Manor court

The manor court was the lowest court of law in England (and in other Western European countries such as France during the feudal period). It dealt with matters over which the Lord of the Manor had jurisdiction. Its powers extended only to those living in the manor or who held land at the manor

Basic functions

Each Manor has its own laws listed in a document called the Custamal. Anyone breaking those laws would be tried in the Manor Court. The earlier Saxon method of trial by ordeal or of compurgation was modified by the Normans into the decision of a jury made up of 12 local freemen. The Lord or his steward would be the chairman, whilst the Parish Clerk would write down the record on the court rolls.

If convicted, a criminal would be punished or fined depending on the severity of the crime^{[citation needed]}. If the offence was serious the trial would be taken to the King’s court.

Most of the those found guilty of offences at the Manor Court would be fined. Other types of punishments could include having part of one's tongue cut out for gossiping, and being marked with a red hot poker.

Collective responsibility

The entire population of the Manor was required to attend the Court, which was held several times a year regardless of whether any crimes had been committed, so that new ownerships could be proclaimed and local arguments resolved.

Villagers were also collectively responsible for catching criminals. The ‘hue and cry’ was the sounded when someone had committed a crime, and every villager was required to assist with the capture of the criminal or be prepared to face charges as well.

Higher judicial functions

In some cases the Manor Court functioned as a de facto Court Leet.

The Manor Lord could be given a post by the central government, such as sheriff or officer in charge of the county, in return for a small payment. In these cases the Manor Court's jurisdiction could in effect become county-wide^{[citation needed]}.

Alternatively, the Lord could acquire a franchise of the Crown to hold court for criminal matters. This jurisdiction was that of Court Leet and View of Frankpledge (the two terms define the same assembly), the manor freemen being the jury of a 'crown' court within the manor's area.

See also

• Manor house
• Manorialism