ISCOYD PARK ESTATE PAPERS

Includes: Deeds, 1742-1886, relating mainly to premises in London and Flintshire; rentals of London properties, 1797-1822, and of Iscoyd Park, 1842-1934; estate and household accounts of Iscoyd Park, 1797-1987; papers concerning Polbreen and Wheel Coit tin and copper mines and Trevanaunce Pier & Trading Company, 1793-1827; family correspondence, 1803-1981, including letters from A.E. Godsal during naval service, 1904-1921, W. H. Godsal, 1913-1916, including army service in the First World War, and Philip Godsal in a P.O.W. camp in Germany, 1914-1917, diaries, 1789-1963, and business papers of Philip Godsal of Long Acre, London, coachmaker, 1776-1825.

The Iscoyd estate, Is-coed, Flintshire, near Whitchurch, Shropshire, was purchased in 1739 from Thomas Deaves of Whitchurch by William Hanmer of Fenns, who built the present hall in about 1742. After his death in 1754 the estate passed to his wife, Elizabeth, and then to their only child, Esther, wife of Assheton Curzon esq. of Hagley, Staffordshire. He sold the estate to the Rev. Richard Congreve of Leacroft, Staffordshire, in 1780, who by his will bequeathed it to his wife, Martha, for her life and then to be equally divided between his two younger children, Richard and Mariamne. Richard died sometime before 1833 and the entire estate passed to his unmarried sister, who after enlarging the estate was forced to mortgage it heavily. In 1843 the estate was sold to Philip Lake Godsal of Cheltenham for £12,500. The original mansion house occupied by the Deaves family was later used as outbuildings for the new one but the greater part was apparently pulled down by a member of the Congreve family. The estate then descended in the male line, the estate now belonging to Philip Caulfield Godsal.

Most of the deeds relating to the Flintshire properties are retained by the Godsal family and are listed in an appendix held at Flintshire Record Office. Among the deposited papers however are a number of interesting deeds for properties in Cheltenham and in London, including the coachmaking works of Philip Godsal in Long Acre. Other items of special interest are his diaries 1789-1826 and legal and financial papers concerning debts owed him by the Marquess of Blandford which resulted in his coming into possession of Marlborough House as mortgagee for a short time. There are also several bundles of correspondence from Frederick W. Godsal and Byam Martin Godsal in Canada to their relatives in Britain describing all aspects of their stock-faring life and the opening up of the country to the west, and letters from Walter, Alfred and Philip Godsal, all of whom were serving at the front in the First World War.

Arranged chronologically into the following: deeds; estate records; maps and plans; mining; family papers; military; business; office records; newspapers; financial records; legal papers; official; local affairs; miscellaneous; and appendix (deeds).

Items less than 30 years old are not to be produced.

Data Protection Act restrictions will apply to any items less than 100 years old that contain personal information as defined by the Act.

Please order documents using the alternative reference number (where provided).

Compiled by Mair James for the HMC/NLW Family and Estates project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Veysey, A.G., ed., Guide to the Flintshire Record Office (Flintshire County Record Office, 1974); Burke's Landed Gentry (London, 1952); Richards, M., Welsh Administrative Units (University of Wales Press, 1969).

Hard copies of the catalogue are available at Flintshire Record Office, National Library of Wales and the National Register of Archives.

Compiled by Mair James for the HMC/NLW Family and Estates project. Input by Gemma Gittins. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Veysey, A.G., ed., Guide to the Flintshire Record Office (Flintshire County Record Office, 1974); Burke's Landed Gentry (London, 1952); Richards, M., Welsh Administrative Units (University of Wales Press, 1969).

Usual copyright regulations apply.

Usual copyright regulations apply.

Some items returned to depositor

Accruals are possible

Deeds listed in an appendix to the catalogue have been retained by the family solicitors. Further papers relating to the Godsal family are Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, and Shropshire Records and Research Centre, 540.