Estate papers largely consist of correspondence between George Harry Grey (1737-1819), 5th Earl of Stamford, and his agent for the Cheshire Estate, Isaac Worthington, who was succeeded in 1809 by Hugo Worthington. The Earl of Stamford spent much of his time away from Dunham Massey and relied on his agent to keep him informed of the running of the estate and to keep abreast of local affairs. The agent was given a degree of autonomy in the day-to-day administration of the estate, but invariably sought instruction from Lord Stamford before taking important decisions on his behalf.
The correspondence concerns general estate business such as the granting and renewal of leases, tenancy matters, purchases of estates, sales of timber, estate staff, the felling of timber on Bowdon glebe, and also local affairs and issues that affected the estate and Lord Stamford's interests, such as schools, churches and charities, and a claim by the vicar of Bowdon to vicarial tithes.
The series contains the following items: a bundle of general estate papers, 1773-1798 (EGR4/1/8/1); a bundle of papers relating to the estates in Stayley and Ashton under Lyne co. Lancs, 1785-1819 (EGR4/1/8/2); a bundle of letters from Isaac Worthington on general estate matters, 1798-99 (EGR4/1/8/3); a bundle of general estate papers, 1800-18 (EGR4/1/8/4); a bundle of correspondence relating to the felling of trees on Bowdon glebe, 1804 (EGR4/1/8/5); a bundle of papers relating to the purchase of estates from Booth Grey, 1804 (EGR4/1/8/6); two bundles of correspondence with Isaac Worthington on general estate matters, 1806 and 1806-8 (EGR4/1/8/7-8); four bundles of correspondence with Hugo Worthington on general estate matters, 1809-10, 1811-12, 1813-14 and 1815-16 (EGR4/1/8/9-12); a bundle of papers relating to Bowdon vicarial tithes, 1815-16 (EGR4/1/8/13); an account of the reserved rents in Wilmslow parish, 1815 (EGR4/1/8/14); a case for legal opinion concerning whether Lord Stamford could delegate powers of executing leases to Lord Grey, 1818 (EGR4/1/8/15); and a list of fields and estates [?purchased by Lord Stamford] in Altrincham, Bollington and Ashton under Lyne, undated (EGR4/1/8/16).