Special Collections
Book of the Month, June 2006
Lawton Parry is a shadowy figure, of whom little is known other than that he served as Sheriff of Montgomery in 1795 and Mayor of Oswestry in 1802, and died in 1820. His papers at Senate House Library comprise two bound volumes drawn up 1797-1806 and entitled ‘A Particular and Valuation of the Estates of Robert Lloyd and Lawton Parry Esquires in the Several Parishes of Llansilin and Llanarmon dyffrun cereog in Denbighshire, Chirbury, Llanyblodwell and Ellesmere in Shropshire and Forden, Berriew, Bettws, Tregynnon, Llanfair, Pool, Guildsfield, Myfod and Llanrhaidr in Montgomeryshire’ and ‘Survey of several Farms Tenements and Lands in the Counties of Salop Denbigh and Montgomery belonging to Lawton Parry Esqr’
The information contained in the first volume is largely textual and arranged in tables, broken down to field level. Starting with the name of the estate, the parish and the name of the farm, entries can include the name of the tenant, the nature, extent and condition of the farm buildings, the numbers and dimensions of the property's fields - and value per acre.
The second volume also contains tabulated details of farms and other properties, but is more visually appealing as it includes hand drawn maps, usually at a scale of six chains (132 yards) or nine chains (198 yards) to the inch. Waterways are inked in blue and buildings in red. The names of neighbouring landowners are noted.
The detail that the volumes shed on rural Welsh property management at the turn of the 18th/19th centuries renders the collection valuable for local as well as economic historians. In 2005 the collection, in view of its importance to local historians, was selected for description on the Helpers web interface.
specialcollections@shl.lon.ac.uk 
020 7862 8470 shl.specialcollections@london.ac.uk 020 7862 8470
