MANORIAL COURT

Manorial court: translation

From the 12c each *manor usually held its own court every three weeks or so. It regulated the manor's agricultural affairs, while also enforcing its by-laws, labour services, transfer of manorial land, petty offences within the manor and against the servile dues, election of a *reeve. Theoretically, there were two types of manorial court, the court baron for free tenants, and the court customary for servile tenants; in practice though one court served all purposes. This was presided over by the lord's steward. If the lord of the manor had a *franchise, then other, more serious cases might also be dealt with.