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Manor court records are a rich resource for information on a variety of people, rich and poor, men and women, old and young, who lived in the wide area covered by Conisbrough manor. The fact that the surviving court rolls cover such a long chronological span makes them uniquely valuable as a historical source. Although the survival is patchy, especially in the earlier period, much can be gleaned. The very size of the manor provides opportunities for local historians to discover connections across parish boundaries that might otherwise be elusive. As with all records, there are limitations that need to be noted and difficulties in using manorial records.
The first difficulty is that of handwriting styles. For those unacquainted with early handwriting, an initial examination can be daunting. However, with patience and perseverance it is possible to become familiar with a variety of styles, so that what at first sight appeared illegible becomes as easy to read as modern handwriting. It is wise to become accustomed to earlier handwriting by using documents written in English: an excellent online interactive tutorial is available at the National Archives website https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/default.htm.
A further difficulty with manorial records is that, except for the 1650s, the rolls are in highly abbreviated Latin until 1733. While a basic knowledge of Latin is an ideal starting point, it is possible through self-tuition to translate most of the material contained in the rolls. Eileen Gooder's Latin for Local History (Longmans, 2nd edition, 1978), available in paperback, offers a very good tutorial for the Latin likely to be found in the documents and contains a useful glossary. This should be supplemented with a Latin/ English dictionary, a Latin grammar and R. E. Latham's Revised Medieval Latin Word-List (Oxford, 1965) (a copy of which is held in Doncaster Archives). It is best, before tackling the Latin rolls, to become familiar with the material likely to be found there by reading published translations, like the Wakefield court roll series, and by examining those Conisbrough rolls that were written in English. Denis Stuart's Manorial Records (Chichester, 1992) contains a good number of photographed manorial records, with translations. Much of the language in the rolls is highly formulaic, and once the formula has been mastered, it is likely to be found repeatedly. As with all handwritten documents, half the battle is knowing what is likely to be contained in the document.
Even without Latin, an ability to cope with the handwriting can enable the local historian to extract names of people from the rolls: those who appear in lists of jurors, those owing suit of court, those surrendering or being granted land, officers, those presented for offences and those involved in litigation. Names can be found in the rolls well before other sources like parish registers, and the persistence, disappearance and arrival of new surnames can be followed. Field names, place names and particular features appear often, and these can be tracked through the records. With knowledge of some Latin, just a few of the formulaic words and phrases used in the documents will make more information available. Not only can the names of litigants be determined, but also the nature of the dispute. Relationships indicated in land transfers can be gleaned (son/daughter, wife, kinsman), as can the approximate date of death by the paying of heriot, or indications of an impending marriage by land transferred to be held by a man and woman jointly (this may include the names of both fathers). The nature of offences can be determined: women engaged in brewing, and men (and women) involved in brawls or drew blood are those that appear repeatedly. By continuing to work through the documents, more complex and unusual (and often more interesting) information will be revealed.
One of the most interesting aspects of manor court records is the insight they can provide into the day-to-day lives of ordinary people. The agricultural routine was regulated by the manor court, but this does not appear directly in the court rolls. It did not involve the lord's financial interest, and this was the main purpose of the record. But sometimes (as in 1483), the penalties enjoined were recorded, and in other rolls those who had acted against the penalties were presented and their offence noted. From these some indication of the seasonal routine can be deduced, along with the working of the open field system. Information on animals kept and crops grown can be gathered from recording of strays and from debt litigation. Debt and detention cases can also reveal something of the credit relationships that formed the basis of the local economy. The recording of pledges provides useful information on personal relationships, since those prosecuting or defending a case, and those in mercy, usually had to find a pledge who would guarantee the payment of any sums owing to the court. Those elected to hold manorial office or those serving on a jury can indicate a degree of prominence in the community. And, of course, affrays and assaults show at least temporary breakdown in some relationships. There may be some individuals who were consistently in trouble for offending in various ways. Land transfers can reveal information on the nature of land tenure, inheritance patterns, provision for dependents and sub-letting of land. There may be details of the holdings themselves (an extra cottage, gardens, orchards, hempyards, closes) or clues to their location, sometimes by landmarks still surviving (e.g., next to the church, the castle, the river). It may be possible to observe an increase in closes or references to land taken in from the commons. The rolls contain information on the exploitation of resources: quarries, fishing, minerals, and some indications of by-employments. The rolls included on this website can be searched, by category or keyword or both, to bring up examples.
In those periods when there is a good run of rolls, examination of a number of consecutive years will allow patterns to emerge and exceptions to be noted. In addition to the rolls, accounts, rentals and surveys exist. Accounts list the manorial income received by the steward, from rents, demesne produce and profits of the manor court. They also record expenses: the amount the steward paid out for materials or labour. Rentals were made less frequently, and were most likely to be produced when the manor changed hands. They give a "snapshot" view of the tenants and the amount of rent owed by each. The rental of 1441 provides useful detail of landholdings, in both free and customary tenure, services remitted to money payments and services still due to be performed, and parts of the demesne previously rented out that had been taken back into the lord's hands. The 1805-06 survey of Conisbrough and Conisbrough Park provides a detailed description of lands held, acreage, crops, fields and closes, some houses, an iron works, limestone quarry, mills and wood.
The greater the number of different sources used, the better the understanding that can be obtained. Manor court records might suggest things that could be investigated through other sources, or substantiate or call into question conclusions drawn from those sources. What must be kept in mind throughout is that not everything that happened was recorded. Changes in what was recorded do not necessarily reflect changes in what was occurring. There is great variation between different scribes and periods in the amount of detail provided. It is also wise to remember that scribes could make mistakes, particularly as they were usually drawing up fair copies from notes. But the records are a rich resource for local history and will amply reward the effort expended in using them.