Posted on January 15, 2026 by beth

The South West Heritage Trust has acquired two remarkable collections that shed light on a pivotal moment in medieval history. Recently allocated to the Somerset Archives through the Acceptance in Lieu Scheme, these archives include medieval deeds linked to Reginald Fitzurse – one of four knights who murdered Thomas Beckett – and a treasure trove of documents from the Medlycott Family of Milborne Port featuring estate maps, political papers, naval diaries and more.

Archivist Liz Grant shares further detail behind their stories and significance.

The Murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury

The first collection allocated is four deeds which form part of the archive of the Luttrell family of Dunster Castle. Whilst these are excellent examples of Medieval deeds it is the person of Reginald Fitzurse which makes them remarkable.

Not much is known about Reginald’s early life, but he was the son of Richard Fitzurse and on his father’s death he inherited the manor of Williton in West Somerset. Reginald became infamous in 1170, when spurred on by hasty words from King Henry II he and three others returned from France to England and murdered Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Following the murder, Reginald Fitzurse and his accomplices fled to Scotland, and then to Knaresborough. King Henry II, as murderers of a priest, referred their punishment to the Pope who excommunicated them and banished them to the Holy Land. Prior to his departure from England, Reginald Fitzurse gave half of his estates at Williton to his brother, Robert and the other half to the Knights of St John. The deed pictured below (left) is the document which records this grant by Reginald Fitzurse to his brother. It is witnessed by two of his fellow murderers, Hugh de Morville and Richard Brito.

The manor of Williton, was split by this deed into the manors of Williton Fulford and Williton Hadley. By the late 16th century the ownership of the manor of Williton Hadley had passed into the hands of the Luttrell family of Dunster Castle, which is how the documents came to be part of their archive.

Above left: A grant by Reginald Fitzurse to his brother Robert Fitzurse of half of the manor of Williton or Willeton, dated c. 1171-1173. It is signed by Reginald and witnessed by two of his fellow murderers, Hugh de Morville and Richard Brito (DD/L/P/33/1/1)

Above right: Charter of Savaric, first Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury, granting to Robert Fitzurse and his heirs that every canon of the prebend of St Decumans’ shall cause a chaplain to reside in the vill of Williton and celebrate daily in the Chapel, dated between 1192-1205 (DD/L/P/33/1/4)

Above: A notification by King Henry II of his confirmation to Robert Fitzurse of a moiety of Williton as granted by his brother Reginald Fitzurse, dated between May 1172 and May 1175 (DD/L/P/33/1/2)

Above: A confirmation by Robert de Courtenay (son-in-law and heir of Reginald Fitzuse) to Robert Fitzurse of land at Swallowcliffe and half of the manor of Williton, dated c. 1172-1175 (DD/L/P/33/1/3)

The remainder of the Luttrell archive which dates from the 12th – 20th centuries and which is stored in over 300 boxes was allocated to the Trust through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme in 2017. The archive documents the Luttrell estates of West Somerset, along with estates in South Devon and Dorset.  Work is continuing to catalogue this collection in detail.

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The Archive of the Medlycott Family of Milborne Port

The Medlycott family, originally from Shropshire and by way of London, purchased the Ven estate at Milborne Port in 1698. James Medlycott, a lawyer and master in chancery, served as MP for Milborne Port from 1710-1722 and it is thought after he left parliament he built a great mansion at Ven. Subsequent members of the family served as MP for the borough of Milborne Port, until the seats were abolished as a rotten borough after 1832. Through the 19th century the family developed the house and gardens at Ven, but the Milborne estates were not large enough to support the house and the family moved to their other property, Sandford Orcas Manor in Dorset, leasing Ven to tenants. In 1957 the family sold Ven and settled permanently in Dorset.

The archive consists of two sections. The first has been held at the Somerset Heritage Centre on long-term deposit for many years and consists mainly of estate papers reflecting the ownership and management of the estates in Milborne Port and Henstridge. The property deeds contained in the collection cover the 14th-20th centuries and include deeds for the purchase of the manors of Ven and Toomer, estate leases and family settlements. Also represented in the collection are estate rentals, probate records, litigation, estate accounts and political papers.

A grant of Arms to Dame Elizabeth Medlycott, nee Tugwell and wife of Sir William Coles Medlycott, 1809 (DD/MDL unlisted collection)

Particular highlights of the collection include:

  • A 1689 parchment map of the manors of Toomer and Venn.
  • A 1782 estate map of Milborne Port, Milborne Wick and the manor of Kingsbury Regis, which depicts land ownership and evidence of an open field system, an accompanying reference book details the occupiers
  • A further estate map of 1817 of Milborne Port which supplements the official enclosure map for the parish, and again depicts land ownership
  • Poll book for the borough of Milborne Port for October 1774, a parliamentary borough later disenfranchised as a rotten borough in 1832
  • Papers of the Sherborne Yeomanry Cavalry, including muster rolls 1831, 1858-1859
  • Diaries of Rear Admiral Mervyn Bradford Medlycott, detailing his voyages aboard HMS Lynx, HMS Bellerophom, HMS Victory, HMS Turquoise, HMS Spiteful and HMS Duncan, and an expedition to the Crimea during the Crimean War. The diaries cover the period 1852-1881
  • Inventory of James Medlycott of Ven in 1731, compiled soon after the building of the house was complete, along with accounts for the building of the property
A section from a map of the Manor of Milborne Port and Milborne Wick and the Manor of Kingsbury Regis, surveyed by George King and Joseph Perks, 1782 (DD/MDL/15)

The second section contains more recently deposited documents, which mainly reflect the personal lives of the family. Of particular note are several Grants of Arms to the Medlycott family, along with an extensive photographic collection, which shows life at the family seat of Ven in Milborne Port through the 19th and 20th centuries, along with images of family pursuits such as sporting events and leisure activities. The collection also includes watercolours and illustrations by the family, diaries and game registers, all of which help to portray the life and pursuits of the family.

A watercolour of Ven, Milborne Port, Somerset, taken from the gardens, painted by Edward Medlycott in 1865 (DD/MDL unlisted collection)

Stored in over 40 boxes we hope to be able to commence cataloguing this collection in detail soon.

To reflect the nature of the family, the documents which relate to the Somerset estates and the family have been allocated for storage at the Somerset Heritage Centre, whilst documents relating to Sandford Orcas manor and estate have been allocated for storage at the Dorset History Centre.

With Grateful Thanks

The Trust would like to express our thanks and gratitude to the Acceptance in Lieu panel and everyone who has worked towards recognising the value of these collections, and to ensure their allocation to the permanent archive collections held by South West Heritage Trust.

  • Somerset Heritage Centre provides state-of-the-art storage for the historic records and printed material of Somerset and access to them. Book a visit to the Somerset Archives.