This collection comprises the papers of Colonel Stanley Barry (1873-1943), relating to Hampton Gay Manor. They were deposited in February 2012 as accession 6065.
The collection falls into three sections; research notes, photographs and transcribed deeds compiled by Colonel Barry in the 1920s and 1930s, covering the history of the manor from the medieval period; a collection of legal documents relating to the ownership and conveyancing of the manor house and estate during the tenure of the Wilson family and Charles Venables; and papers relating to the manor during its ownership by Wadham College, mainly touching upon works to the paper mill.
Hampton Gay Manor is located roughly 1 ½ miles north of Kidlington, Oxfordshire.
The manor was acquired by John Barry of Eynsham in 1544 and the manor house was built in the late 16th century. The house and surrounding estate remained in the Barry family until 1682, when it was sold to Sir Richard Wenman. It was resold to William Hindes in 1691 and remained in the Hindes family for over a century, passing by marriage to Henry Huguenin in 1798. In 1809, it was sold to William Wilson and in 1849 to Charles Venables. Wadham College, Oxford, purchased the estate in 1862 and held it until 1928. During this period, in 1887, the manor house was gutted by fire. It remains in a ruinous state. Hampton Gay's paper mill, which had suffered numerous fires, was finally closed in the same year and later demolished. The property was bought by Colonel Stanley Leonard Barry, a descendant of the original owners, in 1928.
Catalogued by Katherine Kinrade in October 2017.