Cornforth Historical Consultants

The partners in Cornforth Historical Consultants first came together in the pursuit of the life history of Fanny Cornforth, model, lover and muse of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, published in 2001. Biographical research on artists, craftsmen, models and literary figures still forms an important part of our work.


Who we are

Anne Drewery read history at Sheffield University and works as a teacher in Sussex. She has a particular interest in Latin and medieval French, and is fluent in Swedish. Her research interests concentrate on history of topography, buildings and agriculture in the medieval and early-modern periods.

Christopher Whittick read law at Worcester College Oxford and trained as an archivist at Liverpool University; he has worked at the East Sussex Record Office since 1977. He has a particular interest in legal records, title deeds and manorial court rolls, and is an expert in researching the history of houses. He has taught palaeography, Latin and administrative history for the universities of Keele, Oxford, London, Sussex and Wales. He is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and of the Royal Historical Society.

What we do

• Transcription and translation from Latin and modern European languages

• Research work in medieval charters, court rolls and accounts

• History of houses in East Sussex

• Biographical research on artists, craftsmen, models and literary figures

• Documents in cipher

• Expert witness work: rights of way, proof of title, manorial lordships and manorial waste

How we do it

Although we regularly visit the National Archives at Kew, the British Library and County Record Offices in the South East of England, most of our work is based on the transcription and translation of copies of documents sent to us by clients.

What we don’t do

We don’t undertake general family history research, and cannot work out of the South East unless retained by the week.

Some recent projects

In the last two years, we have undertaken research on the early history of Pontefract Castle, the deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy, the manor of Whittington in Shropshire and documentary reconstructions of the towns of Mayfield and Winchelsea in East Sussex. We have advised on rights of way disputes in East and West Sussex, on the sale of manorial lordships and the entitlement to mineral rights and roadside waste.

How much will it cost?

We believe that the fairest way to charge is by the hour, with work on Latin documents priced at a slightly higher rate. Clients can opt for a brief synopsis of a document, a translation, a full transcript with abbreviations extended or all three – the cost will increase solely according to the time we spend on your work.

A schedule of charges, and more importantly an idea of how long you can expect different sorts of work to take, is available on request.

What should I do next?

Please get in touch with us by post, email or telephone. If you phone, the chances are that we will be out, but if you leave a message one of us will phone you back.