A register of medieval court rolls, surveys and maps, has been released online for the first time.
Information about 200 Nottinghamshire manors is accessible to the public thanks to the county council's archives team.
"Manorial documents are the earliest records for any local community," said archivist Mark Dorrington.
The register, with documents dating back to the 13th century, was funded by The National Archives.
Manors were agricultural estates compromising a village whose inhabitants would work the land for the estate's lord.
The manorial documents, which pre-date Parish records started in 1538, include such details as the hanging of a thief, men accused of sheep theft and a fight in 14th century Mansfield.
"We've got documents dating back to the 13th century and with some manors they continue right up until the 20th century," said Mr Dorrington.
He added that they could help people discover more about their family history.
"There's information on individuals, on relationships, particularly where land is being transferred from father to son," he added.
Anyone who wishes to search for a manorial document has to go through The National Archives website.
The original documents are spread across 49 different locations; most of them are kept in the UK and some reside in the USA.
The project to publish the register online was run by the Nottinghamshire County Council Archives Team in conjunction with the University of Nottingham and took five months to complete.
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