E. Land, Manorial, and Property Records – The Bracknells of Odiham

Odiham has a rich body of manorial and estate material, supported by 19th‑century tithe mapping, that allows detailed reconstruction of landholding, tenurial customs and property boundaries from the 16th century onward. Key resources sit at Hampshire Record Office, supplemented by manorial rolls for the Odiham Hundred held elsewhere and by national‑level enclosure documentation.

Manorial records

Odiham was historically a royal manor and centre of the Odiham Hundred, generating manorial court rolls, inquisitions and related estate records over several centuries. Hampshire Record Office holds indexed Odiham manor material from the 16th–19th centuries, while a separate handlist identifies parchment rolls for “Odiham Hundred (Hampshire)” within a major manorial collection, making manorial documentation an important strand of locality research.

Table: Manorial records

Aspect	Details
Main local repository	Hampshire Record Office (HRO), which holds “Indexes to Odiham records” including surname and subject indexes to Odiham manor records, 16th–19th centuries (covering series 15M50, 25M63, 50M63). archivescatalogue.hants+1
Indexed content	Surname index and subject index for Odiham manor records, with subject cards for animals, boundaries, common fields, customs, encroachments, fines, hedges, highways, manorial courts and similar topics. archivescatalogue.hants
Types of manorial documents	Court rolls, surveys, rentals, inquisitions on dilapidations, and other estate papers relating to the manor of Odiham and possibly its associated manors. hantsfieldclub+2
Wider manorial context	A handlist of English manor rolls includes parchment rolls for “Odiham Hundred (Hampshire)” alongside other manors, indicating additional manorial court material beyond HRO, likely at Harvard Law School Library or similar specialist repositories. medievalgenealogy
Royal manor / palace site	Historic England’s record for a royal palace/manor site at Odiham (Palace Gate, Priory, Vicarage area) notes deeds and references to the manor house and later buildings incorporating its remains, pointing to further estate and title deeds in private and archive hands. heritagegateway

Land and property sources (tithe, enclosure, estates)

Odiham’s tithe map and apportionment of 1843 provide a parish‑wide snapshot of land ownership and occupation, with parcel‑by‑parcel detail valuable for mapping families onto the landscape. Earlier and later land reorganisation, including enclosure, is documented through awards and maps now dispersed between local record offices and national legal series, while estate papers connected to the royal manor and later large landowners are indexed in county catalogues.

Table: Key land and property sources

Record type	Date / period	Repository / access	Notes
Tithe apportionment (Odiham)	1843. archivescatalogue.hants	Hampshire Record Office, reference 65021/F/7/177aa – tithe apportionment for Odiham; digital copy available on CD/505. archivescatalogue.hants	Lists each numbered plot in the tithe map with owner, occupier, land use and rent‑charge; essential for mid‑19th‑c property and occupancy mapping.
Tithe map (Odiham)	1843 (paired with apportionment). archivescatalogue.hants	HRO, reference 65021/F/7/177b – tithe map, with instructions to use digital copy (CD/505). archivescatalogue.hants	Large‑scale map showing field boundaries, buildings and plot numbers; ideal base map for one‑place studies.
Manorial / estate papers (HRO series 15M50, 25M63, 50M63)	Mainly 16th–19th centuries. archivescatalogue.hants+1	Hampshire Record Office. archivescatalogue.hants	Include manorial court documents, rentals, surveys and other estate records for Odiham; surname and subject indexes ease entry into otherwise complex series. archivescatalogue.hants+1
Royal manor / palace area deeds and evidence	Medieval–post‑medieval. heritagegateway	Various, including HRO and possibly private or national collections referenced by Historic England record. heritagegateway	Evidence for royal palace/manor remains at Palace Gate Farm, The Priory and the Vicarage, with references in deeds dated 1718, 1723–4 and later. heritagegateway
Enclosure awards and maps affecting Odiham	Mainly 18th–19th centuries (exact Odiham act(s) to be identified). nationalarchives	Likely at Hampshire Record Office and The National Archives; enclosure awards generally filed with clerks of the peace or central courts and later with Ministry of Agriculture series. nationalarchives	Enclosure awards list landowners, acreage, tenure and new roads/rights of way; they offer another detailed land‑ownership snapshot, especially where common fields were reorganised. nationalarchives
General manorial documentation guidance	Medieval–modern. libguides.bodleian.ox	National and academic guides, such as Bodleian’s manorial records guide, explain how to interpret manorial courts, surveys, terriers and maps for English localities including Odiham. libguides.bodleian.ox	Helpful for methodology rather than Odiham‑specific content.

Notes and research strategy

Start with the 1843 tithe map and apportionment to anchor 19th‑century Odiham families to specific plots and then work backward using manorial rentals and court rolls for those holdings.archivescatalogue.hants+2
Use the HRO surname and subject indexes to navigate Odiham manor records, then supplement with the “Odiham Hundred” manor rolls identified in national handlists for earlier or parallel manorial jurisdictions.archivescatalogue.hants+2