| Description | Pedigrees, transcriptions, extracts from Harleian manuscripts, letters to Ormerod in response to enquiries, family papers, volume of notes re Malpas, volumes of Ormerod's 'History of Cheshire' with additional notes by him:
/1-2 Cheshire pedigrees up to early 19th century. Second volume also contains printed copy of Mr Squire's transcript of Domesday Book - Cheshire portion (2 volumes)
/3 (6 parts) History of Cheshire, 1st edition 1819, with numerous additional notes added on interleaved pages up to 1860s
/4 Proof copy index to History of Cheshire
/5 Volume containing copy of Cheshire Domesday from manuscript in possession of Duke of Westminster, extracts from Chartulary of St Werburgh, and catalogue of Justiciary of Cheshire
/6 Volume containing transcript of Annales Cestrienses, mock play St George and Slasher, Cowper's Summary of the Life of St Werburgh, transcript of charters of Mobberley Priory etc
/7 Volume containing notes of ecclesiastical presentations copied from Harleian Ms 2071, and a list by W Ward
/8 Family miscellanies. One volume containing letters and records of the career of George Ormerod, including early and unpublished poetry
/9 Volume on history of Malpas [14]
/10 History of the Siege of Chester, printed volume author unknown
/11 5 volumes of letters to George Ormerod relating to the History of Cheshire, c1813-1823
/12 Original MS collections relating to the Tarporley Hunt and ballads by REE Warburton |
| Administrative History | In September 1816 George Ormerod published the first part of his History of Cheshire.
Based at his home, Chorlton Hall, near Chester or with his in-laws near Sandbach, he did much of his research in person during day trips to all 509 Cheshire townships. His notes and sketches were filed in a large piece of furniture marked up with the ‘hundreds’ (ancient administrative areas) of Cheshire and this is how the publication is organised.
He also corresponded with landowners whose documents were still held locally in estate offices rather than gathered in a county record office as they are today.
In the winter months he worked on Cheshire documents held in the British Museum and wrote up his notes.
He kept bound proof copies of his original printed history and added notes, family trees, illustrations, newspaper cuttings and photographs to revise and update it throughout the rest of this life. These revisions were never published.
He completed this first, and only, comprehensive history of Cheshire in just six years. |