Approximately half the archive. Volumes, loose papers, deeds, maps, etc. Dr E.G.W. Bill produced the original Catalogue of Treasury Books soon after his appointment as Archivist at Christ Church in 1950. His introductory notes read as follows:

"The contents of this catalogue were dictated rather by practical considerations of convenient shelving than because they display any natural homogeneity. Although the majority, of course, are books of account produced in the Treasury, there are also many others which have little or no connection with it. There are others which have been included because they were too large to be guarded with the estate papers to which they often relate. This is true mainly of the surveys and valuations, and of some of the small miscellaneous items.

Bearing in mind the present division of functions between the Treasurer and Steward, it may appear that some of the latter's books have strayed into this collection. This is not really so. Until 1865, the functions of Treasurer and Steward were fused in the duties of the Treasurer, who was therefore responsible for much of the internal administration of the colleges as well as of the estates. In that year, the office of Steward was created, and its first holder was R.G. Faussett, who also became Treasurer in 1868. The division was thus obscured until the final separation of the offices with the appointment of Michael Sadler as Steward in 1888[6]. Until that date, records of both departments were in fact produced in the Treasury, and even afterwards the distribution of functions took some years to stabilize. It has not therefore been found desirable to treat books relating to the Stewardship as a separate category. Although some books have come into the Muniment Room which have no apparent connection with the Treasurer, it is very clear that the great majority were produced by the Treasurer, and that no distinction was drawn by him in this period between those relating to the Treasurership and those relating to the Stewardship. For this reason the catalogue has been divided in to three sections: General Treasury Books, books relating to the Internal Economy and books relating to the External Economy.

As already noted, a number of books having little or no connection with the Treasury are included. These are the Subdean's books (sect. 12), the papers of S.G. Owen (sect. 32), college clubs and annual reports (sects. 42-43). Apart from the Subdean's books, these have all been assembled by myself in the last few years. In addition the series of Regulations and Tutors' books were started before the ultimate division of Treasurership and Stewardship took place, but they are nor[t] now issued by the Treasurer. The Collections books seem properly to belong to the records of the Censors, but all except the last were found in the old Muniment Room.

The index is to the contents of the catalogue and not to the contents of the books. It is thus easy to be misled by it, unless the methods of transacting Treasury business are understood. The main books of account are described in sections 4-7 and section 9.

April 1955 E.G.W. Bill"

Apart from the material collected by Dr Bill himself (as mentioned above, and the material now listed in the class 'MR' dealing with Muniment Room papers), the work he undertook in the Archive was purely with the Treasury papers. All other classes of material which are now in the Archive (eg. later Steward's Office material, and papers from the Dean and Chapter, the Deanery, the Censors' Office, the Governing Body, and the Development Office) arrived after Dr Bill's departure to Lambeth Palace as Librarian. As a consequence, a few items have been moved out of Treasury papers into other classes, notably SOC which was formerly Treasury xvii but is now a large class in its own right. On the whole, though, the papers are largely in the order in which Dr Bill assembled them.

Dr Bill's notes and entries have been retained in the revised catalogue, but supplemented where necessary.

Although not listed in this catalogue, the property deeds and the estates papers form part of the Treasury papers. In the accessions registers and in the on-line catalogue, Treasury shelfmarks include the prefix letter 'T' to ensure that the electronic listing is reasonably organised. For citation, though, the 'T' may be dropped.

Changing styles of administration have meant that some of the newer items do not sit easily in Dr Bill's classification. It is hope, however, that indexing and electronic searching will eliminate any difficulties in locating required documents.

Covering dates: 1494 - present

Extent: Approximately half the archive.

Format: Volumes, loose papers, deeds, maps, digital records, etc.

Level: Fonds

Access: The majority of the papers are available for consultation, unless concerned with the current business of Christ Church, or subject to legislation such as the GDPR/DPA.

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Treasury papers

The original collection of Treasury papers (with some later additions) as collected and catalogued by Dr Bill in the 1950s. Mainly material relating to finance, including the internal and external economies, but incorporates some non-financial material relating to tuition, the statutes, and some material relating to individuals (notably Claude Jenkins and S.G. Owen).

Additional series which fall loosely under 'Treasury' but are listed separately:

Bonds

1658 – 1846

Miscellaneous bonds to perform covenants, some of which must have been accidentally or deliberately removed from leases.

Leases

1523 -

Property documents (leases, counterparts, bonds, licences to assign, etc. relating to Christ Church's properties across England and Wales. In the region of 20,000 individual documents. Most medieval documents relating to properties that were granted to Christ Church at the foundation in 1546 have been on deposit in the Bodleian Library since 1927. Not all leases are yet on the on-line catalogue. These will be added gradually. Currently (May 2022), leases of properties in Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Herefordshire, the Isle of Wight, Oxford City, and Somerset are on-line. Modern property documents are closed under the terms of the UK DPA/GDPR.

Estates correspondence

1406 - 2000

The guard books of estates papers (MS Estates 1 - 149) were created by Dr E.G.W. Bill. These are largely of correspondence concerning Christ Church's landed estates (with the later volumes more concerned with the Christ Church site and immediate surroundings). Papers in each volume can date from the foundation (and in a few cases, before that) and tend to cease around 1900. See below for list of Christ Church's properties granted at the Foundation and later Trust estates.

Later papers have been held in the Treasury's interim Muniment Room but, beginning in January 2022, a major shift to the Archive of another century's-worth of material is underway. Those files which relate to the estates have been incorporated into the MS Estates sequence and annotated 'Supp.' Generally, these are closed to external researchers but the period of closure will be reviewed.

There appears to have been a partial weeding of Treasury files immediately after the 2nd World War. Consequently, there are some estates which have no surviving correspondence between c.1900 and 1945.

Maps and plans

1612 –

Maps and plans of Christ Church properties (excluding those incorporated into bound or guarded volumes) from the 17th century to the 20th century.

Manors

1389 - 1933

Christ Church was given, as part of its Henrician endowment, a considerable number of manors (see list of properties below). The survival of manorial court records is hit-and-miss with some manors having far better records than others. Some of the documents were found by Dr Bill in the Treasury but most came from the office of the college solicitor where they had been at least since the abolition of copyhold in 1922. Early modern and modern court rolls are not as useful to historians as those from the medieval period as they largely record just presentments to copyholds.

Medieval deeds

117 medieval deeds and later bonds. This collection of mainly medieval deeds was in the Muniment Room in a box labelled 'unsorted deeds'. It would seem that these were missed when the majority of Christ Church's medieval material was deposited with the Bodleian Library in 1927, although they had evidently been missing for a considerable time. Several were unavailable when Salter and Wigram produced their editions of the Oseney and St Frideswide's cartularies in the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries. At some stage, they had been seen by Dr J.F.A. Mason, and many had been placed in envelopes annotated with notes, although further research will be required to determine their recent provenance. The deeds have now been removed from their brown envelopes (these have been retained, however) and stored in labelled archival-quality sleeves.

List of Christ Church's Foundation and later Trust estates (excluding modern acquisitions)

Christ Church's endowment was magnificent, its income exceeding that of its nearest rival, Magdalen College, by almost twice. The location, type, and origin of those properties are listed below. Many of the foundation and later estates were increased by purchase, altered by changes to land administration (particularly by enclosure and tithe redemption), and many have been sold, particularly after the passing of the Universities and Colleges Estates Act in 1858, and after the 1st World War. Those in bold type were the foundation properties, given by King Henry VIII in the Charter of Dotation of 11 December 1546.

Bedfordshire

Cople – rectory with tithes, buildings and glebe lands, apparently from the priory at Chicksands

Flitton and Silsoe – rectory with mansion house, tithe barn, and tithes, apparently in the hands of the Earl of Kent

Berkshire

Ardington – rectory with land and tithes, from Oseney Abbey

Buscot – farms, purchased in 1874

Chandlings – woods, from Abingdon Abbey, purchased by Dean Richard Cox in 1547 and transferred in trust to the Dean and Canons in 1562

Cumnor – a pasture, apparently given by Anthony Radcliffe to assist the fund for the building of Peckwater Quad, mortgage redeemed in 1692

East Garston – rectory with mansion house, glebe lands, pastures and all tithes, apparently originally from Amesbury Abbey

Easthampstead – advowson, bought by John Fell's trustees in 1701

Hampstead Norris – manor of Wyld Court, given by John Morris in 1639

Lyford – some tithes and a close, from Notley Abbey

Marcham – rectory with houses and dovecotes, glebe lands, tithes and all other profits, from Abingdon Abbey

New Windsor – three tenements, given by Joan Bostock in 1633

Sandford – some tithes, from Abingdon Abbey

Shippon – tithes, from Abingdon Abbey, but not granted to Christ Church until 1601 after a tussle with the Duchy of Cornwall

Wallingford – land near or in the castle, purchased in 1548, formerly part of the property of the College of St Nicholas

Buckinghamshire

Ashendon – church, rectory, and tithes, from Notley Abbey

Dorton – rectory with glebe land, tithes, and land, from Notley Abbey

East Claydon – land, from Notley Abbey

Fleet Marston - farm, bought in 1867

Helsthorpe – estate bought in 1773

Hillesden – church, rectory, mansion house, lands, and tithes, from Notley Abbey

Lathbury – rectory with tithe barn and chapel, houses and other barns, and tithes, from Lavendon Abbey

Maids Moreton – manor with lands, tenements, rents and profits, from Oseney Abbey

North Marston – house (called the Sign of the George) with houses, gardens, meadows, and pastures, and cottage, from Oseney Abbey

Pitchcott – estate, bought from Baron Rothschild in 1853

Saunderton – manor, probably from Thame Abbey

Slapton – advowson, bought from the Duke of Chandos in 1730

Willen – income, given by Richard Busby in 1697

Cambridgeshire

Chatteris – farm, purchased from funds given by Thomas Wood, bishop of Lichfield, in 1697

Cheshire

Acton and Bollington – tithes, part of the rectory of Rostherne

Acton Grange and Daresbury – tithes, part of the rectory of Runcorn

Budworth – rectory with parsonage, chapels of Whitton and Peover, glebe lands, and tithes, from Norton Abbey

Frodsham – rectory with parsonage and tithes, from Vale Royal Abbey

High Legh – tithes and land, part of the rectory of Rostherne; Rowley Bank Farm

Manley – fee farm rent, sold to Christ Church in 1913

Marthall – tithes, part of the rectory of Rostherne

Mere – tithes, part of the rectory of Rostherne

Newton and Hatton (with Daresbury) – tithes, part of the rectory of Runcorn

Over Tabley (with Knutsford and Peover) – tithes, part of the rectory of Rostherne

Preston – tithe barn and tithes, part of the rectory of Runcorn

Rostherne – rectory with lands and tithes, from Launde Abbey

Runcorn – rectory, from Norton Abbey

Sudley – tithes, part of the rectory of Rostherne

Tatton – tithes, part of the rectory of Rostherne

Thelwall – tithes, part of the rectory of Rostherne

Cornwall

St Tudy – rectory, bought by the Fell Trustees in 1699

Devon

Great Torrington – rectory with buildings, timber, advowson, and tithes, part of the administration of Sir William Petre, possibly from Abingdon Abbey

Ottery St Mary – tithes, leased from the Dean and Canons of Windsor in 1674

South Brent – rectory with tithes, glebe lands, etc., part of the administration of Sir William Petre, possibly from Abingdon Abbey

Dorset

Tincleton – house and tithes, from Abbotsbury Abbey

Tolpuddle – tithes and demesne land, from Abbotsbury Abbey

Essex

Leyton – house, given by Matthew Lee

Sheering – advowson, bought by the Fell trustees in 1699

Gloucestershire

Aldsworth – manor and parsonage with lands and tithes, from the abbey of St Peter in Gloucester

Batsford – advowson, bought by the Fell trustees

Bledington – rectory with glebe lands, tithes, and other property, from the abbey of Winchcombe

Bourton on the Water – estate bought by Richard Gardiner, and given to Christ Church in 1664

Down Ampney – rectory and parsonage with tithes and demesne land, from the hospital of St John of Jerusalem

Iron Acton – advowson, given to Christ Church in 1716 by William Jane

Little Compton – rectory, barns, glebe lands and tithes, from the abbey of Tewkesbury

Netherswell – rectory and tithes with glebe land, meadows and pasture, from Nutley Abbey

North Nibley – tithes with glebe lands, meadows and pastures, from Tewkesbury Abbey

Notgrove – manor and farm bought by Christ Church in 1871

Temple Guiting – tithes and profits, from the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem

Tetbury – rectory and all tithes, from Eynsham Abbey

Thornbury - rectory with buildings and tithes, from Tewkesbury Abbey

Thornbury – house and garden purchased for the benefices of Rangeworthy in 1858

Turkdean – manor and farm, from Oseney Abbey

Twyning – rectory with tithes and glebe lands, from Winchcombe Abbey

Winson – messuage and yardland, from Oseney Abbey

Wotton-under-Edge – manor and the rectory with buildings, lands and profits, from Tewkesbury Abbey

Herefordshire

Staunton-on-Wye – advowson, given in 1621 by William Wickham

Hertfordshire

Tring – manor and rectory, with the rectories of Wigginton and Long Marston, with glebe lands, profits and tithes, given by Mary Tudor in 1555

Isle of Wight

Arreton – farm, given to Christ Church in 1732 by William Smith, founder of Portsmouth Grammar School

Kent

Hawkhurst – rectory with mansion house, buildings, gardens, lands, tithes and profits, part of the administration of Sir William Petre (possibly from Abingdon Abbey)

Ivychurch – cottages and gardens, purchased with other land on Romney Marsh, in 1906

Lancashire

Kirkham – manor, court profits and royalties, houses, and the rectory and tithes, from Vale Royal Abbey

Whittingham – tithes from the lands of the chapelry of Goosnargh, from Vale Royal

Leicestershire

Great Bowden – rectory with parsonage, mansion house, glebe lands, etc., origin uncertain but possibly a property of the earl of Southampton

Market Harborough – rectory and a benefaction of Robert Smith given in 1609

Lincolnshire

Deeping St James – land, purchased in 1949

Kirton – farm, purchased in 1953

Spalding – farms, purchased in 1947

London

St Sepulchre's – houses in the Old Bailey

Middlesex

Harrow – manor, rectory, and tithes, reputedly from the land of Thomas Wriothesley, Lord Chancellor

Hillingdon (Colham) – tithes, from Thame Abbey

Kentish Town – part of Robert South's bequest of 1714

Montgomeryshire

Meifod, Welshpool, and Guilsfield – rectories with all appurtenances, from Thomas Wriothesley

Norfolk

East Walton – manor and all profits, from the administration of Sir Richard Southwell

Saham Toney – closes, from the administration of Sir Richard Southwell

Swanton Novers – manor with all the appurtenances and profits, from the administration of Sir Richard Southwell

Upton – manor, with all the appurtenances and profits, including fishings and fowlings, from the administration of Sir Richard Southwell

Wendling – manor with all appurtenances and profits, from the administration of Sir Richard Southwell.

Woodnorton - manor, with all the appurtenances and profits, including fishings and fowlings, from the administration of Sir Richard Southwell

Northamptonshire

Astrop – farm, buildings, with all profits, from Oseney Abbey

Badby – tithes, from Evesham Abbey

Bimney – meadow, part of the administration of Sir Thomas Pope

Daventry – manor, capital messuage with all appurtenances, and property in the town, from Daventry priory

Easton Maudit – land, from Lavendon Abbey

Flore – rectory, houses, glebe lands, tithes and profits, from Merton priory

Guilsborough – tithes, from Bolton Abbey, in Yorkshire

Harringworth – rectory with buildings, lands, and profits, from Elstow nunnery in Bedfordshire

Ravensthorpe – rectory with tithes, from the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem

Thrupp – land, from Daventry priory

Oxfordshire

Adderbury – farm, purchased for mineral rights in 1907

Banbury – tenement and land, from the administration of Sir William Petre

Beckley – tithes, part of Cardinal College, and back in Christ Church's possession in 1708

Benson – rectory and tithes, from Dorchester Abbey

Binsey – manor and profits, from St Frideswide's priory

Black Bourton – manor and profits, from Oseney Abbey

Blackthorn – Essex Farm, purchased with monies from the Fell, Boulter, and Bostock trusts in 1873

Bodicote – land, from the administration of Sir William Petre

Botley – meads, from Oseney Abbey

Brize Norton – church and rectory, with tithes and glebe lands, from Eynsham Abbey

Cassington – rectory and tithe barn with lands and profits, from Eynsham Abbey

Caversham – rectory with glebe lands and buildings, from Nutley Abbey

Caversham – property from the bequest of Robert South of 1714

Chalgrove – rectory and tithes, from Thame Abbey

Clanfield – messuage, from Oseney Abbey

Clattercote – site of the priory, from the administration of Sir William Petre

Cowley – manor, with lands and pastures, from Oseney Abbey

Cutteslowe – farm, purchased through the Holford and Stratford trusts

Deddington – manors of Deddington, Clifton, and Hempton, from the administration of Sir Thomas Pope

Drayton St Leonard – rectory with tithes, from Dorchester Abbey

Duns Tew – land, from Oseney Abbey

Elsfield – the 'home' farm

Enstone – rectory with glebe land and tithes, from Winchcombe Abbey

Epwell – cottage and land, from Oseney Abbey

Eynsham – closes, given by Rachel Paul in 1676, with additional land purchased with the Frampton bequest

Garsington – messuage and land, from Oseney Abbey

Garsington – farm from the Challoner Trust

Grafton – farm and manor, purchased in 1867 with funds from the South Trust

Hook Norton – land, purchased in 1874

Idbury – land, purchased in 1943

Lew – messuage and land, from Oseney Abbey

Medley – lands, purchased in 1861

Milcombe – manor, purchased in 1872

Overy – rectory and tithes, from Dorchester Abbey

Oxford:

St Aldate (with St Edward and St Michael and the South Gate) – tenements from Oseney Abbey and St Frideswide's priory

All Saints – rents and tenements, from Oseney Abbey

St Ebbe – tenements, from Oseney Abbey

St George – a tenement and the church, from Oseney Abbey

St Giles – tenements, from Oseney Abbey

St Giles – house from Kidd benefaction

St John – quit rents, from Oseney Abbey

St Martin – tenements, from Oseney Abbey

St Mary Magdalen – tenements, from Oseney Abbey

St Mary the Virgin – tenements, from Oseney Abbey

St Michael – tenements and quit rents, from Oseney Abbey

St Peter in the Bailey – tenements, from Oseney Abbey

St Peter in the East – tenement and quit rents, from Oseney Abbey

St Thomas – tenements, from Oseney Abbey

Pyrton – rectory with all appurtenances, from Norton Priory in Cheshire

Radcot – land and cottages, purchased in 1891

Shipton-on-Cherwell – land, from Oseney Abbey

Shotover – farm, purchased in 1909

Sibford Gower – manor and copyhold land, from Oseney Abbey

South Stoke – manor and rectory with all appurtenances, from Eynsham Abbey

Spelsbury – rectory with land and tithes, from the collegiate church of St Mary in Warwick

Stadhampton – land, bought in 1747

Standlake – farms, purchased in 1638 by Samuel Fell

Stratton Audley – manor, farm, rectory house, and all profits, from Bicester Abbey

Swerford – farm, purchased in 1860

Tiddington – meadow, bequeathed to Christ Church in 1726

Weald – land and farmhouse, from Oseney Abbey

Wendlebury – advowson, purchased with a bequest from Henry Smith in 1700

Westwell – manor and lands, from Edington Priory in Wiltshire

Woodeaton – farm, purchased by Christ Church in 1940

Wroxton and Balscott – rectories, with timber and tithes, from the administration of Sir Thomas Pope

Worton – messuage and land, from the manor of Worton

Shropshire

Careswell estate – five farms in Shropshire and Staffordshire given by Edward Careswell

Highley – Woolstans Woods, from St Wulstan's Hospital in Worcester, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Wentnor – advowson, given by Thomas Thynne in 1675

Somerset

Batheaston – rectory, glebe lands, properties, from St Peter and St Paul monastery in Bath

Midsomer Norton – rectory and manor, with all appurtenances and profits, from Merton Abbey in Surrey

Odcombe – advowson, given to Christ Church in 1726

Warwickshire

Butlers Marston – farms, purchased during the C18 and C19

Fenny Compton – manor site and land, from Clattercote Priory

Shotteswell – land, part of the administration of Sir William Petre

Tysoe – farm, purchased in 1861 with funds from the Lee Trust

Wiltshire

Charlton – rectory and tithes, from Ivychurch Priory in Hampshire

Chippenham – rectory with a tithe barn, all tithes and profits, from Farleigh Priory in Wiltshire

Chute Forest – fee farm rent, sold to Christ Church in trust for Pembroke College in 1677

Easterton – tithes, from Edington Priory

Maiden Bradley – rectory with all appurtenances, tithes and glebe lands, from Notley Abbey

Market Lavington – rectory, tithe barn, tithes and profits, from Edington Priory

Semley – advowson, purchased by Christ Church in 1717

Worcestershire

Aldington – tithes, from Evesham Abbey

Alvechurch – farms, part of the Lee Trust, and sold to buy new properties

Badsey – tithes, from Evesham Abbey

Chaceley – messuages, part of the Lee Trust

Chadwick – land, from St Wulstan's Hospital, and part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Claines – rectory and tithes, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Clifton-on-Teme – close and house, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Great and Little Hampton – tithes, from Evesham Abbey

Middle Littleton – tithes, from Evesham Abbey

North Littleton – tithes, from Evesham Abbey

South Littleton – tithes, from Evesham Abbey

Severn Stoke – messuage and land, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Wickhamford – tithes, from Evesham Abbey

Worcester – closes, land, and Frog Mill, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Yorkshire

Bramham – tithes, from St Oswald's Priory

Ellerbeck – manor, with lands, demesne, fowlings, fishings, and profits, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Featherstone – rectory and tithes, from St Oswald's Priory

Kildwick – rectory and tithes, from Bolton Priory

Leeds – rectory and tithes, from Holy Trinity Priory in York

Long Preston – rectories and tithes, from Bolton Priory

Northallerton – site of the dissolved hospital of St James with land and all appurtenances, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

North Otterington – vicarage, sold to Christ Church in 1868

Osmotherley – messuage and lands, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Skipton – glebe land, purchased in 1859

Thornton-le-Beans and Thornton-le-Moors – tithes, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Thornton-le-Street – tithes, part of the administration of Sir Richard Morison

Wath – rectory, glebe lands, and tithes, from St Oswald's Priory