Custom of the Manor – A Glossary: Feudal
Posted: 01 Sep 2015 Filed under: Genealogy resources, Land and property | Tags: feudal, feudal system, lord, manor, manorial glossary, rights, services, vassal 3 CommentsFeudal systems closely connected governance and land tenure. It was based on the relationship between two free men, a lord and a vassal. The lord gave the use of his land, rights and privileges to his vassal in return for a variety of services, including military service, money, labour, something symbolic, or prayers. Over time services were commuted to money rents.
A hierarchy of ownership developed with the monarch as the ultimate lord. The king’s vassals could pass on rights and privileges to their own vassals.
Feudal systems arose in parts of Europe between the 10th and 12th centuries. In England the feudal system was finally abolished on 1 January 1926 by the Law of Property Act 1922 and related acts.
Feudal is derived from medieval Latin feudum , feodum or French féodal.
Custom of the Manor – A Glossary: Manor
Posted: 01 Feb 2014 Filed under: Genealogy resources | Tags: manor, manorial glossary 3 CommentsAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, the definitive record of the English language, manor is derived from the classical Latin verb manere, meaning to remain or lodge overnight. Over time usage of the several variations of the word in Old French and Anglo-Norman came to mean a dwelling or residence.
So, in one sense a manor is a residence.
The term also came to mean a landed possession, including both the land and the manor house or mansion. In a second sense, a manor is an estate.
The term became associated with units of Anglo-Saxon territorial organisation, which developed into a unit of territory governed by a feudal lord or baron. In a third sense, a manor is a jurisdiction.
The Historical Manuscripts Commission defines the word manor in three ways: “a Residence”, “a unit of estate administration”, and “a piece of landed property with tenants over whom the landlord exercised rights of jurisdiction in a private court“. (Source: A Vision of Britain)
In the jurisdictional sense, some scholars argue that a manor does not exist if it does not have a court.
The legal Latin words for manor are: manerium, manerius, maneria.
© Sue Adams 2014