NEWS

Precious records return home

Archivist John Alban with the records which have returned home

06 December 2004 08:27

They have been on an epic journey spanning centuries of history and thousands of miles – from a quiet south Norfolk village to the bright lights of Los Angeles.

But after being exported to the States by a well-known Hollywood film director more than 50 years ago, these old documents have finally returned to their homeland.

When John Villiers Farrow – father of the actress Mia Farrow – bought the lordship of the manor of Surlingham, near Norwich, in 1937, he aquired documents detailing its rich history.

The records, which date from 1602 to 1925, provide a wealth of information about the manorial system and include books, rolls and minutes of the manor courts, together with several rental deeds, plans and papers.

It has remained a mystery as to why Australian-born Mr Farrow, who served as a naval commander in the second world war, originally bought the property.

However, the renowned director, screenwriter and producer, who shares an Oscar for the script for Around the World in 80 Days (1956), became an absentee 'lord of the manor' and took the documents back to his home in Beverly Hills.

Some time later, Mr Farrow, who is best known for directing films such as The Big Clock (1948) and His Kind of Woman (1951), donated the records to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

For many years, the documents were kept in the archives and manuscripts department at the university's Doheny Memorial Library.

However, a quest to bring the records home began 10 years ago when Fred Morris, of Surlingham, was told by staff at the Norfolk Record Office that the manorial rolls might help prove the age of his cottage.

Staff at the record office had become aware of the documents through their appearance on the Historical Manuscript Commission's electronic Manorial Documents Register for Norfolk.

Mr Morris, an archive user, contacted the university's archivist Claude Zachary and was one of the people who made numerous requests to have the documents returned.

Dr Zachary said he had been inundated with inquiries about the records and was delighted to send them back to Norfolk.

He said: "We have had numerous requests by genealogists and Norfolk landowners for information from these records. I feel it would be in everyone's best interest that these records be returned to the Norfolk County Archives."

The records are now back in the county and housed in the Record Office at the Archive Centre in the grounds of County Hall.

Norfolk County Council county archivist John Alban said the documents were very important.

"These documents, which form an extremely important collection spanning several centuries, also have an extraordinary interesting recent history," he said.

"They have been out of the county for many years and we are delighted to have them back in Norfolk."

The manorial system existed from the time of William the Conqueror in the 11th century to its demise in the early 20th century.

It was the main framework for life in much of England and Wales, and the courts which were held in association with this produced a great many documents.

Manorial records include surveys, court rolls, maps, rentals and extents. They are an invaluable source for genealogists, local historians, and social and economic historians.

Manorial documents now have statutory protection under the Manorial Documents Rules, which are enforced by the National Archives on behalf of the Master of the Rolls.

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