown Previous holder: Canons Ashby Priory Holding arrangement: sole Shared holding: Post-Dissolution Canons Ashby estate Narrative / explanation: The Canons Ashby Historic Environment Record states that at the Dissolution the priory and village were purchased from the Crown by Sir Francis Bryan. Because Adstone lands are independently identified as part of the Canons Ashby monastic estate, this is the documented post-Dissolution succession for the predecessor estate. The source does not separately itemise the Adstone manor in the 1536 transaction. Source citation: Northamptonshire Historic Environment Record, 600/3 Canons Ashby Priory, MNN11470, full description. Source URL: https://her.northamptonshire.gov.uk/Monument/MNN11470 Other parties: Sir Francis Bryan Co-holders: Sir John Cope Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=canons-ashby-priory-24956 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-francis-bryan-24957 Person dates: died 1550 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 3 | 1538 - 1558 Sir John Cope, owner of Canons Ashby Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-john-cope-24958 Transfer: Bought the Canons Ashby property from Sir Francis Bryan Previous holder: Sir Francis Bryan Holding arrangement: sole Shared holding: Post-Dissolution Canons Ashby estate Narrative / explanation: The Canons Ashby Historic Environment Record states that Sir Francis Bryan sold the priory and its property to Sir John Cope in 1538. Historic England likewise records that Sir John Cope bought the property from Bryan soon after the Dissolution and constructed a house on the former monastic site. The source establishes succession of the predecessor estate, but does not provide a separate parcel-by-parcel conveyance for Adstone. Source citation: Northamptonshire Historic Environment Record, 600/3 Canons Ashby Priory, MNN11470; Historic England, Canons Ashby scheduled monument entry 1015534. Source URL: https://her.northamptonshire.gov.uk/Monument/MNN11470 Other parties: Sir John Cope Co-holders: Sir Francis Bryan Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-francis-bryan-24957 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-john-cope-24958 Person dates: died 1558 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 4 | 1558 - 1665 Dryden family, John Dryden of Canons Ashby Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-dryden-24959 Transfer: The former Canons Ashby monastic estate passed to the Dryden family after the death of Sir John Cope; the Drydens held a considerable part of the manor and subsequently acquired most of it Previous holder: Sir John Cope Holding arrangement: sole Shared holding: Dryden ownership of the Canons Ashby estate Narrative / explanation: Historic England states that Canons Ashby House was first constructed by John Dryden, who acquired the former monastic estate on the death of Sir John Cope in 1558. The Northamptonshire Historic Environment Record gives a more qualified account: the Dryden family appear to have held a considerable part of the manor from Cope during the following thirty years, with a lease modified in 1573, while Cope apparently retained the priory site; it further states that most of the manor was acquired by the Drydens in 1665. This entry therefore records the Dryden succession of the Canons Ashby predecessor estate, while preserving the uncertainty over the precise legal descent of the separate Adstone component. Source citation: Historic England, Canons Ashby scheduled monument entry 1015534, lines describing John Dryden's acquisition in 1558; Northamptonshire Historic Environment Record, 600/3 Canons Ashby Priory, MNN11470. Source URL: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1015534 Other parties: John Dryden, Dryden family Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=sir-john-cope-24958 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=john-dryden-24959 Person dates: 16th century; exact dates not established here Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 5 | 1714 - 1916 Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy, charitable corporation, lord of the manor of Adstone Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=corporation-of-the-sons-of-the-clergy-24960 Transfer: Purchased the Stowe estate, which included Adstone as a separate estate unit Previous holder: Earlier estate ownership is not fully documented in the reviewed sources; the Dryden succession is secure for the Canons Ashby predecessor estate but not for every Adstone parcel Holding arrangement: sole Shared holding: Stowe and Adstone estate Narrative / explanation: The Stowe Nine Churches historical account states that the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy bought the Stowe estate in 1714 and that the estate included farms and cottages in Adstone as a separate unit. Later directory evidence expressly describes the Corporation as lords of the manor of Adstone. The 1714 purchase therefore provides a good estate-level succession, while the exact conveyance by which the distinct manorial title or all manorial rights passed to the Corporation has not been located. Source citation: Stowe Nine Churches, Friends from the Past, account of the Stowe estate and Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy; Kelly's Directory of Northamptonshire, Adstone entry, early 20th century. Source URL: https://www.stoweninechurches.org.uk/history/Friends%20from%20the%20past/index.html Other parties: Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=corporation-of-the-sons-of-the-clergy-24960 Person dates: incorporated by charter 1 July 1678; Adstone estate acquired 1714 Relationship paths: No published path recorded. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOLDER 6 | 2 June 1916 Unknown purchaser or purchasers Person: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=unknown-purchaser-or-purchasers-24961 Transfer: The combined Stowe and Adstone estates were offered for sale; the purchaser of the Adstone manor component has not been securely identified Previous holder: Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy Holding arrangement: other Shared holding: Stowe and Adstone estates Narrative / explanation: Historic England catalogues the particulars of sale for the Stowe and Adstone estates dated 2 June 1916 and lists Adstone farms, houses, and Manor Farm among the properties. The public catalogue record establishes the sale event but does not identify the successful purchaser or demonstrate whether the manorial rights were conveyed with a particular lot. No later holder is entered. Source citation: Historic England Archive, Estate Sales Particulars collection, SC00802, Particulars of Sale of the Stowe and Adstone Estates, dated 2 June 1916. Source URL: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/photos/volume/SC00802 Previous holder profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=corporation-of-the-sons-of-the-clergy-24960 Historical person profile: https://manorialregistry.com/?mhr_person=unknown-purchaser-or-purchasers-24961 Person dates: not established Relationship paths: No published path recorded. END OF EXPORTED APPROVED CONVEYANCE HISTORY