This is a rare opportunity to acquire one or more historic titles being offered by international property consultants Strutt & Parker. Those who aspire to becoming a genuine Feudal Baron or Lord of the Manor may bid for these titles at an Auction Sale in London next month.

During the afternoon 5 Feudal Baronies and 33 Lordships of the Manor will be offered. Successful bidders will in all cases secure ownership of the title and many will also receive the collection of ancient documents, the history, with prestigious connections and the historic rights that go with the title. They will also be able to apply to the College of Arms for a personal coat of arms for their exclusive use, which they can pass down to the next generation.

Buyers seeking a Feudal Barony will be able to chose from 5 titles:-

The Honor and Barony of Eye, The Barony of Castle Knock or Clanwilliam or Carrigaline in Ireland, The Barony of Glendochart or the Superiority and Reputed Feudal Barony of Ascog in Scotland. Those who buy will hold the right to be styled Baron of their designated fiefdom, though unlike their predecessors they will not be called to sit in the House of Lords as that duty was brought to an end in 1265 in England and later in Ireland and Scotland.

Buyers who would prefer to purchase a Lordship of the Manor will have 33 to chose from ranging in location from Burlton or Wappenshall in Shropshire to Clayton Wickhan and Hurstpierpoint in Sussex and from Smallburgh Catts in Norfolk to Bunshill and Stretton Sugwas in Herefordshire.

Manorial Lordships date back some 1200 years to Saxon times when they were one of the cornerstones of the feudal system. A Manorial Lord pledged his allegiance to his superiors and to the king, and promised to come to arms and to supply troops from his tenants when called upon to do so. He also promised to maintain the king’s law and the common law within his manor to make financial returns and maintain records. In return he exercised great control over both the land and the people within his manor. The manor estate was a source of income and sustenance. The lord granted lands to tenants who paid their rents in cash or by providing goods and services in his support.

Lords of the Manor, though sometimes holding direct from the king were in the middle of the social scale below the Dukes, Earls and Barons, but above the ordinary freeman, craftsman and peasants who made up the majority of the population. At the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086 there were 13,418 manorial lordships in England. King William had during the conquest slain or exiled many of the Saxon lords and regranted their estates to his loyal followers who had joined him at the Battle of Hastings and then in the Conquest and suppression of England. Many of these manorial lordships have remained with the Crown and the Church, though the majority continue to be privately owned.

The Law of Property Act of 1922 allowed lordships to be sold separately from the estate they related to, but they continue to be conveyed in the same way as property. At that time they had declined and there was little interest in them, but they have become increasingly popular over the past 50 years. In 1954 and 1955 Strutt & Parker sold two important portfolios of lordships at auction and its Feudal Titles Department have since sold more than 700 titles.

In 1987 Strutt & Parker sold the Lordship of Stratford-upon-Avon for £87,000 and that price was bettered in 1996 when the firm offered for sale the Barony of Hastings. This title was not only of greater importance, being an Honor and a Barony but also covered the battle ground where the Norman forces defeated the Saxons in 1066 and at a keenly contested auction the title was sold for £92,500.

In modern times a Manorial Lordship confers few but sometimes very valuable rights and privileges and the holder may legally call himself Lord of the Manor of X. The title is not a peerage thus the holder should not call himself Lord X and by law the crucial ‘of’ should always be retained.

Strutt & Parker’s Auction Sale of Lordships of the Manor and Feudal Baronies will be held at the Ironmonger’s Hall, Barbican, London EC2Y 8AA on 24th May 2007 starting at 2.00 p.m. A catalogue costs £20 (£25 sterling overseas) and can be obtained before the auction from Strutt & Parker, Coval Hall, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 2QF; phone 01245 – 258201, Fax 01245 – 254685.

For further information please contact Jonathan Chaplin or Stephen Hawes, Strutt & Parker, Chelmsford – Tel: 01245 – 254647 or 254672, stephen.hawes@struttandparker.co.uk, jonathan.chaplin@struttandparker.co.uk.