[Archive] PROUD homeowner Kenneth Osborne Grant was not to the manor born, but from his modest 19th-century terraced house he is Lord of all he surveys.
Retired civil servant Kenneth, 79, can officially call himself the Lord of Stanley Manor, after buying the title from Ireland’s Baron O’Hagan,.
Kenneth, who lives with his “Heinz 57” dog Max in a terraced house in Dunn Street, Annfield Plain, near Stanley, County Durham in the heart of his Stanley Manor, will not divulge how much he paid for the title.
But the insignia which goes along with the title made council planners sit up and take notice at a recent public meeting.
Kenneth, wearing another of his hats as founder/director of The Osborne Trust, a conservation group which aims to preserve Victorian and Edwardian buildings in Stanley town centre, spoke at a recent meeting over plans for the town centre.
He said: “When I walked into the meeting in my full regalia it did cause some heads to turn. It was the first time I had worn it in public.”
Kenneth, the youngest of four children and a former pupil of Heaton Grammar School, Newcastle, bought the title through the Manorial Society.
He explained: “I read last year how the Northumberland Lordship of Softley was to be auctioned in London for between £4000 and £5000.
“I put in a bid but I was unsuccessful. I am quite pleased now, because with hindsight I would not have wanted to be known as Lord Softley . . . not living in Annfield Plain!
“But a few months later the auctioneer Robert Smith of Manorial Auctioneers got in touch to tell me that the Lordship of Stanley Manor was coming up for sale.
“He told me the asking price, and I managed to get it down by a few hundred pounds.”
A previous Lord of Stanley Manor was a member of the Lumley family, who had their own castle, Lumley Castle, now a hotel in Chester-le-Street.
Kenneth added: “The manor covers the whole of Stanley and Tanfield, as well as parts of Annfield Plain and Burnopfield. It includes the Causey Arch viaduct which was built in 1725 and which is the oldest railway bridge in the world.
“The title does not give me any proprietorial rights and I cannot sit in the House of Lords, but who would want to?
“I don’t smoke, I drink very little and I am a good saver so I spent my money on this title which gives me a great deal of pleasure and which amuses my friends.”
As Lord of Stanley Manor, Kenneth can use his title on his passport, chequebook and credit card and is a member of the Manorial Society of Great Britain.
Members of the society include the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, the Earl of Shannon, Lord Sudeley and Sir Desmond de Silva QC. It holds functions throughout the year, including an annual reception at the House of Lords.
May 17 2009 by Neil McKay, Sunday Sun
No comments:
Post a Comment