Question: We are trying to find out the history of our house prior to the census of 1841- where do you suggest we start looking%3F we know the inhabitant's name during that census was John Scrace and the owner of the property was Baroness Le DeSpencer ... nothing shows up when we search these two names . it would be nice to know whether the farmhouse even existed prior to this date
Answer: The best place to start looking is the tithe apportionment of the 1840's if one survives. This survey combines maps with apportionment schedukes that list the name of the owner and occupier. From there you could also try DeSpencer estate records - stewards accounts rentals surveys - as well as land tax returns. Most of these resources are to be found in the relevant county archive, though the DeSpencer archives may be elsewhere, try A2A or The National Archives website. Best of luck!
