The Pakenham cartulary for the manor of Ixworth Thorpe in Suffolk is one of the few secular medieval cartularies to survive. It is especially deserving of attention for its demonstration of the importance families of the Pakenham class attached to the provision of inheritances for their younger sons. Thomas of Pakenham, the man for whom the cartulary was composed, was the second son of the knight Sir William of Pakenham; his elder brother Edmund was the main beneficiary of their father's estate, but it is clear that Sir William wished to provide for all his sons: the manor of Ixworth Thorpe was Thomas's inheritance. The charters collected in this cartulary represent the assets of Sir William in the vill, accumulated over a period of about fifty years, plus acquisitions made by Thomas after his father's death.
Dr S.D. CHURCH is Senior Lecturer in History, University of East Anglia.