Lydiard was mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) as one of the many manors which made up a great complex of estates or ‘fee’ belonging to Alfred of Marlborough. The Tregoze family, who originated from a village in Normandy called Troisgots, gained the estate through marriage in c1189 and the Tregoze name was added to that of Lydiard to distinguish it from the adjoining parish of Lydiard Millicent.
In 1300 the estate passed into the hands of the Grandison family who held it until 1348 when Lydiard together with Bletsoe in Bedfordshire descended to an heiress, Sybil, the wife of Roger Beauchamp. The Beauchamps held both estates until 1420 when Margaret Beauchamp succeeded to all her father’s properties. Margaret’s first husband was Oliver St.John, and so Lydiard came to the St.John family, who were to hold it for the next 500 years.
This collection is concerned with the medieval period prior to the St.John family's arrival at Lydiard in 1420 and key events affecting the descent of the manor during their occupancy.