The English Nationality Room Committee at the University of Pittsburgh presented the Ripon, England documents to the University Library System on May 11, 1961. The documents had been given to the English Room Committee by Mrs. Elma Pickering, a member.
This collection was processed by Claire Cohen in July 2010.
No restrictions.
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
The Ripon, England Documents, which date 1636-1770, consist of 23 English manuscripts, mostly originating from Ripon, early spelling Rippon, which is located in West Riding, North Yorkshire, England, on the River Ure. The city is roughly 1,300 years old and happens to be one of the smallest cities in England. The town is known primarily for its gothic architecture and the Ripon Cathedral; however, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it was also recognized for its production of spurs.
Ripon, England Documents, 1636-1770, SC.1961.01, Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
Ripon, England Documents, 1636-1770, SC.1961.01, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
The Ripon, England Documents (1636-1770) include a total of 23 documents that convey legal transactions such as indentures, deeds, marriage settlements, wills, and mortgages from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Ripon, England. Many of the documents include wax seals and tax postage stamps; however the earlier documents are without postage stamps. Many of the documents are handwritten on parchment while only one is written on paper. There is at least one document from the reign of each English monarch during this time period. Two of the documents are written in Latin; the one dated 1636 is in both English and Latin, while the rest are written in English. Only one document uses a printed form in which the persons, date, etc. are written in.
The greater part of the documents are indentures, frequently of the "bargain and sale" type. There are several mortgages, one marriage settlement, a will, and an apppointment of a minor official. This latter document is rather interesting: the appointment of the under steward of the Courts of Leets and Barron, by William Grosvenor, Land Steward for the Duke of Devonshire in 1710. Another document of interest was signed and sealed by William Ward, "Commissary of the Exchequor Court" of the Lord Archbishop of York, and gives the widow of a man who died intestate the administrative rights to his goods, chattels, and "cattels", etc. This occured in 1740 and women's rights to property bore no similarity to those they hold today.