The Manorial Society of Great Britain Limited is a private limited company (by Guarantee) and incorporated on 30 December 1996. It has a membership of approximately 1,900, comprising

Lords of the Manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seigno ...

feudal baron A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

s, peers, and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

s mainly from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

but also some from the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

. Its aims are: *To promote the study of English history and traditions, especially the monarchy and British parliamentary institutions *To promote the preservation of

manorial Manorialism, also known as the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features included a large, sometimes forti ...

records *To promote awareness of "the Lord's privileges and responsibilities in the local community" *To promote comradeship among men and women of like-mind

Governance

The Governing Council of the Manorial Society of Great Britain in 2018 includes the following members of the British peerage and knightage amongst whom one usually hosts an annual reception at the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. *

The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

the 10th Earl of Shannon *The Right Honourable the

Lord Sudeley Baron Sudeley is an unelected hereditary title that has been created three in the history of Britain, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1299 when Jo ...

MA (Oxon) In the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts are promoted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts (MA) on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university (including years as an u ...

, FSA *The Right Honourable Sir

Desmond Lorenz de Silva Sir George Desmond Lorenz de Silva, (13 December 1939 – 2 June 2018) was a British criminal law barrister and international lawyer who served as the United Nations Chief War Crimes Prosecutor in Sierra Leone. Early life Desmond de Silva was ...

, QC, PC,

KStJ The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

*Mr Cecil Humphery-Smith,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, FSA

Original foundation

The original Manorial Society was established as a pressure group in 1906 but did not long survive. Another organization claiming to be a revival was registered in 1995 as "The Manorial Society Limited" under Company registration No. 03111590. Both organizations are no longer connected to the original society.

Source of information

Her Majesty's Land Registry refers to the Manorial Society of Great Britain as a source of information in assisting research on manors as officially indicated on HMLR Practice Guide 22.

Publications

In 1996 the Society co-published a guide to Manorial Law. In 2012 the Society published a Manorial Directory, listing a number of surviving manorial lordships and feudal baronies in Great Britain and Ireland, with their histories and biographical information on their current holders.Manorial Society of Great Britain, (Introduction:

Charles Mosley (genealogist) Charles Gordon Mosley FRSA (14 September 1948 – 5 November 2013) was a British genealogist who was among the foremost experts on British nobility. He was an author, broadcaster, editor, and publisher, best known for having been Editor-in-C ...

). ''A Directory of Some Lords of the Manor and Barons in the British Isles'', published by Smith’s Peerage Limited, Dorset and London, 2012

References

External links

* 1996 establishments in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1996 History organisations based in the United Kingdom {{UK-org-stub