Lord of the Manor
The Feudal Estate in the Middle Ages
After the Norman conquest local government was largely implemented through the manorial system, whereby a manor or estate was under the control of a landlord who himself held the land directly from the Crown or indirectly through another more powerful feudal tenant.
In England each manor was different both in size and make-up, but typically it would consist of the Lord’s demesne (land reserved for his own use), common ploughland, meadowland and ‘waste’ land where the manor tenants had a common right to graze their animals. The manor would probably, but not always, include a village where the tenants lived.
How the Manor Worked
The lord of the manor would obtain an income from the sale of produce from his demesne, rents collected from his tenants and fines imposed by his manorial court. The manor’s agricultural land would be divided up into three or more large fields and each tenant would have a number of strips spread across the different fields.
The demesne was sometimes held as a block (often on the most fertile land) or scattered amongst the large fields.
There were two types of tenant: villeins who worked on the Lord’s demesne in return for their tenure, and franklins who were free tenants and paid rent. As the feudal system gradually broke down, and particularly after the Black Death in the 14th century, villein tenure evolved into a money rent system and the distinction between the two largely disappeared.
The Manor Court
The manor court, made up of the manor tenants and presided over by the lord of the manor or his steward, met at regular intervals according to local custom which could be anything from six weeks to six months. The court not only had the power to impose fines and other punishments for misdemeanours but also dealt with important administrative issues such as the transfer of property and the appointment of manor officials.
These would include the reeve who was responsible for the day to day business of the manor, and the (no doubt much sought after) post of ale-taster: responsible for testing the quality and measurement of ale.
The Lord’s Residence
The manor house was the home of the lord or his steward (if he had more than one manor) and also the place from which the estate was managed. Adjacent to the manor house would have been agricultural and administrative buildings and in many cases the parish church.
The manor house could vary considerably in size and grandeur and reflected the wealth and influence of its owner. It had to balance the need for domestic comfort and defence and manor houses often had a moat, which emphasised that being a lord of the manor had many benefits but also many responsibilities.
Sources:
David Hey (Ed), The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History,(Oxford University Press, 1996)
Stephen Friar, The Sutton Companion to Castles, (Sutton Publishing, 2007)
Manor House
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