England & Wales, Roman Catholics, 1717

About this collection

The collection comprises of 211 pieces from the FEC 1 series at The National Archives covering the Forfeited Estates Commission, abstracts of estates of “Popish recusants”.

Abstracts of estates usually incorporate alphabetical lists of convicted recusants registered in the various counties and some towns, in England and Wales. The returns include those estates which were described in the register, but for which no valuation was given.

Included is a large collection of deeds and other documents produced before the Commissioners of the Forfeited Estates and relating to the estates of persons attainted during the rebellion of 1715. Some of these documents date back at least to the 16th century. They are mostly arranged under the names of the attainted persons. They include original claims of the various persons upon the several estates forfeited to the Crown; proceedings of the commissioners, including correspondence, minutes and memoranda, accounts, lists and schedules, and inventories of documents; returns by clerks of the peace of the names and estates of papist recusants in England and Wales arranged by counties; rentals and particulars of estates sold; and information respecting lands given to “superstitious uses”.