[Recovered on 19 Oct 2026 from the original email in the family's Gmail, because this archive file was missing. Matched to this entry by its subject line; where several emails share a subject, the order within the group is not certain. Email addresses, phone numbers and private addresses are redacted.] Subject: Re: FW: Manor of Llandough - MDR Entries From: Sion Buckler Date: Fri, 06 Mar 2026 04:03 UTC ------------------------------------------------------------ Philip, You have been incredible. Thank you. God bless you. Sion Buckler On Tue, 3 Mar 2026 at 11:31, Philip Gale < [email redacted]> wrote: > Dear Mr Buckler, > > > > Thank you for your e-mail and additional information explaining the > background to your enquiry. > > > > Unfortunately, apart from the pre-war survey returns The National Archives > has only the only information recorded on-line MDR, and the following entry > appears most pertinent to your enquiry held at the Glamorgan Archives: *court > book, with other manors D/D B M/3 > * for > 1884-1937 held at Glamorgan Archives. We do not hold any other finding > manorial finding aids such as old index cards as the entries were updated > in 1990’s summarising the archive services catalogues of the time. Also, I > have no more access or information relating to the various archive > collections held outside of The National Archives than any other > researcher. The Bute Estate Archives held at the Glamorgan Archive Service > are catalogued under collection reference DB: Bute, Glamorgan Estate > > > > > The only physical source we hold is a paper copy of the catalogue of 370 > pages of the ‘Stuart family, Marquesses of Bute Archives: manorial records > and estate papers, mainly rel to Glamorgan and Monmouthshire estates’ > deposited at the National Library of Wales (NLW) in July 1950 (Ref. *NRA > 581*) which submitted to the National of Register of Archives which now > has a summarised entry in our on-line catalogue Discovery: *Glamorganshire > (Cardiff, Llantrisant, etc) and Monmouthshire (Newport, Machen, etc, NRA > Stuart 581 * > The reference to the Manors of Leckwith, Llandough, Cogan Cosmeston and > Walterson is M17, pages 113-116 of the catalogue although most of the > material predates 1900. This can be viewed at the library reading room at > The National Archive by prior appointment. The Bute Estate archives for > Glamorgan appear to be held at the National Library of Wales and the > Glamorgan Archive Service. The NLW paper catalogue (Ref. *NRA 581*) > broadly mirrors the NLW on-line catalogue: Bute Estate Records, - > National Library of Wales Archives and Manuscripts > > > > > A possibility worth bearing in mind is that the property, Great House Farm > / Ty Mawr / Cedfin may ceased to have been held by copyhold tenure by 1900 > and instead may have been held instead by a leasehold tenancy which if this > was the case the manorial records will not be relevant to your research. As > you mentioned the Bute estate interests were steadily disposed of from > c1900 culminating in sale of the estate’s leasehold interest to the Western > Ground Rents Company in 1938. This led to the widespread dispersal and > possibly destruction of the Bute estate records which makes it particularly > challenging to track down and identify individual documents. Furthermore, > catalogues often include bundle lists with individual documents concealed > by a general description of the contents of the whole bundle. > > > > I regret I cannot be of any further assistance; however I hope your > further research proves fruitful. > > > > Kind regards > > > > > > [image: The National Archives logo] > > *Philip Gale *|* Head of the Collections and Cultural Property Team* > T: 020 3908 X 9193 | W: *nationalarchives.gov.uk > * > Twitter: @UkNatArchives > The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey [postcode redacted] > > > > > > > > > > *From:* Sion Buckler <[email redacted]> > *Sent:* 26 February 2026 22:00 > *To:* Philip Gale <[email redacted]> > *Subject:* Re: FW: Manor of Llandough - MDR Entries > > > > *EXTERNAL*: This email originates from outside of The National Archives. > > Dear Mr. Gale, > > Thank you again for your helpful reply and for viewing the original > Manorial Documents Committee returns (HMC9/311). I entirely understand that > it is difficult to advise further without more specifics, and I am grateful > for the steer toward the Penrice and Margam Estate Records and the NLW > catalogue. > > To answer your question directly: the document historically referred to > within the family as the *“Williams Title”* (or the equitable interest > conveyance that underpinned it) dates to the period *c. 1900–1915*. It > arises from an agreement between John Williams (occupier of Great House > Farm / Ty Mawr / Cedfin) and Daniel Thomas & Son (Bute Estate quarry > operators / limestoners). In essence, the Williams family granted > permission for quarrying on part of the farm in return for equitable title > / permanent security of tenure once quarrying was complete. Daniel Thomas > is said to have formalised his side by a land-swap deed with the Bute > Estate (copy formerly held in Cardiff Library, now reported missing along > with its index card in 1984). > > This places the key transaction squarely in the early 20th-century Bute > estate rationalisation period, immediately before the 1916 agricultural > tenancy to John Williams and the 1915 death of Daniel Thomas (after which > Bute attempted eviction, only for the equitable interest to be asserted > successfully at the time). Family testimony, supported by the 1876 > limeworks severance (Glamorgan Archives D153/4-8) and the known industrial > quarrying context, points to this narrow window as the origin of the modern > title dispute. > > *Why this matters now* The 1987 Court of Appeal decision (*BP Properties > Ltd v Buckler*) turned on the technical effect of 1974 unilateral licence > letters addressed to “Mrs Buckler” – a name my grandmother Mary Williams > (née Williams) never used in her marriage or death records. By addressing > her under this legal fiction, the proceedings bypassed any adjudication of > the Williams equitable title that had been recognised as late as 1915. As > the principle “fraud unravels all” makes clear, once the foundational > misnomer is identified, the entire chain of subsequent possession orders, > licences and registration falls to be re-examined. My grandmother and her > heirs therefore retain the superior land claim; the 1988 dispossession and > demolition of the 800-year-old farmhouse constitute actionable loss for > which reparations are now sought. > > To strengthen the evidential base I have prepared a one-page interactive > timeline (hosted at [insert your hosted link here after uploading]) that > highlights every event directly relevant to the “Williams Title” period. > With your elevated archival access, you will immediately see where to focus > searches in the Penrice and Margam or Bute collections (e.g., 1895–1916 > leases, conveyances, limeworks/quarrying files, and any Daniel Thomas > references). > > I would be most grateful if you could now guide me to the precise > sub-series or box references within those collections that cover > Llandough manorial transactions in the 1900–1916 window. Any surviving > index cards, rental entries, or correspondence mentioning John Williams / > Daniel Thomas in connection with Great House Farm would be transformative. > > Thank you once more for your time and expertise. I look forward to your > further assistance. > > Kind regards > > Sion Buckler > > > > > > On Thu, 26 Feb 2026 at 14:44, Philip Gale <*[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*> wrote: > > Dear Mr Buckler, > > > > I have had an opportunity to view the file of original returns to the > Manorial Documents Committee (Ref. *HMC9/311*) and the single return for > the Manor of Llandough (see the attached image), and it provides less > information than the existing entries on the on-line MDR. The information > on the other manors in the return is equally sparse This may be because > many of the surviving manorial records were not in custody of the National > Library of Wales at the time of the original survey. > > > > The best course of action is to search the archive service catalogues, and > particularly the on-line catalogue of the National Library of Wales. Is it > difficult to advise you further without more information, for example do > you have rough date for the document called ‘Williams’s Title? A > particularly relevant archive collection appears to be the *Penrice and > Margam Estate Records, [c. 1147]-[19 cent.] / Penrice and Margam estate. - > National Library of Wales > * as > it includes the surviving manorial records for Llandough. > > > > There is useful guidance on the different types of title deeds published > by the University of Nottingham which might be helpful when searching > catalogues and consulting original property records: > > > > *Introduction to deeds in depth - The University of Nottingham > * > > > > I am sorry not to be able to provide any additional sources for your > continuing research. > > > > Kind regards > > > > > > [image: The National Archives logo] > > *Philip Gale *|* Head of the Collections and Cultural Property Team* > T: 020 3908 X 9193 | W: *nationalarchives.gov.uk > * > Twitter: @UkNatArchives > The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey [postcode redacted] > > > > > > > > *From:* Sion Buckler <*[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*> > *Sent:* 24 February 2026 17:42 > *To:* Philip Gale <*[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*> > *Subject:* Re: Manor of Llandough - MDR Entries > > > > *EXTERNAL*: This email originates from outside of The National Archives. > > You are a delight. > > My family thanks you. > > This means a great deal. > > > > Sion > > > > On Tue, 24 Feb 2026 at 13:50, Philip Gale <*[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*> wrote: > > Dear Mr Buckler, > > > > Thank you for your e-mail and for clarifying the subject of your enquiry. > > > > As you know the Manorial Documents Register (MDR) only gives general > descriptions of the content, extent and location of the manorial records > recorded in the register: *LLANDOUGH MANOR | The National Archives > * The > manorial records for the Manor of Llandough are held at the National > Library of Wales, Glamorgan Archives and West Glamorgan Archives, and their > catalogues can be accessed on-line : *NLW Catalogue > * , > *Glamorgan Archives Catalogue * and > *Archive Collections - Swansea > * > > > > The Welsh entries in the online MDR were added in the 1990’s were based on > the survey returns to the Manorial Documents Committee received from > institutions and private owners during the 1920’s. These were subsequently > passed to the custody of the Historical Manuscripts Commission in 1959 > which amalgamated with the Public Record Office to form The National > Archives in 2003. I have requested to see the original returns for Manor of > Llandough to see if they can provide any additional information on the > documentation relating to the manor (Ref. *HMC 9/311*: *https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5879336 > * ) > > > > There are several other manors with a similar name in Glamorgan and a MDR > search using the search term “Llandough” gives the following result: *Search > results: Llandough Glamorgan | The National Archives > * > Sometimes the administration of different manors were brought together and > this appears to have occurred with the Llandough and St May’s Church > Manors : *https://archives.library.wales/index.php/manors-of-llandough-and-st-mary-church > * > > > > I will contact you again once I have had an opportunity to look at the > original returns sent to Manorial Documents Committee. I hope this > preliminary information is of assistance. > > > > Yours sincerely > > > > [image: The National Archives logo] > > *Philip Gale *|* Head of the Collections and Cultural Property Team* > T: 020 3908 X 9193 | W: *nationalarchives.gov.uk > * > Twitter: @UkNatArchives > The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey [postcode redacted] > > > > > ------------------------------ > > *From:* Sion Buckler <*[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*> > *Sent:* Wednesday, February 18, 2026 5:49:54 PM > *To:* Philip Gale <*[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*> > *Subject:* Re: Formal Notice for Record: Church View Close, Llandough / > BP vs Buckler 1987 > > > > *EXTERNAL*: This email originates from outside of The National Archives. > > Dear Mr Gale, > > Thank you for your reply of 12 February. I would like to clarify and > narrow my request to ensure there is no misunderstanding regarding the > records I am trying to locate. > > My correspondence is *not* seeking an adjudication of ownership or title > — I fully accept the stated remit boundaries of the Manorial Documents > Register (MDR). Rather, my enquiry concerns the existence of *any > archival reference, index card, catalogue entry, or pointer to a document > historically known as the “Williams Title”*, which was, according to > contemporaneous family testimony, at one point: > > 1. Held in the *local public library* in the first half of the > twentieth century; and > 2. Indexed in some manner (e.g., an index card or catalogue reference) > that persisted even after the original document could not be located. > > My understanding of the MDR — as described on your own website — is that > it exists to provide brief descriptions of manorial records and details of > their locations: > > “An official index of English and Welsh manorial records providing brief > descriptions of documents and details of their locations… It does *not* include > title deeds or conveyances, and is *not* a register of ownership of > manorial lordships or rights.” > *https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/manor-search > * > > Based on that description, I would be grateful if you could confirm > whether: > > 1. *Any catalogue entries, index cards, reference pointers, or > archival descriptions* relating to the *Manor of Llandough* or the *Williams > family title* exist in the MDR or related archival catalogues. > 2. If so, the *reference identifiers* and information on how these can > be consulted in person or via digitised records. > > To be precise, I am looking for historical references to the *index card > or listing* for the Williams Title — whether held in a library, local > record office, or other institutional archive — rather than a claim for > ownership judgment itself. > > If such a reference does not currently appear in the MDR, I would greatly > appreciate guidance on where any known catalogue cards or entry lists for > manorial documents from *Glamorgan / Llandough* prior to 1950 might now > reside (e.g., regional archives, National Archives holdings, or affiliated > local repository catalogues). > > Anyway I anticipate your forgiveness, if I have erred in writing to you > earlier. > > Thank you again and in advance for your assistance. > > Yours sincerely, > > > Sion Buckler > > On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 at 14:30, Philip Gale <*[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*> wrote: > > Dear Mr Buckler, > > > > Thank you for your e-mail of 10 February whose contents are noted. The > National Archives does not hold any records relating to your enquiry. The > Manorial Documents Register which this department administers is a register > for the location of manorial documents and not of the ownership and descent > of manorial titles: > > > > *https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/finding-records-in-discovery-and-other-databases/manorial-documents-register/ > * > > > > A similar position holds for The National Archives responsibilities for > public records and concerns about the past management of official records > is a matter for the relevant government department such as HM Land Registry. > > > > Yours sincerely > > > > > > [image: The National Archives logo] > > *Philip Gale *|* Head of the Collections and Cultural Property Team* > T: 020 3908 X 9193 | W: *nationalarchives.gov.uk > * > Twitter: @UkNatArchives > The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey [postcode redacted] > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Sion Buckler <*[email redacted] <[email redacted]>*> > > Sent: 10 February 2026 22:15 > > To: Archives Sector Leadership <*[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*> > > Cc: *[email redacted] <[email redacted]>*; > *[email redacted] <[email redacted]>*; > Paul Egan <*[email redacted] <[email redacted]>*>; *[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*; *[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>* > > Subject: Formal Notice for Record: Church View Close, Llandough / BP vs > Buckler 1987 > > > > You don't often get email from *[email redacted] > <[email redacted]>*. Learn why this is important <*https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification > *> > > > > > > EXTERNAL: This email originates from outside of The National Archives. > > > > FORMAL NOTICE OF RECORD CHALLENGE, ASSERTION OF RIGHT, AND DEMAND FOR > ENGAGEMENT > > > > Dear Sir/Madam, > > > > This Notice is issued for placement on official record and for reliance. > It is not informal correspondence. I urge you not to resort to silence, > deflection, or delay, as doing so following receipt of this notice > constitutes knowing reliance upon, and maintenance of, records alleged to > be materially defective through fraud, concealment, denial of due process, > and systemic erasure. Please report any suspicious activity and > discrepancies identified. > > > > This Notice is issued in pursuit of narrative justice at this stage; > formal judicial remedies are expressly reserved. It serves to document our > family's side of the story before it is completely erased and history > rewritten, ensuring awareness among custodians of land, heritage, heraldry, > archaeology, and public records. > > > > My elder brother, Rhys Buckler, and I are the sons of the late William > Buckler (d. 1991), defendant in the landmark legal case BP Properties Ltd v > Buckler (1987), and the grandchildren of the late Mary Williams, whose > dispossession, marginalisation, and exclusion from judicial determination > remain unresolved matters of record. Mary Williams was repeatedly and > materially falsely addressed/mislabeled in legal and administrative records > as “Mrs Buckler,” a misidentification that was never judicially tested and > which directly affected the handling, scope, and outcome of proceedings. > The Williams/Buckler family held claim to the land title, having acquired > and occupied Great House Farm continuously since 1667, based on family > records, historical evidence, and centuries of resistance to adverse claims. > > > > I place on record that I am the first member of my family able to speak > publicly and formally on these matters. Other close family members remain > too traumatised and intimidated by the historical conduct of these > proceedings—including violent eviction, demolition, and loss of > livelihood—to engage, despite the continuing consequences of dispossession. > That silence must not be misread as consent, acquiescence, or abandonment > of right. There is a material distinction between free silence and silence > produced by fear, trauma, and coercive experience. > > > > The story, as we have pieced it together, reveals a multi-generational > pattern of lawfare and siege: from Norman/English conquests in 1100 > granting lordships over ancient Welsh Christian landscapes, through > monastic (1215–1539) and Crown seizures (1539 onward), to industrial > encroachments (e.g., 1876 Limeworks severance without consent) and modern > corporate possession actions. This culminated in the 1988 demolition of an > 800-year-old farmhouse amid police standoffs, leaving the family homeless > and the site scarred, now buried under Church View Close. Archaeological > vindication came too late—1994 excavations revealed over 1,000 Roman and > medieval burials, confirming family warnings (e.g., the 1870 Roman soldier > discovery under the living room floor, suppressed by authorities)—yet > heritage records celebrate the site while omitting our dispossession. > > > > The following assertions of right are now formally placed on record. They > have never been lawfully adjudicated or extinguished: > > > > 1. Rhys Buckler may be the rightful Manorial Lord of the Manor of > Llandough, by right of primogeniture and continuous hereditary connection > arising from our family’s occupation of Great House Farm from 1667 until > our narrative, legal, and physical dispossession. > > 2. I assert a claim to act as Squire of the Manor of Llandough, as > executive representative and guardian of the Buckler–Williams estate and > matriarchal lineage, with a mandate to pursue correction of record, > restitution, and restorative remedies. > > > > These are assertions of right, not settled declarations, placed on record > pending proper adjudication—which has been historically obstructed through > procedural narrowing, missing documents, and avoidance of full hearings. > > > > In 1974, Mary Williams was twice prevented from presenting her case and > obtaining a judicial determination of superior ownership, despite claims > grounded in long occupation, intent, and possession. The court confined > inquiry to animus possidendi (intention to possess) and excluded animus > domini (intention to own), reclassifying her from putative owner to mere > occupier and foreclosing title adjudication. BP sought possession only, not > ownership rulings—a choice unexplained and significant. Proceedings were > adjourned or quashed without resolution. > > > > This occurred despite evidence of ownership intent, including: > > > > * Centuries-long occupation and resistance (e.g., failed 1938 > auction due to local support; post-1945 rent disputes). > > * Roman-era remains and historical significance (e.g., Guglielmo > Marconi's 1897 residence during radio experiments, with family aid erased > from records). > > * Unformalized deals like the 1895–1905 Daniel Thomas quarrying > permission for promised title, undermined by vanished deeds. > > > > Judicial ownership examination would have engaged archaeological/heritage > protections, incompatible with redevelopment—consequences avoided, raising > credibility concerns. > > > > Serious unresolved anomalies persist, indicating something is still not > right with the record: > > > > * Licence correspondence dated 31 October 1974 surfacing only on 4 > November, potentially interrupting proceedings to prevent hearings. > > * Claims of 1974 benevolent withdrawal under press scrutiny > unsupported by verifiable coverage. > > * Land registration before Mary Williams’s 1983 death without title > determination; disputes possibly lodged/suppressed by Land Registry. > > * Inconsistent treatment of BP entities across proceedings to family > detriment. > > * Procedural barriers preventing effective defense (e.g., > interrupted essential services post-licence; 1960–1987 court rulings > dismissing ancestral title as "notion" without evidence). > > * Knowing bypass of archaeological constraints (e.g., 1978 trenches > ignored; no contemporaneous 1970s/1990s press on discoveries amid > development). > > * Missing key documents (e.g., 1667 conveyance, 1811–1835 Lambert > Williams agreements proving status, 1982–84 library deeds vanishing). > > * Risks of further erasure: Heritage databases celebrate > "Llandough Roman villa cemetery" while omitting our saga; modern residents > unaware of the "battleground" site. > > > > These anomalies suggest systemic theft, from colonial English subjugation > (e.g., 1543–1770 orbit shifts) to corporate siege, during > Wales' cultural/economic transitions. Authority derived through such means > is illegitimate under natural justice, customary Welsh principles, and > moral-legal frameworks. The record's distortion secures advantage, but > passage of time does not validate it. > > > > Preliminary assessment indicates cumulative benefits from redevelopment > (absent title extinguishment) exceed £100 million, forming a basis for > reparations—covering lost land, artifacts, livelihood, and trauma. > > > > I require relevant public servants, custodians, and > office-holders (including Land Registry, heraldry bodies, museums, > archaeologists, MPs, historians, and councillors) to cease delay, engage > substantively, review/correct/annotate records where defective, and prevent > further rewriting of history. Justice delayed is denied, especially with > verifiable evidence available. > > > > This Notice: > > > > * Challenges the record's accuracy, completeness, and legitimacy. > > * Place assertions of title/standing on record pending adjudication. > > * Reserves all rights without prejudice. > > * Puts officials/beneficiaries on notice that silence/reliance may > aggravate responsibility. > > > > For the avoidance of doubt, His Majesty the King was notified yesterday. > > > > This serves as an invitation to engage constructively before reliance > becomes untenable. > > > > Regards, Sion Buckler On behalf of the Buckler–Williams family [address redacted], > Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. *https://bpvsbuckler.datro.xyz/ > * <*https://bpvsbuckler.datro.xyz/ > *> > > > > Postscript — Disability and Succession (Material Notice): The > heir-apparent to the asserted Manorial Lordship is Rhys Buckler’s son, a > young man with Down syndrome. Any obstruction, marginalisation, or > differential treatment affecting his inheritance would engage the Equality > Act 2010 and UK international obligations on disability rights. Disability > cannot bar succession or recognition. This is recorded to prevent claims of > ignorance. > > Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to. > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > National Archives Disclaimer This email and any files transmitted with it > are intended solely for the use of the individual(s) to whom they are > addressed. If you are not the intended recipient and have received this > email in error, please notify the sender and delete the email. 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