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Manorial Lordships and Feudal Titles

Summary:

Introduction

In the late twentieth century English "lordships" of manors have become marketable commodities, despite the fact that few of them bring with them little more than a meagre bundle of documents and an archaic title. Because of the similarity of these titles to the British peerage titles, many would-be purchasers are deluded into believing that they are buying a genuine title with some degree of genuine social "kudos". Unfortunately this is not the case and, regrettably, it has to be admitted that many purchasers have in reality been defrauded of a large amount of money.

There was a case recently where an American gentleman was persuaded to part with a large amount of dollars in return for a "lordship" of a manor which he was led to believe brought him the right to occupy the eighteenth carriage in the Queen Mother's Birthday Parade. Some of us might laugh at such obvious naïvity, but the purveyors of such titles can be very plausible and to a foreigner, who tends to view the British love of pomp and ceremony through a filter largely created by the late Walt Disney, a concept such as "the eighteenth carriage in the Queen Mother's Birthday Parade" does not seem unimaginable.

In the following sections I hope to show the origins and history of the English lordship of the manor, to contrast them with their Scottish and Irish cousins and to point out some of the realities that one should be aware of before parting with a large amount of hard earned money.

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English Lordships of the Manor

Feudalism was the political and social system that developed as a result of the breakdown of strong, central government at the end of the Roman Empire. Its basis was the holding of land from a powerful local patron, who afforded protection in return. The person who held land of a superior lord, and had sworn homage to him, was known as a vassal. Under the Carolingian kings of France, the vassal relationship became extended to include the large landed proprietors and the king. In this form the institution was introduced into England by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, following the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

From the Conquest, all the land of England was owned by the king alone, and he enfeoffed all of it, except his own royal demesnes, to earls, barons and others in return for their liability for military service. The person holding feudal land directly of the king was known as a tenant-in-chief.

The service required was based upon the constabularia of ten knights. An important tenant-in-chief might be expected to provide one or more of these units, and lesser tenants-in-chief, half of one. To obtain such knights for the king's service, the tenants-in-chief sub-infeuded some of their land. Sub-infeudation was the process by which a tenant-in-chief granted one or more of his fees to a sub-tenant. The sub-infeuding process then continued downwards to a lord of a single manor, representing only a fraction of a knight's fee. In the feudal hierarchy, the mesne lord was the lord in the middle, ie the lord of a manor who held (was the sub-tenant) of a superior lord, but was himself the superior lord of a lord holding one or more of his manors. The feudal service required of the sub-tenant might be knight service, or a portion of it, or something purely nominal such as the provision of a falcon or a rose at midsummer. A stop was put to any further sub-infeudation of fees by the Statute of Quia Emptores in 1291. Knight service itself was abolished in 1662.

The manor was the basic unit of estate administration. Typically the inhabitants of the early manor included villeins, bound to the land, cottagers, and one or more freeholding franklins. Over a large part of England the typical manor contained a village with a church, and agricultural land consisting of two, or more, usually three, large arable fields in which the inhabitants held scattered strips. The lord's own demesne might be scattered strips or in a consolidated block, tending more to the latter as time went by. The land near the local stream was the meadow, where grass was grown for hay, and the less lush grassland was the permanent pasture for the beasts of the manor. There would usually also be some woodland. Each villein's tenement (his holding) entitled him to a certain number of strips of arable land, and grazing for a certain number of cattle and sheep.

An important part of manorial administration was the manor court, a periodic meeting of the tenantry, presided over by the lord of the manor or his steward. Every manorial court was a Court Baron, which administered the agriculture of the manor, the lord's and tenants' rights and duties, changes of occupancy, and disputes between tenants; some manorial courts were also a Court Leet, which covered the election of contables, aletesters and some other officials, and what would now be called police matters (for example, maintenance of the lock-up, disturbances of the peace, and so on).

The origins of the manorial court are lost in antiquity, but treatises on procedure were being written as early as the thirteenth century. Usually a majority of tenants held land by villein (unfree) tenure, but there were usually freeholders too, whose tenure was protected by the royal courts. In the course of the later middle ages the constraints on villeins declined, but this so-called customary tenure continued under the sole jurisdiction of the manorial court. It was only in the sixteenth century that royal courts began to protect customary tenure, known as copyhold, because on entry into the holding the tenant was given a copy of the court's record of the fact as a title deed.

During the nineteenth century the holding of manor courts gradually came to an end, and in 1925 copyhold tenure formally ended in accordance with the Law of Property Acts, 1922 and 1924.

Since 1926, all court rolls and other manorial records have had to be reported to the Master of the Rolls on request as also any changes in their ownership and custody. The Historical Manuscripts Commission maintains a Manorial Documents Register, which takes the form of two series. The first, arranged under parishes, shows the names of the manor or manors in each parish; the second, arranged under manors, shows the last-known whereabouts of the manorial records. In a great many instances the solicitors of manorial families are still the custodians of the rolls, but many have been deposited at County Record Offices. The Public Record Office and the British Library have considerable deposits, but the majority of manorial records have failed to survive.

In English Law the holding of a lordship of the manor is treated as being distinct from the actual lands of the manor. The holding, i.e. the title of lord of the manor, is regarded as being an incorporeal heridatament and is thus capable of being sold and purchased as property in its own right. It is this facility to enable landowners to raise money by disposing of their feudal title without disposing of the land it originally related to that has encouraged the creation of a market in such titles.

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Baronage of Scotland

A Scottish feudal barony is land that has by charter been erected by the Crown (or sometimes by a high noble) in liberam baronium, giving the owner, whether by inheritance or by purchase, a whole bundle of land, mineral, and other rights, including certain rights of public justice, privileges not belonging to ordinary estates.

The holders of these baronies are termed Barons (or Baronesses), as distinct from the Lords of Parliament (the Scottish equivalent of the English Barons). Although similar to the Lords of the Manor, Scottish Barons are like continental barons in nobiliary status. Their interests are looked after by the Convention of the Baronage of Scotland.

A Scottish baron has various armorial prerogatives not unlike those of a peer, including a cap of maintenance, supporters, a barred helm garnished with gold, a robe or mantle, uniquely specified flags and, as befits the ancient institution, a Baron Court. A baron of Scotland is also permitted two pipers, each displaying an armorial pipe banner.

The tinctures and furring of the chapeau or cap of maintenance form several categories:

  1. Gules furred Ermine: a Baron of the Kingdom of Scotland, in possession of the barony;
  2. Azure furred Ermine: the heir to such a Baron, no longer in possession (called "the Representer of the Baronial House of X");
  3. Gules furred Ermines: a Baron of Argull and the Isles, or of one the older Earldoms, still in possession;
  4. Azure furred Ermines: the heir to such a Baron, no longer in possession.

The cap is depicted ensigning the shield of arms, beneath the helm and crest. The robe, or mantle, may be displayed draped (very much in the European fashion) behind the achievement actually in posssession of a barony, and is described as a feuso-baronial Mantle, Gules doubled of silk Argent, fur edged of miniver and collar Ermine, and fastened on the right shoulder by five spherical buttons Or. The Scottish feudal baronial helm is of steel with one or three grilles (one being by far the more usual) garnished with gold. The helm is normally shown facing dexter but may be shown affronty. Supporters may be used by the heirs of baronies held before 1587, and possibly for baronies held between that date and 1627 (the point is not fully resolved). On the matter of flags, a Scottish baron may adorn the top of his flagstaff with a cap of maintenance, and employ, as he sees fit, standards, guidons and pennons.

The most recent form of style and title for Barons is, e.g., "Charles Gairdner of Lethendy, Baron of Lethendy", and for Baronesses, e.g., "Joan Cranfield Moneypenny of Pitmilly, Lady Pitmilly, Baroness of Pitmilly". The full style may include the prefix "The Much Honoured". Older styles, which included for example "Mistress Viola Stirling of Gargunnock, Lady of the Barony of Gargunnock" and "Madame Douglas of Brigton", may presumably continue in use for those who have been thus recorded. The Lyon Court has officially revived the ancient address, in speech, of, e.g., "Lady Pitmilly". The wife of a Baron may use a similar style.

Some barons use the title "of that Ilk". The word Ilk comes from the Anglo-Saxon and means same. Thus "Dundas of Dundas" is "Dundas of the Same" or correctly "Dundas of that Ilk". The origin of this usage is lowland, and the highland chiefs used to call themselves only by their clan name, i.e. MacLeod, MacGregor, etc., but did not find this sufficient in the capital. Therefore, and not to confuse themselves with the Lowland Lairds, they began to use their name twice and this is why we have The MacLeod of MacLeod, The MacGregor of MacGregor, etc.

The holder of a barony which was formerly held directly from the King has always been entitled to use the style "The Laird of Lethendy". This style should not be used by holders of baronies formerly held from a great lord, but in practice it is nowadays extended to all holders of baronies.

Unlike peers, Barons may not sign with their territorial titles alone, but must use the form, e.g, "Charles Gairdner of Lethendy", or "C. Gairdner of Lethendy", with initials "C.G. of L.".

As in England a lord of the manor had his local court, so in Scotland the holder of a feudal barony has, implicitly, a Baron Court. The president of such a court is a Baron-Baillie and the chief officer a Baron-Sergeant (or Baron-Officer). The insignia of a Baron-Baillie is a flat cap of justice, environed by two guards of braid and usually in the livery colours of the baron concerned. A very few Baron-Baillies have gowns, badges and pendants relevant to the estate they serve. The symbols of office of the Baron-Sergeant (or Baron-Officer) are a white Ell-wand (or Wand of Peace), one Scots ell in length (approximately thirty-seven inches), together with a horn.

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Irish Titles

Irish titles fall into two distinct groups: the titles belonging to the ancient Gaelic royal houses, and those feudal titles introduced after the Norman conquest of Ireland.

The Royal Houses of Ireland

The Irish royal houses are acknowledged by most genealogists to be the oldest traceable dynasties in Europe, descending as they do from kings who were regnant before the conversion of Constantine the Great in AD 311. Prior to the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late twelth century the island was divided into a number of provincial kingdoms (rather like those of Anglo-Saxon England), all of which, in theory, were subject to the High King who ruled from Tara. In reality the position of the High King was more sacerdotal than magisterial, although a few individual holders of the High Kingship, such as Brian Boru, did almost succeed in converting it into a real over-lordship.

Although the number of provincial kingships varied, five principal ones came to have a permanent existence, namely those of Ulster, Munster, Leinster, Connaught and Meath (the latter kingdom being the appanage of the High King, and including his seat of Tara). For several centuries the High Kingship was disputed between the kings of the Ui Niall dynasty (Ulster) and the kings of the Eoghanaghta dynasty (Munster), before the former succeeded in obtaining a more or less secure monopoly of this title. The idea of a vacillating right of succession to the High Kingship did, however, remain a reality, and as late as the eleventh centurt Brian Boru, a Dalcasian prince who has succeeded to the Throne of Munster, claiming descent from the Eoghanaghta, successfully contested the High Kingship.

Beneath the provincial kings were smaller kingships, whose dynasties were of equal antiquity to the provincial royal houses. Examples of these are: O'Brien (kings of Thomond), O'Brennan (kings of Ossory) and O'Donnel (kings of Tyrconnel).

Upon the arrival of Henry II in Ireland the following royal houses enjoyed the sovereignties of their respective provincial kingdoms:

These dynasties continued to rule as independent princes, under the lordship of the kings of England, for several centuries and were repeatedly recognized as such by that Crown. Following upon the Reformation, and the determined process of Anglicization pursued by the English government in the later fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, the Gaelic principalities finally collapsed, with a large number of clan chiefs emigrating to continental Europe.

All but the royal house of Leinster have continued to exist down to the present time, and their respective chiefs have at times been recognized as such by the Chief Herald of Ireland, acting on behalf of the Irish government. It is claimed that according to the received principles of International Law, these chiefs should be entitled to use the style of "Prince", and indeed some continue to do so. As recently as the 1890s the Holy See recognized The O'Neill of Clanaboy as a "Most Serene Highness".

In recent years Terence MacCarthy (who for a period was recognised as The MacCarthy Mor by the Chief Herald until it was discovered that the genealogy he had submitted to claim his position contained falsified information, resulting in the recognition being withdrawn in 2000) took the concept of Irish titles to its ultimate, albeit ludicrous, pinnacle. Not only did he establish a house "order", the Niadh Nask, but he also established a lucrative market in Irish titles, which he was able to sell with no great difficulty to American citizens who, quite frankly, were so keen to acquire a title that they threw common sense to the winds and paid ludicrous sums of money for worthless bits of paper. When Terence McCarthy was exposed as a fraudster and he retired to his villa in Tangiers with his longtime male partner, the considerable number of Americans who had bought "titles" from Terence McCarthy, despite warnings from myself amongst others, were quite understandably totally embarassed about the whole affair. All I can say is that perhaps a consideration of the events surrounding the 18th century "South Sea Bubble" should be made mandatory in American schools!

Anglo-Norman Feudal Titles

Following the Norman invasion of Ireland under Henry II, a feudal system similar to that in use in England was introduced into Ireland. Initially restricted to the "Pale", the area around Dublin, it was gradually introduced to almost the whole of the island.

The Irish feudal barons were in origin very similar to their English counterparts, but never evolved into an hereditary peerage as happened with the English baronage. Hereditary titles were granted by the Crown, and ultimately formed the Peerage of Ireland, but these were always distinct from the feudal baronage.

Irish feudal barons use similar titles and styles to the Scottish barons but have no armorial prerogatives to distinguish them from any other armiger.

There are two hereditary titles in the FitzGerald family ("The Knight of Kerry" and "The Knight of Glin") which, although feudal in origin, are not baronies as such. Both of these titles are of considerable antiquity.

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Buying a Lordship of the Manor - caveat emptor!

As will have been seen from the above brief descriptions, whilst Scottish (and perhaps Irish) baronial titles have a genuine standing and prestige, the English lordship of a manor is, in contrast, somewhat less generous to its holder.

Despite what fraudulent salesmen might like to claim, being an English lord of the manor does NOT give you:

It is very rare that a manorial title is sold with any substantial mineral or land rights, but certain other rights may be available, such as grazing , sporting and fishing, as well as permission to collect tolls or hold a village fair. For example, the Lord of the Manor of Barton-upon-Humber has the right to hold a regular market and the Lord of the Manor of Worksop has the right to present a glove to the Sovereign at his or her Coronation. But the majority of manorial titles merely consist of a title and, if you are lucky, a few rolls of old, decaying documents.

In the last few years there has sprung up a definite market in the purchase and sale of manorial titles and in many ways these titles should best be viewed as "off the wall" investments and not treated too seriously. Their value depends on location, history and the accompanying rights. To give an indication of the current state of the market in these titles, at a sale held in London on 6 December 1995 the following titles were sold:

There are various reputable agents who will ascertain the availability of manorial titles and advise on their genuineness and historical value, as well as giving general advice on such titles.

The current market in manorial titles does not please everyone. Writing in the Spring 1997 issue of The Coat of Arms, John Brooke-Little CVO MA FSA FHS, then Clarenceux King of Arms and Chairman of The Heraldry Society, had this to say on the subject:

There has been considerable and sustained comment in the Press, particularly over the last few months, about Lords of the Manor. Many Lords are selling their manors, very occasionally with vestigial rights and privileges, but usually all that changes hands in such sales is a conveyance consisting of a typed sheet of paper.

Legal opinion generally supports the contention that such is a genuine conveyance of the Lordship of a Manor and entitles the purchaser to style himself 'Lord of the Manor of Blank', and that is about it. The purchaser may not style himself Lord of Blank, as many new Lords of Manors tend to do, nor does it entitle them to be granted arms as is often suggested in the Press. The granting of arms is a question of personal suitability and integrity and is in the nature of an honour, whereas the purchase of a Lordship of a Manor confers no honour, nor social recognition now that the coinage is so debased; indeed the new 'Lords' as often as not are domiciled in the Middle East or, more usually, in Texas and all States north.

There was a time when the designation 'Lord of the Manor' was included in the description of a grantee of arms, but this is no longer done, as it might suggest that the grantee's possession of a lordship was a qualification for being granted arms, which has never been the case.

It is sad to reflect that a description concerned with the ownership of land and the administration of justice over those who worked on that land should have deteriorated into a folie de grandeur, acquired by the purchase of a piece of paper for an absurdly large sum of money. It is even more sad that the purchasers should have at the same time brought upon themselves the ridicule, scorn and derision rather than envy of those who really are the backbone of England.

Not surprisingly, Robert Smith, Chairman of The Manorial Society of Great Britain, was swift to respond to this editorial, and in the next issue of The Coat of Arms he had this to say:

In the Spring number of The Coat of Arms, your editorial makes certain assertions about the use by some people of the designation "Lord of the Manor", the rights which pass, the granting of arms, the sorts of people who buy manorial lordships, and their place of domicile.

The Law of Property Act (1922) most recently and comprehensively speaks of the "Lord of the Manor" and you concede grudgingly that the designation has legal validity. But it is not true to say that the "Lord of Blank", as opposed to "Lord of the Manor of Blank", is not generally interchangeable. The Victoria County Histories routinely interchange them, as do all of the great 19th century topographical histories with which you will be familiar.

Most conveyances today include a bundle of rights. While purchasers should not anticipate a manorial Eldorado from such an acquisition, ransom strips, common land, manorial waste, market charters, mineral excavation - especially if the lord is local and can police them - bring in a crop of what were once called fines, ranging from inconsequential sums to really quite large ones.

On armorial bearings, new life peers and others so honoured, I imagine, are entitled to arms. Otherwise, anyone of British nationality can apply for arms and most can expect to get them, provided they come up with £2,750.00 for the basic patent - borders, penants, further seals are all "extras".

You are mistaken in saying that new lords are "as often as not" foreign. Eighty per cent of purchasers are British, while those you dismissively describe as from "Texas and all States north" are often looking for a family link with an area of the British Isles. One such American couple gave £150,000 to the diocese of St Edmundsbury for the repair and rehanging of the bells in the church of St Andrew, Kettleburgh, which lordship they acquired at auction in 1987.

There are many other examples of this sort by British and foreign manorial lords. A substantial minority of purchasers live in the manor house, or some such notable village dwelling. The best example of this was the purchase by Lord Romsey of the Lordships of Romsey Infra and Extra in 1992, so uniting the "manor house" (Broadlands) with the manor for the first time in more than a century.

Besides, what is wrong with folie de grandeur? The British Empire and stately homes were built on it.

So, two contrasting views. But which one is right?

It is probably impossible to say, but can one really argue against a person, British or otherwise, who genuinely believes that they are preserving a little bit of British heritage by buying one of these titles, has plenty of spare cash to purchase the title and, most important of all, takes a genuine and caring interest in the place where he or she takes the name of their newly-acquired title?

However, what should be condemned in the strongest possible terms are those non-British people who purchase one of these titles not for the good intentions outlined above but so that they can flaunt the title in their home countries and have absolutely no interest in the title other than for the social prestige which they incorrectly think it will confer on them. This is social climbing of the worst type and it is much to be regretted that such purchases have now become fashionable amongst the nouveax riches of the USA and, of all places, Russia.

If you are still determined to purchase one of these manorial or feudal titles despite having read the above, then you can visit the web site of the Manorial Society of Great Britain, where no doubt they will be more than happy to advise you. Please tell them we sent you! But do remember that through its commercial arm, Manorial Auctioneers, the Manorial Society of Great Britain is not impartial and is out to make a commission on selling a title to you...do please bear this in mind when you see what they have to say!

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Downright frauds - the "Lairdship of Camster" and other scams

In the past year or so there appears to have been a proliferation of people or companies setting up websites on the Internet with the simple aim of selling people titles, in the broadest sense of the term. The fact that these titles are completely bogus seems not to matter to the owners of these websites and they continue to peddle their wares.

These websites seem to fall into two main categories or types. Firstly, there are the bogus or self-styled Orders of Chivalry, and secondly there are the "buy-a-piece-of-land-and-get-a-title-scams".

Bogus or self-styled Orders of Chivalry, such as those run by Lloyd Worley (The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre) and Julius Sokolnicki (The Order of St Stanislas), are a whole subject in themselves and will be dealt with in a seperate article.

The Lairdship of Camster and other scams

All these schemes are similarly organized. You buy a small piece of land, often no more than a foot square, and, so it is claimed, you acquire both the land and an accompanying title. As far as the "Lairdship of Camster" is concerned this is a distortion of the situation that existed before recent legislative reforms in Scotland.

The "old" situation was that the baronial title was intimately connected to the holding of the baronial lands, and effectively the person who held the baronial lands also held the barony. They could not be seperated as in the case of an English lordship of the manor. The lands of a barony could range from a vast estate to a very small plot containing the ruins of an old castle or fortified manor house. This last point was very important as it was the possession of the hearthstone of the principal property on the baronial lands that was the hallmark of being the holder of the barony. They are several cases were families have sold their ancestral lands and property but retained the hearthstone, incorporating it into a new property and thereby retaining the baronial title.

Recent legislation aimed at abolishing feudal tenure in Scotland has divorced once and for all the baronial title from the holding of baronial lands. Whilst this might result in a market in baronial titles similar to that for English manorial lordships, it has certainly destroyed the basis for such scams as the Lairdship of Camster.

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Last updated 29 March 2001
© Heraldic Media Limited, 2001