[archive] One of Britain's most resounding titles, which for sheer euphony tops that of many a noble duke and earl, is held by the Lord of the Manor of Circum cum Wilcocks alias Fransham Parva in the parish of Little Fransham. Last week, along with 26 other manorial lordships, it was knocked down at auction for a paltry $924. At the same auction, London Bookseller William Alfred Foyle bought himself five lordships for $5,400.
Unlike the patents of nobility borne by Britain's peers, which no man can buy, the ancient feudal title, lord of the manor, has long been negotiable. In times past it carried with it many valuable perquisites, and it was not unusual for the old squire in the big house up on the hill to sell them off for a spot of ready cash. The 27 titles up for sale last week were part of a collection bought purely as investments in the 19th century by a shrewd old Essex solicitor named Joseph Beaumont.
Since Beaumont's day, however, Britain's Property Acts have wiped out most of the manorial lord's "perks" (or perquisites;. Today the best a lord of the manor can hope for is a few pounds a year from public utilities for putting telegraph poles on his property. But the deeds are still inscribed on heavy, ancient parchments that make magnificent souvenirs. Unfortunately, the deeds cannot be taken out of the country, which discouraged Americans last week from scooping up such handsome titles as Lord of the Manor of Overhall and Netherhall, or Callis Metholds and Wimbolds.
Souce: time.com
Monday, Nov. 15, 1954
Showing posts with label Lord of the Manor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lord of the Manor. Show all posts
27 December, 2009
My lord! Four East Lancashire titles up for sale
[Archive] ANYONE with visions of grandeur is being given the perfect chance to bid their way into high society - by buying a lordship.
Decendants of the Towneley family have put up for sale 29 prestigious titles, including four in East Lancashire.
For around £7,000 any bidder can officially name themselves lord of the manor in either Accrington Newhold, Bowland, Rossendale or Habergham Eaves.
And the winning bidders, when the items come up for auction next month, will be able to use their new titles on their passports, credit cards and cheque books.
The titles, which are expected to reach between £4,000 to £7,000 each, have been put up for sale by Lord Charles O'Hagan, who is suffering ill health.
Lord O'Hagan, 65, whose real name is Charles Towneley, said that the cash raised by the sale would help pay for medical bills.
The former MEP for Devon lives in Somerset. He said: "It is the sensible option to sell the titles.
"They do not add to my life and I do not live in the area any more.
"If I still had a big estate in Burnley then they would have some point but that has long ceased to be the case."
The Towneley family sold Towneley Hall and the surrounding park to the local authority in 1901 for the then sizable sum of £9,000.
Lord O'Hagan added: "The titles have been in my family for many hundreds of years and I will be sad to see them go but I am sure that they will be popular at auction.
"It is a very unique sale and there is a lot of history behind these titles.
"I hope they are sold to people with a local connection.
"I think it is a very romantic thing and it would be nice if people in the area bought the titles and kept them going locally."
The titles will not allow a bearer a seat in the House of Lords but can be passed down from generation to generation.
The new lords or ladies will be eligible for membership to the Manorial Society of Great Britain, whose governing council includes the Earl of Shrewesbury and Talbot, Lord Sudeley and Sir Desmond de Silva QC.
Robert Smith, Manorial Auctioneers in London, is a leading expert on the sale of Lordships.
He said: "The lordships are like a status symbol and will be very appealing to people with a certain level of income.
"The rich have always displayed their wealth and it can manifest itself in many ways.
"Some people like jewellery or expensive cars.
"Others want a big house or a title like this.
"Lordships have been bought and sold by the rich since 1066 and there is no change now.
"People will be interested in the auction either for sentimental reasons or just for the prestige."
The lord of the manor can expect few privileges, Mr Smith said.
As lord you have rights of owning the land three-feet under the soil, but usually there is no value of owning the "mineral rights" if there are no "commercially exploitable materials".
The other 24 lordships for sale are located across the country and include East Hall in Essex, Ridings Court in Buckinghamshire and Alton in Staffordshire.
The auction takes place on May 20 at Stationers Hall, Ave Maria Lane, London.
Source: lancashiretelegraph.co.uk
Decendants of the Towneley family have put up for sale 29 prestigious titles, including four in East Lancashire.
For around £7,000 any bidder can officially name themselves lord of the manor in either Accrington Newhold, Bowland, Rossendale or Habergham Eaves.
And the winning bidders, when the items come up for auction next month, will be able to use their new titles on their passports, credit cards and cheque books.
The titles, which are expected to reach between £4,000 to £7,000 each, have been put up for sale by Lord Charles O'Hagan, who is suffering ill health.
Lord O'Hagan, 65, whose real name is Charles Towneley, said that the cash raised by the sale would help pay for medical bills.
The former MEP for Devon lives in Somerset. He said: "It is the sensible option to sell the titles.
"They do not add to my life and I do not live in the area any more.
"If I still had a big estate in Burnley then they would have some point but that has long ceased to be the case."
The Towneley family sold Towneley Hall and the surrounding park to the local authority in 1901 for the then sizable sum of £9,000.
Lord O'Hagan added: "The titles have been in my family for many hundreds of years and I will be sad to see them go but I am sure that they will be popular at auction.
"It is a very unique sale and there is a lot of history behind these titles.
"I hope they are sold to people with a local connection.
"I think it is a very romantic thing and it would be nice if people in the area bought the titles and kept them going locally."
The titles will not allow a bearer a seat in the House of Lords but can be passed down from generation to generation.
The new lords or ladies will be eligible for membership to the Manorial Society of Great Britain, whose governing council includes the Earl of Shrewesbury and Talbot, Lord Sudeley and Sir Desmond de Silva QC.
Robert Smith, Manorial Auctioneers in London, is a leading expert on the sale of Lordships.
He said: "The lordships are like a status symbol and will be very appealing to people with a certain level of income.
"The rich have always displayed their wealth and it can manifest itself in many ways.
"Some people like jewellery or expensive cars.
"Others want a big house or a title like this.
"Lordships have been bought and sold by the rich since 1066 and there is no change now.
"People will be interested in the auction either for sentimental reasons or just for the prestige."
The lord of the manor can expect few privileges, Mr Smith said.
As lord you have rights of owning the land three-feet under the soil, but usually there is no value of owning the "mineral rights" if there are no "commercially exploitable materials".
The other 24 lordships for sale are located across the country and include East Hall in Essex, Ridings Court in Buckinghamshire and Alton in Staffordshire.
The auction takes place on May 20 at Stationers Hall, Ave Maria Lane, London.
Source: lancashiretelegraph.co.uk
Stanley homeowner buys Lord of the Manor title
[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
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