Deopham Manor of the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury

Contents

Introduction

Where is it?

The first question that is always asked of Deopham Manor is “Where is it?” so it seems appropriate to address that first.
Most people associate a manor with a “manor house” and the grounds that go with it. Deopham Manor is more complicated. The Manor is essentially a set of privileges that was purchased from the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury. This meant that on the one hand the Dean and Chapter were absolved from having to get involved in collecting tithes on their Deopham lands, and on the other that the person buying the privileges would hope to make a profit if they had been purchased at a keen price.

Key Features

Deopham Manor evolved from the medieval involvement of the monks of Canterbury with Deopham – see here;
Church Farm, also called Manor Farm, was leased from the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury;
The principal building was referred to as the Parsonage; the 1679 survey additionally refers to “Foure Cottages or Tenements”, although within a few years the only building mentioned is the Parsonage;
The lease was renewed every seven years although nominally for 21 years;
The lessee generally let the farm to a tenant;
The lease could, subject to the correct formalities, be passed from one family member to another upon death, according to the will of the deceased;
The charge for renewing the lease (called the fine) was calculated on the basis of the anticipated income from the land but allowing for some outgoings;
The lessee was responsible for the maintenance of the chancel of the church;
The lessee could transfer his (or her) obligations for maintaining the chancel to the tenant;
The lessee was entitled to the income (tithes) from a portfolio of around 34 copyhold lands in the village;
The lessee was Lord (or Lady) of the Manor of Deopham of the Dean & Chapter of Canterbury;
The lessee and steward would arrange for periodic courts to be held to ensure the correct administration of the lands for which they were responsible;
The courts imposed fines for registering the transfer of copyhold lands from one tenant to another;
All tenants of copyhold lands were expected to attend the courts and declare their loyalty to the Lord or Lady of the Manor. A penalty was imposed on those who failed to show up.

Manors with claims on Deopham

Deopham Manor was one of several manors making claims upon Deopham: these are listed here, with links to more detailed pages.

Documents relating to the Manor of Deopham of the Dean & Chapter of Canterbury

Leases;
Terriers and valuations;
Court records: the Canterbury archives hold copies of court rolls dating back at least as far as 1309;
Maps, although as far as identifying the lands that made up the Manor of Deopham, these have not been located prior to the enclosures map of 1814;
Correspondence

Transfer to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners

In a letter written on September 29^th 1862 the Rev. Hibbert Wanklyn wrote that he had “been informed by the Honourable D. Finch [of Canterbury] that the Rectory Farm, Rectorial tithe and Advowson of Deopham have been disposed of to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners”. This meant that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners took over the role previously carried out by the Dean and Chapter. The courts continued to be held and the leases renewed.
The formal announcement of the transfer of the Manor from the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners is reproduced here.
The draft of a letter from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners dated October 18^th 1877 addressed to the architect (Ewan Christian) stated that “Rectorial Property in this Parish fell into the possession of the E.C. by the expiration of the lease on the 18th ulto” (18/10/1877).

Courts of the Manor of Deopham

There is a list of the Courts of Deopham Manor of the Dean & Chapter of Canterbury here, with links to summaries of the individual courts.

Terriers of the Manor of Deopham

There is a list of the terriers (also called terrars) of Deopham Manor here with links to the corresponding detail pages. These list the assets of the Manor.

Lessees of the Manor of Deopham

There is a list of the lessees of Deopham Manor here with links to transcripts of many of the leases.

End of the Manors

The 1922 Law of Property Act “extinguished” manorial rights, but at the same time the lords of the manors were entitled to claim compensation from their tenants. One example for this manner occurred at Laurel Farm where the Church Commissioners made an application to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries for compensation from Mr. C. Leverett, their copyhold tenant.
The details of this award for compensation are reproduced here; the Ministry made an award of £6-13s-4d + interest at 5½% p.a. from the date of application (June 29^th 1950) up to the date of payment. To this sum must be added the steward’s compensation and and costs incurred by the lord. There is a final entry in the Court Roll for the Manor of Deopham of the Dean & Chapter of Canterbury of a Court held on November 1^st 1951 where a payment of £14-8s-4d from Mr. Leverett is recorded. There is no breakdown of this figure.

Navigation

Return to List of Manors

Date	Change
3-4/8/25	Revised Ecclesiastical Commissioners section
26/6/24	End of the Manor
1/2/24	Link to page of lessees
12/12/23	Introduction
5/12/23	Published