The maenor (pl. ''maenorau'') was a gathering of villages in

medieval Wales {{Commons category Period Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Ce ...

. In North Wales the word ''maenol'' was used for a similar, but not identical, idea. Although it is very often conflated with the English manor, ''maenor'' predates that Norman French term by centuries and is apparently etymologically unrelated, instead deriving from Welsh ''maen'' ("stone")

Wade-Evans, Arthur Arthur Wade Wade-Evans (born Arthur Wade Evans) (31 August 1875 – 4 January 1964) was a Welsh clergyman and historian. Biography Evans was born in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, in south Wales on 31 August 1875 and did not include his mother's ...

. ''

Welsh Medieval Law Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

''. Oxford Univ., 1909. Accessed 1 Feb 2013. possibly originally describing the stone homes of local lords or the area sharing a single mill. Two kinds of ''maenorau'' were distinguished: those of the nobles and free yeomen (the ''maenor wrthdir'') and those of the

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

(the ''maenor vro''). According to the

Laws of Hywel Dda ''Cyfraith Hywel'' (; ''Laws of Hywel''), also known as Welsh law ( la, Leges Walliæ), was the system of law practised in medieval Wales before its final conquest by England. Subsequently, the Welsh law's criminal codes were superseded by the ...

, the ''maenor wrthdir'' comprised thirteen "free towns" (''trev ryd'') of 1248 Welsh acres each and the ''maenor vro'' seven "serftowns" (''taeogtrev'') of 936 Welsh acres each. By the late Medieval period, each town was considered to have its own smith, plow, kiln, churn, cat, cock, bull, and shepherd. Each free town was obliged to provide one pound of silver or its equivalent each year to the king for his entertainment expenses.Wade-Evans. p. 349.

References

Medieval Wales {{welsh-stub

See also

References