Hi all, I'm posting this message as an advert for the potential usefulness of manorial documents. Just to give you an example of the kind of goldmine that can be dug up from manor records, here is something I found this week at Derbys Record Office in Duffield Fee Court Book D1404/20 covering dates 1652-60 (the only period before 1733 when entries were in English, yay) - I hope it may be of use to present or future SOMERS hunters: (It was presented to the Court that a Robert SOMERS had died, who held a messuage and a couple of crofts in Duffield Manor) "and that George SOMERS of the age of 16 (xvi) yeares and upwards is the Kinsman and next heir of the said Robert SOMERS to witt the only Son of George SOMERS his father who was Sonn of Geo: his Grandfather who was Son of George his Great Grandfather who was Son of Thomas his Great Great Grandfather which Thomas was Eldest Brother of Bartholomew who was Father of Robert which Robert was Father of the said Robert SOMERS lately deceased, And the said George SOMERS the heir then being present in Court did then make choise of Henry NOTON his uncle to wit his Mother’s brother to be his Gardian dureing his minority". The entry goes on to say that a counter-claim to the holding was made by William SOMERS a brother of the lately deceased Robert by a different mother (his claim didn't succeed). Celia Renshaw in Chesterfield UK