Manuscript Volume (1570)
Domains, boundaries, castles, tenants, free-holders, and rental values of many Northumberland areas

The pages seen here are taken from a survey of lands in Northumberland for the Grey family. It is believed to have been undertaken in the latter part of the sixteenth century, most likely for Sir Thomas Grey of Heaton and Chillingham. The family descended from Sir Thomas Grey of Heaton, who died in 1344. Through the centuries the Grey family were subsequently created Grey of Chillingham, Lord Grey of Wark, and finally Earl of Tankerville in the late 17th century before Mary, only child and heiress, married Charles Bennet, 2nd Lord Ossulton, who carried on the Tankerville title. The volume bears the signature of their son Charles, who became the second Earl of Tankerville in 1722.

This survey, which is a bound volume, contains detailed information on the many and varied holdings of the family, principally Wark and Wooler Baronies. Landowners in history commissioned surveys to be taken of their lands as the only accurate way of determining acreages and boundaries as well as rental values and details of their tenants, cottages and buildings. The pages shown illustrate not only the detail of the information gathered, but also the beauty in the work of the surveyor, whose name is not known.