Office of the Auditors of Land Revenue and predecessors and successors: Drafts of,...

Drafts of, and warrants for, particulars for lease and sale of crown land, most of which came to the crown at the Dissolution of the religious houses and chantries. They were prepared by the auditors of the Court of Augmentations, the Auditors of the Land Revenue and the auditors of queens consort, from the mid-sixteenth to the mid-eighteenth century.

The material dating prior to 1554 belongs to the auditors of the Court of Augmentations. Most of this material is loose within these bundles. The core of the material after 1554 in date are warrants to, and draft particulars prepared by, the Auditors for the Land Revenue. The warrants are from all the possible officers with responsibility for the sale or lease of crown land.

As well as some auditor's entry books, however, there are also warrants and draft particulars of the auditors appointed by queen's councils to oversee their lands held in jointure and some engrossed particulars of the 1670s, that are properly considered the records of Trustees for the Sale of Fee-Farm rents. In addition, there are some engrossed particulars of the later eighteenth and early nineteenth century are more properly considered the records of the Clerk of the Pipe; and two warrants, dated 1813 and 1819, that are the records of the Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues.

The draft particulars are in the standard form for the particular. At the top on the left will be the county and in the centre the title which states the former owner of the property. The main body of the particular will be made up of a central block of text defined by two thick ink lines. This text describes the value and history of the possession described outside the line to the left. The overall value of the property will be found outside the line to the right. So far the text is usually in Latin before 1732. Following this section will be any notes by the Auditor, usually in English, the last of which will give details of the warrant authorising him to prepare the particular, followed by his signature.

This series is largely unsorted and as well as the above records auditors' memoranda and rentals will also be found.