Lord - Lord of The Manor

Lord of The Manor

The substantive title of "Lord of the Manor" came into use in the English medieval system of feudalism (or manorialism) following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The title "Lord of the Manor" is a titular feudal dignity which derived its force from the existence and operation of a manorial court or court baron at which he himself or his steward presided. To the tenants of a manor their lord was a man who commanded on occasion the power of exercising capital punishment over them. The term invariably used in contemporary mediaeval documents is simply "lord of X", X being the name of the manor. The term "Lord of the Manor" is a recent usage of historians to distinguish such lords from feudal barons and other powerful persons referred to in ancient documents variously as "Sire" (mediaeval French), "Dominus" (Latin), "Lord" etc. The substantive title of "Lord of the Manor" is not generally recognised today in the law of England and Wales, and the legal concept of the manor having been abolished when the manorial courts were abolished, the residents of a former manor owe no legal recognition to a person who holds such title. However, rare modern legal cases have been won by persons claiming rights as lords of the manor over village greens. The heads of many ancient English land-owning families have continued to be theoretical lords of the manor of lands they have inherited, but to attempt to use such title in a social situation would be incorrect usage. For those who insist upon it the UK Identity and Passport Service will include such purported titles on a British passport as a mere "observation" e.g. 'The Holder is the Lord of the Manor of X' provided the holder can provide documentary evidence of ownership.