The title of Lord of the Manor arose in the English medieval system of Manorialism following the Norman Conquest. The title 'Lord of the Manor' is a titular feudal dignity which is still recognized today. Their holders are entitled to be called "John (or Jane) Smith, The Lord/Lady of the Manor of <Blogg>". Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Generic plan of a mediaeval manor; open-field strip farming, some enclosures, triennial crop rotation, demesne and manse, common woodland, pasturage and meadow Manorialism or Seigneurialism is the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ...

Tenancy

Since Saxon times land had been owned by a powerful local patron, who gave protection in return. The people who had sworn homage to the lord were known as vassals. However after the Norman Conquest, all the land of England was owned by the monarch (and still is), who then granted use of it, a transaction known as enfeoffment, to earls, barons and others in return for military service. The person who held feudal land directly from the king was known as a 'tenant-in-chief'. (see also Land tenure). The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging to King Raedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ... Look up vassal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Under the feudal system, enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. ... Land tenure is the name given, particularly in common law systems, to the legal regime in which land is owned by an individual, who is said to hold the land. ...

Sub-tenancy

Military service was based upon units of ten knights (see Knight-service). An important tenant-in-chief might be expected to provide all ten knights, and lesser tenants-in-chief, half of one. Some tenants-in-chief 'sub-infeuded', ie granted, some of their land to a sub-tenant. Further sub-infeuding could occur down to a lord of a single manor, which might only represent only a fraction of a knight's fee. A mesne lord was the level of lord in the middle holding several manors, between the lords of a manor and the superior lord. The sub-tenant might have to provide knight service, or finance just a portion of it, or pay something purely nominal. Any further sub-infeudation was prohibited by the Statute of Quia Emptores in 1291. Knight service was abolished in 1660 by the Tenures Abolition Act. Knight-service, the dominant and distinctive tenure of land under the feudal system. ... Subinfeudation, in English law, the practice by which tenants, holding land under the king or other superior lord, carved out in their turn by sub-letting or alienating a part of their lands new and distinct tenures. ... A mesne lord was a lord in the feudal system who had vassals who held land from him, but who was himself the vassal of a higher lord. ... The Statute of Quia Emptores (1290) was a statute passed by Edward I of England that prevented tenants from leasing their lands to others through subinfeudation. ... For broader historical context, see 1290s and 13th century. ... // Events January 1 - Colonel George Monck with his regiment crosses from Scotland to England at the village of Coldstream and begins advance towards London in support of English Restoration. ...

Courts

A typical manor contained a village with a church and agricultural land. The lord usually had a large block of this land. Some of the inhabitants were villeins and were bound to the land, others were freeholders, known as 'franklins', who were free from feudal service. Periodically all the tenants met at a 'manorial court', with the lord of the manor, or his steward, as chairman. These courts, known as Courts Baron, dealt with the tenants' rights and duties, changes of occupancy, and disputes between tenants. Some manorial courts also had the status of a court leet, and so they elected constables and other officials and were effectively Magistrates Courts for minor offences. A villein is, in the feudal system, a member of the class of serfs tied to the land, distinguished from those in actual slavery, but restricted by law from exercising the rights of a free man. ... A Court baron is an English manorial court dating from the middle ages and still in existence. ... At a very early time the lords of manors exercised or claimed certain jurisdictional franchises. ... A magistrate is a judicial officer. ...

Later history

The tenure of the freeholders was protected by the royal courts. After the Black Death, labour was in demand and so it became difficult for the lords of the manors to impose duties on villeins. However their customary tenure continued and in the sixteenth century the royal courts also began to protect these customary tenants, who became known as copyholders. The name arises because the tenant was given a copy of the court's record of the fact as a title deed. During the nineteenth century manor courts were phased out. In 1925 copyhold tenure formally ended with the enactment of Law of Property Acts, 1922 and 1924. Freehold is a term used in real estate or real property law, land held in fee simple, as opposed to leasehold, which is land which is leased. ... Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411). ... At its origin in mediaeval England, Copyhold tenure was tenure of land according to the custom of the manor, the title deeds being a copy of the record of the manor court. ...

Current status

Since 1926 the Historical Manuscripts Commission maintains two Manorial Documents Registers. One register is arranged under parishes, the other is arranged under manors and shows the last-known whereabouts of the manorial records. Those that have survived are often at County Record Offices but some are still in the hands of the owners. The National Archives building at Kew. ...

In English and Irish Law, the lordship of the manor is treated as being distinct from the actual lands of the manor. The title of lord of the manor is regarded as an 'incorporeal heriditament' (an inheritable property that has no explicit tie to the physical manor itself) ie it can be held "in gross", and it can be bought and sold, just as fishing rights might. Landowners may, therefore, sell their feudal title while retaining their land. The title separate from the land remains a feudal 'title of dignity'. Some have been defrauded into believing they are buying a genuine lordship of the manor. A genuine lordship of the manor is backed by original papers and proof of continuous ownership. Some rights and privileges, or even obligations may go alongside a particular lordship. Lordships with a church affiliation often have a clause that the owner of the title must contribute to the cost of repairs of the church building. If the lordship owns a road, it is possible to charge others for use of this road on the basis that they are crossing the lordship's land. Investing in a lordship of the manor could even be quite profitable, especially if the owner were able to sell it again at a higher price.

Lords or Ladies of the Manor may style themselves thus: "John (or Jane) Smith, The Lord/Lady of the Manor of <Blogg>". The preposition "of" must be retained to differentiate from a title of peerage. Official agencies such as the Passport Agency do not recognize manorial titles.

External links

• History of Lords of the Manor