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This article is about a type of historical building. For the London district, see Manor House, London. Manor House is a district of North London Location Built up in the mid-Nineteenth Century as part of an area called Brownswood Park today like other areas of London For the PBS reality TV series, see The Edwardian Country House. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Reality television is a genre of Television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations documents actual events and usually features ordinary This article is about the reality tv series For a general discussion of this type of house see Country house, Manor house and Manorialism.
Ightham Mote, 14th century moated manor house in Kent, England
Ightham Mote, 14th century moated manor house in Kent, England

A manor house or fortified manor-house is a country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a manor (see Manorialism), the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system. The English country house is generally accepted as a large House or Mansion, once in the ownership of an individual who also usually owned another Great This article is about the medieval system "Manors" redirects here Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed The term is sometimes applied to relatively small country houses which belonged to gentry families, as well as to grand stately homes, particularly as a technical term for minor late medieval fortified country houses intended more for show than for defence. Gentry generally refers to people of high Social class, especially in the past A stately home is strictly speaking one of about 500 large properties built in England between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century as well as converted

Contents

History and architecture

In general terms, the manor house was the dwelling house, or "capital messuage", of a feudal lord of a manor, which he occupied only on occasional visits if he held many manors. The title of Lord of the Manor arose in the English mediaeval system of Manorialism following the Norman Conquest. As such it was the place in which sessions of his "court baron", or manor court, were held. A Court baron is an English Manorial court dating from the Middle Ages. The manor court was the lowest court of law in England (and in other Western European countries such as France during the feudal period Sometimes a steward or seneschal was appointed by the seigniorial lord to oversee and manage his different manorial properties. A steward (from Old English stíweard stiȝweard, from stiȝ "hall household" + weard " Warden, keeper" corresponding A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. The day-to-day administration was delegated to a bailiff, or reeve. Bailiff (from Late Latin baiulivus, Adjectival form of baiulus) is a Governor or Custodian (cf In England, a reeve was an official elected annually by the Serfs to supervise lands for a Lord.

Although not typically built with strong fortifications as castles were, many manor houses were partly fortified: they were enclosed within walls or ditches that often included the farm buildings as well. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel Water. A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace Many of them were equipped with small gatehouses and watchtowers. A gatehouse is a feature of European Castles Manor houses and Mansions Originally a gatehouse was a fortified structure built over the gateway A watchtower is a type of Fortification used in many parts of the world The primary feature of the manor house was its Great Hall, to which subsidiary apartments were added as the lessening of feudal warfare permitted more peaceful domestic life. A great hall was the main room of a royal Palace, a Nobleman 's Castle or a large Manor house in the Middle Ages, and

By the beginning of the 16th century, manor houses as well as small castles began to acquire the character and amenities of the residences of country gentlemen. This late 16th century transformation produced many of the smaller Renaissance châteaux of France and the numerous country mansions of the Elizabethan and Jacobean styles in England. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere For other senses of this word see Château (disambiguation. A château (plural châteaux) is a Manor house or residence

Architecture of French manor houses

Château de Trécesson, 14th century manor in Morbihan, Brittany
Château de Trécesson, 14th century manor in Morbihan, Brittany

In France, the terms château or manoir are often used synonymously to describe a French manor house. Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into Maison-forte is another French word to describe a strongly fortified manor house, which might include two sets of enclosing walls and drawbridges. In the western France provinces of Brittany and Normandy, certain large manors enjoyed real means of protection. The seigniorial residences of this type, just like the largest castles, often had a châtelet or logis-porche (gatehouse), a courtyard surrounded by walls sheltering the outbuildings – especially the stables, a principal house (logis principal), a chapel and a dovecote. A dovecote or dovecot is a building intended to house Pigeons or Doves which were an important food source in history In certain cases, the logis-porche is only one wall, in others, it is a true house. [1] Some of these manor houses were surrounded by ditches (wet or dry) and some were not.

In later medieval French manor houses, the Great Hall was called the salle haute or upper-hall (or "high room"). This was the hall reserved for the lord and where he received his high-ranking guests, and was often accessible by an external staircase. This larger hall was often located above the ground-floor hall or salle basse that was used to receive peasants and commoners. The salle basse was also the location of the manor court, with the steward or lord's seating location often marked by the presence of a crédence de justice or wall-cupboard (shelves built into the stone walls to hold documents and books associated with administration of the demesne or droit de justice).

In addition to having both lower and upper halls, many French manor houses also had fortified gateways, watchtowers, and enclosing walls that were fitted with arrow or gun loops for added protection. Some larger 16th century manors, such as the Château de Kerjean in Finistère, Brittany, were even outfitted with fore-works that included gun platforms for cannons. Finistère (Penn-ar-Bed is a département of France, located in Brittany ( Breizh in Breton and Bretagne These defensive arrangements allowed maisons-fortes, and rural manors to be safe from a coup de main perpetrated by an armed band as there was so many during the troubled times of the Hundred Years War and the wars of the Holy League; but it was difficult for them to resist a siege undertaken by a regular army equipped with (siege) engines. A coup de main is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow The Hundred Years' War (Guerre de Cent Ans was a prolonged conflict lasting from 1337 to 1453 between two royal houses for the French throne vacant with the extinction of the senior The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary (and modern Roman Catholics as the Holy League, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in [2]

Modern usage

In modern usage, the term manor or manor house is sometimes used, especially outside Europe, to mean simply either a country house or indeed any other house considered to resemble one, without any reference to age or to the historical sense of the term.

Manor houses in England

Manor houses in Estonia

Taagepera manor house
Taagepera manor house

Manor houses in France

  • Château de Beaumont-le-Richard in Calvados, Normandy. The Manor House is a Grade II listed building which can be found on West street within Alford Lincolnshire. Avebury Manor & Garden is a National Trust property consisting of an early 16th-century Manor house and its surrounding garden Aydon Castle is a fortified Manor house near to the town of Corbridge, Northumberland) Northumberland is a county in the North East of England. The non-metropolitan county of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west The Moated Manor house of Baddesley Clinton ( located just north of the historic town of Warwick in the English County of Warwickshire Bettiscombe is a hamlet in west Dorset, England, situated in the Marshwood Vale four Miles west of Beaminster. Birtsmorton Court is a Medieval Moated Manor house near Malvern in Worcestershire. Bitterne Manor is a suburb of Southampton surrounding the Manor house of the same name Bradninch is a small Town in Devon, England, lying about three miles south of Cullompton. Bramall Hall (often misspelt as Bram h all Hall Dating back to Saxon times the hall has passed through the hands of the families Massey Davenport Nevill and Davies Boarstall Tower is a 14th-century Moated Gatehouse located in Boarstall, Buckinghamshire, England, and now with its surrounding Brooksby Hall is a 16th century Leicestershire Manor house in 3 Burghley House is a grand 16th-century English Country house near the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire, England. Calcot Manor, Gloucestershire, England (National Grid Reference ST 841180 94891 was established in approximately 1300 AD by Henry of Kingswood as a Tithe Chambercombe Manor is a Norman Manor house located near Ilfracombe, Devon, which dates back to the 11th century and was recorded in the Chavenage House is an Elizabethan era Manor house situated 15 miles northwest of Tetbury, in the Cotswolds area of Gloucestershire Cheddington is a Village comprising 1429 acres (58 km² and Civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire. Chenies Manor House, at Chenies Buckinghamshire, a Grade I Listed Building, known formerly as Chenies Palace was owned by the Cheyne family who were granted Childwickbury Manor is a manor in Hertfordshire, England, between St Albans and Harpenden. Clevedon Court is a manor house in Clevedon, North Somerset, England, dating from the early fourteenth century Cranborne is a Village in East Dorset, England. In 2001 the village had a Population of 779 people Edlingham Castle is a small Castle ruin having Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed building status in the care of English Heritage Finchcocks is an early Georgian Manor house in Goudhurst, Kent, which houses a large collection of historical Keyboard instruments Built in c1560 Grimshaw Hall ( is a half-timbered Tudor Manor house located in the village of Knowle, approximately 15 miles from the city of Birmingham Hatfield House is a Country house set in a large park the Great Park on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. Hinxworth Place is a Medieval Manor house near Hinxworth, Hertfordshire England. East Riddlesden Hall is a 17th century British Manor house in Keighley, West Yorkshire, now owned by the National Trust Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire is over five hundred years old and one of the best preserved Medieval Manor houses in England. Garsington Manor, in the village of Garsington, near Oxford England, is a Tudor building best known as the former home of Lady Ottoline Morrell Gidea Hall was a Manor house, located in Gidea Park, the historic parish and Royal liberty of Havering-atte-Bower, whose former area today forms the north Great Chalfield Manor is an English country house near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. Great Snoring (archaic English Snoring Magna) is a rural village in North Norfolk by the River Stiffkey, in the east of England. Groby Old Hall is a 15th century Brick built Manor house and grade II Listed building located very near the site of Groby Castle in Harlaxton Manor is a Mansion in Harlaxton, Lincolnshire, England. Corsham is a small medieval town in northwest Wiltshire, England. Hever Castle, in Kent, England (in the village of Hever) was the seat of the Boleyn, originally 'Bullen' family Hughenden Manor is a red Brick Georgian Mansion, located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, and a National Ightham Mote (pronounced "item moat" is a medieval moated Manor house close to the village of Ightham, near Sevenoaks in Kent Icomb Place (pronounced "Ickum" is a Medieval Manor house on the edge of the village of Icomb, near Stow on the Wold in Gloucestershire Kelmscott Manor is a limestone house in the Cotswold village of Kelmscott, Oxfordshire, England. Kirby Muxloe Castle, known also as Kirby Castle is an unfinished 15th century fortified Manor house in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire Knole is a Stately home situated close to Sevenoaks in north-west Kent, surrounded by a 1000 acre deer park Lambton Castle, located in County Durham, England, between the towns of Washington and Chester-le-Street, is a stately home the ancestral seat Langdon Court is a former English Manor House, in Wembury, South Devon, United Kingdom. Les Augrès Manor is a 16th century Manor house in the parish of Trinity in Jersey, on the road La Profonde Rue. Lesingham House is in Surlingham, Norfolk, England. Address Lesingham HouseCovey LaneSurlingham Norwich NR14 Levens Hall is a Manor house in the county of Cumbria in northern England. Linford Manor is an old Mansion or Manor house converted into a Recording studio complex in Great Linford, Milton Keynes, England The English Village of Little Barford in Bedfordshire lies on the county boundary with Cambridgeshire, adjacent to the town of St Neots Little Snoring is a village and a civil parish in the English County of Norfolk. "Northborough" redirects here For the town in Massachusetts, see Northborough Massachusetts. Oxon Hoath is a Manor house with 73 acres (295000 m² of grounds in Kent (just outside Hadlow, near Tonbridge) in the "West Kent Owlpen Manor is a Tudor Grade I listed Manor house of the Mander family, situated in the village of Owlpen in the Stroud district Roos Hall (or sometimes Rose Hall) is a Manor house and former manor just outside Beccles in Suffolk. Scotney Castle is a Country house with Formal gardens south-east of Lamberhurst in the valley of the River Bewl in Kent, Snowshill Manor is a National Trust property located in the village of Snowshill, Gloucestershire, England. Stokesay Castle, located at Stokesay, a mile south of the town of Craven Arms, in South Shropshire, is the oldest fortified Manor house Stourhead is a 2650 Acre (11 km² estate at the source of the River Stour near Mere, Wiltshire, England Sturminster Newton, known to locals as Stur, is a town in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. Sulgrave is a small village and Civil parish near Banbury, Oxfordshire in the district of South Northamptonshire in England It has The Manor House Bishop Bridge (sometimes spelled Bishopbridge Lincolnshire is quite a new edition to the list of Manor houses The house was built circa Theobalds House (also known as Theobalds Palace) located in Theobalds Park just outside Cheshunt in the English county of Hertfordshire, was Thorndon Hall is a Georgian Palladian Country house within Thorndon Park Ingrave, Essex approximately two miles south of Tretower Court is a Medieval Fortified manor house situated in the village of Tretower, near Crickhowell in modern day Powys, previously Ufton Court is an Elizabethan Manor house at Ufton Nervet in the English county of Berkshire. Waddesdon Manor is a country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. Walton (historically was a hamlet that is now a district and Civil parish in Milton Keynes, ceremonial Buckinghamshire, England The historic Washington Old Hall is a Manor house located in the Washington, area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Wightwick Manor ( (pronounced 'Wittick' is a Victorian Manor house located on Wightwick Bank Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England Wingfield Manor is a deserted (since the 1770s) and ruined Manor house some 4 miles from the town of Alfreton in the English county of Derbyshire Woodstock Palace was a royal residence in the English town of Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Woolsthorpe Manor in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, was the birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton on Alatskivi Parish is a rural municipality in Tartu County, Estonia. Tartu County ( Estonian: Tartu maakond) or Tartumaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. Lääne-Viru County (Lääne-Viru maakond or Lääne-Virumaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. Põlva County (Põlva maakond or Põlvamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. Lääne-Viru County (Lääne-Viru maakond or Lääne-Virumaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. Muhu (in German Moon or Mohn; in Estonian also called Muhumaa) is an Island in the Baltic Sea. Saare County ( Estonian: Saare maakond) or Saaremaa, ( Latin: Osilia or Oesel) is one of 15 counties Nissi Parish (Nissi vald is a rural municipality in northern Estonia. Harju County (Harju maakond or Harjumaa, ( Latin: Harria) nowadays one of 15 counties of Estonia. Roosna-Alliku ( Estonian: Roosna-Alliku vald) is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Järva County. Järva County (Järva maakond or Järvamaa, ( Latin: Jervia) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. Lääne-Viru County (Lääne-Viru maakond or Lääne-Virumaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. Helme is a rural municipality of the Estonian county of Valga. Valga County (Valga maakond or Valgamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy.
  • Château de Bienassis in Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany. Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into
  • Château de Bonnefontaine in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany.
  • Château de Gratot in Manche, Normandy. The Château de Gratot is a ruined medieval castle in the commune of Gratot, in the Manche ''département'' in Basse-Normandie ( France
  • Château d'Harcourt in Eure, Normandy. The Château d'Harcourt, situated in the commune of Harcourt in the Eure département of France, is a masterpiece
  • Manoir de Kerazan in Finistère, Brittany.
  • Château des Milandes in Dordogne, Aquitaine. The Château des Milandes is a small Castle in the commune of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle in the Dordogne département Dordogne (Dordonha is a department in central France named after the Dordogne River. Aquitaine (Aquitània Akitania archaic Guyenne / Guienne (Occitan Guiana) is one of the 26 Regions of France, in the south-western part of
  • Château de Pirou in Manche, Normandy. The Château de Pirou is a castle in the commune of Pirou, in the département of Manche ( Basse-Normandie) France.
  • Château de Puymartin in Dordogne, Aquitaine. The Château de Puymartin is a French castle in the commune of Marquay which is located between Sarlat (8 km and Les Eyzies (11 km in the Dordogne (in French)
  • Château de la Roche-Jagu in Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany. A strategically important maison-forte in Trégor.
  • Château des Rochers-Sévigné in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany.
  • Château de Trécesson in Morbihan, Brittany. The Château de Trécesson which has preserved its medieval aspect is one of the most impressive Castles of Brittany.

Manor houses in Northern Ireland

Manor houses in The Netherlands

Manor houses in Portugal

Manor houses in Scotland

  • Brodie Castle
  • Drum Castle, started as a 13th century tower house. Killadeas ( an order of priests predominant in Ireland in the Middle Ages is a small Village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, about 7 miles north County Fermanagh (fɚr'mænɘ Contae Fhear Manach or Fear Manach ('Men of Monach'in Irish) is the westernmost of the six counties that form Northern Huis Doorn (Doorn Manor is a small Manor house that lies outside Doorn, a small town near Utrecht, the Netherlands. Pousadas de Portugal ( pron. po'zadɐʃ dɨ puɾtugaɫ is a chain of luxury traditional or historical hotels in Portugal. Brodie Castle is a Castle near Forres in the Moray region of Scotland. Drum Castle is a Castle near Drumoak in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
  • House of Dun
  • Monboddo House
  • Raasay

Manor houses in Sweden

Manor houses in Wales

See also

  • Country house
  • Mansion
  • Pele tower and Bastle house
  • Tower house
  • Quadrangular castle
  • Lord of the manor
  • Manor court
  • Court baron and Court leet
  • Dovecote
  • Liste des châteaux de Bretagne, list of Breton manors in French Wikipedia. House of Dun, together with the adjacent Montrose Basin Nature reserve, is a National Trust for Scotland property in Angus, Scotland Monboddo House ( is a historically famous mansion in The Mearns, Scotland. Raasay ( Scottish Gaelic: Ratharsair, rˠaarˠs̪əɾʲ is an Island between the Isle of Skye and the mainland of Scotland. Halltorps is one of the earliest Manor houses on the island of Öland, Sweden, dating from the 11th century AD Bodysgallen Hall is a Manor house in Conwy county borough, north Wales, near the village of Llanrhos, at 53°17'47 Weobley Castle is a Fortified manor house on the Gower peninsula, Wales, UK in the care of Cadw. Tretower Court is a Medieval Fortified manor house situated in the village of Tretower, near Crickhowell in modern day Powys, previously Crickhowell ( Crug Hywel, Crughywel, or Crucywel in Welsh) is a small Town in Powys, Mid Wales. The English country house is generally accepted as a large House or Mansion, once in the ownership of an individual who also usually owned another Great A mansion is a large dwelling House. The word itself derives (through Old French) from the Latin word mansus (the perfect passive participle Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or Tower houses built along the English and Scottish Borders, intended as watch towers where Bastle houses are found along the Anglo - Scottish border in the areas formerly plagued by Border Reivers. A tower house is a particular type of stone structure built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. A quadrangular castle is a type of Castle characterised by ranges of buildings which are integral with the curtain walls, enclosing a central Courtyard The title of Lord of the Manor arose in the English mediaeval system of Manorialism following the Norman Conquest. The manor court was the lowest court of law in England (and in other Western European countries such as France during the feudal period A Court baron is an English Manorial court dating from the Middle Ages. The court leet was a historical court in England and Wales. At a very early time in medieval England the Lord of the Manor exercised or claimed certain A dovecote or dovecot is a building intended to house Pigeons or Doves which were an important food source in history
  • Eesti mõisate loend, list of Estonian manors in Estonian Wikipedia.
  • There is a short list of Norman manoirs in Pays de Caux. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French département of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie

External links

  • Reality TV show recreating life in an Edwardian manor house.
  • Timelines TV Interactive video timeline of British history with section on medieval manors.
  • Estonian Manors Portal - the English version gives the brief overview of 438 best preserved manor houses in Estonia.

Notes

  1. ^ Jones, Michael and Gwyn Meirion-Jones, Les Châteaux de Bretagne, Rennes: Editions Quest-France,1991, pp 34-35
  2. ^ Barbier, Pierre, Le Trégor Historique et Monumental, Saint-Brieuc: La Decouvrance Editions, 2005, p 419

Dictionary

manor house

-noun

  1. (in England) The main house on a landed estate.
  2. The house of the lord of the manor.
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