The Lordship

Little Gatcombe, Parish of Wymering

What Is a Manorial Lordship?

A manorial lordship is a form of property recognised in English law. It is classified as an incorporeal hereditament: an intangible right that can be owned, inherited, conveyed and transferred. It has no physical substance. It does not confer ownership of any land or building, and it carries no governmental authority.

A manorial lordship is not a peerage. It does not grant a seat in the House of Lords, a right to vote in Parliament, or any form of judicial power. The lord of a manor does not preside over a court, collect rents, or exercise jurisdiction over the inhabitants of the parish. Those practical rights fell away over the centuries, but the lordship itself persists as a legal entity.

The Feudal Origin

The English manor was the basic unit of rural administration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. William the Conqueror distributed the conquered lands among his followers, who held them from the Crown in return for military service, labour or rent. Each manor had a lord, and the lord held a manorial court where local disputes were settled and agricultural customs enforced.

The lords of Little Gatcombe held their manor by grand serjeanty, the most honourable form of tenure, directly from the King. Their specific obligation was the defence of Portchester Castle: eight days' armed service in time of war, suit at the castle court every three weeks, and the provision of one armed man with lance, helmet and shield.

The Law of Property Act 1922

The Law of Property Act 1922 abolished copyhold tenure and most of the remaining feudal incidents, but expressly preserved manorial lordships as a distinct class of property. Section 128 confirmed that manorial lordships could continue to be held, inherited and transferred as incorporeal hereditaments. This remains the law today.

Manorial lordships are recorded in the Manorial Documents Register held by The National Archives, which catalogues surviving manorial records for England and Wales.

The Victoria County History

The Victoria County History is the standard academic reference for English manorial descents. Published county by county since 1899, the VCH traces the lords of each manor through public records, inquisitions post mortem, court rolls, charters, feet of fines and other primary sources. It is the gold standard for establishing the historical chain of a lordship.

The VCH account for Little Gatcombe, Parish of Wymering, Hampshire, appears in Volume 3 (1908), pp. 165-170, and documents twenty-eight lords across 550 years.

The lordship of Little Gatcombe is held by Morgan Sheldon.

Primary source: Victoria County History of Hampshire, Vol. 3, pp. 165-170.