Land agency donates 160 year archive to record office
- Published
A land agency is to donate its business archive stretching back more than 160 years to the Norfolk Record Office.
The Francis Hornor Memorial Archive comprises records of land deals and estate administration across Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex.
The archive records manorial court proceedings, rent accounts, correspondence and surveys.
It also contains thousands of maps and plans, most with detailed notes about crops and changes in tenancy.
James Carswell, cabinet member for cultural services at Norfolk County Council, said: "The Francis Hornor Memorial Archive stands out as one of the most important sources of historical evidence that exists for this county and city.
"I am delighted that it has been gifted to the Norfolk Record Office for the public to view and enjoy and we are extremely grateful to the Hornor family for their generosity."
Peter Hornor of Brown and Co who now own the archive after taking over the land agency will hand over the records to county council chairman Tony Tomkinson.
Mr Hornor said: "It charts much of the life of Norfolk through the work of successive generations of my forebears for more than two centuries. I very much hope that that the Memorial Archive will be used and enjoyed by all in perpetuity."