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The title of Lord of the Manor is one of the only titles that can
be legally bought and sold in the United Kingdom and the only one
which can in England. These historic titles formerly signified the
ownership of a manor in England though since 1926 have been
separate from the land.
In 2002, a law was passed which required the vestigial rights that
come with the titles to be registered with the Land Registry by
October 2013 to avoid these rights being lost.
Ancient rights enjoyed by lords of the manor can range from rights
to hold fairs and markets in their manor to the right to fish or
the right to mines and minerals in the area.
Recent controversy over some Lords of the Manor has been from some
who have chosen to assert their rights with some claiming rights to
minerals under people’s homes in the most extreme cases. According
to the parliamentary committee’s announcement, they have received a
large number of ‘representations’ on the matter which has led to
the inquiry they are launching.
The inquiry has appealed for people to submit written
evidence to the committee ahead of its launch after 5th
September (the final date for submissions).
At the moment the inquiry is just a probing one looking into
the viability of changing the status of these formerly protected
manorial rights.
Lordships of the Manor are freely bought and sold and many can be
acquired for just a few thousands pounds from specialist
organisations or from auctioneers. Recently, it was announced the
Lordship of the Manor of Wales – formerly held by the family of a
Duke – was to be put up for auction in Newport at the end of the
month.
The title of Lords of the Manor can be put as an observation on
one’s passport, though despite its appearance, it is not actually a
title of nobility and doesn’t allow the holder to prefix Lord to
their name. The correct form for a lord of the manor is simply
“Name, Lord of the Manor of X”.
photo credit: Cross Duck via photopin
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