Though based in London at 1 Mitre Court Buildings, the Temple, much of Captain H.W.Knocker’s professional work as a solicitor dealt with Manors. On these, their courts, their history and procedure, he was regarded as a leading authority. He acted as Steward of many local manors in Kent and the area around Coventry and was a great collector of records dealing with this area. Captain Knocker is known to have donated collections of manuscript material to several institutions and this particular collection was presented to the University of Sydney Law School in April of 1938.

The items in the collection range in date from 1334 to 1935 and include not only manuscripts but also a small number of books and pamphlets. Among the various types of manuscript are charters of feoffment, deeds of grant, bargains and sales, fines, releases, and covenants.