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| English feudalism |
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| Manorialism |
| Feudal land tenure in England |
| Feudal duties |
| Feudalism |
Amanor house was historically the main residence of thelord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of amanor in the Europeanfeudal system; within itsgreat hall were usually held the lord'smanorial courts, communal meals with manorial tenants and great banquets. The term is today loosely (though erroneously) applied to variousEnglish country houses, mostly at the smaller end of the spectrum, sometimes dating from theLate Middle Ages, which currently or formerly house thelanded gentry.
Manor houses were sometimesfortified, albeit not as fortified as castles, but this was often more for show than for defence. They existed in most European countries where feudalism was present.
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Thelord of the manor may have held several properties within a county or, for example in the case of afeudal baron, spread across a kingdom, which he occupied only on occasional visits. Even so, the business of the manor was directed and controlled by regular manorial courts, which appointed manorial officials such as thebailiff, grantedcopyhold leases to tenants, resolved disputes between manorial tenants and administered justice in general. A large and suitable building was required within the manor for such purpose, generally in the form of agreat hall, and asolar might be attached to form accommodation for the lord.
The produce of a small manor might be insufficient to feed a lord and his large family for a full year, and thus he would spend only a few months at each manor and move on to another where stores had been laid up. This also gave the opportunity for the vacated manor house to be cleaned, especially important in the days of thecess-pit, and repaired. Thus such non-resident lords needed to appoint asteward orseneschal to act as their deputy in such matters and to preside at the manorial courts of his different manorial properties. The day-to-day administration was carried out by a resident official in authority at each manor, who in England was called abailiff, orreeve.
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Although not typically built with strong fortifications as werecastles, many manor-houses werefortified, which required a royallicence to crenellate. They were often enclosed within walls orditches which often also included agricultural buildings. Arranged for defence against roaming bands of robbers and thieves,[1] in days long before police, they were often surrounded by amoat with adrawbridge,[1] and were equipped withgatehouses andwatchtowers, but not, as for castles, with akeep, large towers or lofty curtain walls designed to withstand a siege. The primary feature of the manor house was itsgreat hall, to which subsidiary apartments were added as the lessening of feudal warfare permitted more peaceful domestic life.
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, and many defensive elements were dispensed with, for exampleSutton Place inSurrey,c. 1521. A late 16th-century transformation produced many of the smallerRenaissancechâteaux of France and the numerous country mansions of theElizabethan andJacobean styles in England. These would eventually evolve intocountry houses with theestate replacing the manor.
Manor houses were often built in close proximity to the village for ease, as they served not just as a home for the lord of the manor, but as a centre of administration for those who lived or travelled within the bounds of the manor. In some instances, they needed to be able to hold meetings of theManorial court.
Nearly every large medieval manor house had its owndeer-park adjoining, imparked (i.e. enclosed) by royal licence, which served primarily as a store of food in the form ofvenison. Within these licensed parks deer could not be hunted by royalty (with its huge travelling entourage which needed to be fed and entertained), nor by neighbouring land-owners nor by any other persons.
Before around 1600, larger houses were usually fortified, generally for true defensive purposes but increasingly, as the kingdom became internally more peaceable after theWars of the Roses, as a form of status symbol, reflecting the position of their owners as having been worthy to receive royallicence to crenellate. TheTudor period (16th century) of stability in England saw the building of the first of the unfortifiedgreat houses, for exampleSutton Place in Surrey, circa 1521.
TheDissolution of the Monasteries under KingHenry VIII resulted in many former monastical properties being sold to the King's favourites, who then converted them into private country houses, examples beingWoburn Abbey,Forde Abbey,Nostell Priory and many other mansions with the suffixAbbey orPriory to their name.
During the second half of the reign of QueenElizabeth I (1558–1603) and under her successor KingJames I (1603–1625) the firstmansions designed by architects not by mere masons or builders, began to make their appearance. Such houses asBurghley House,Longleat House, andHatfield House are among the best known of this period and seem today to epitomise theEnglish country house.
During the 16th century, many lords of manors moved their residences from their ancient manor houses often situated next to the parish church and near or in the village and built a new manor house within the walls of their ancient deer-parks adjoining. This gave them more privacy and space.[2]
While suffixes given to manor houses in recent centuries have little substantive meaning, and many have changed over time,[a] in previous centuries manor names had specific connotations.
The usage is often today used as a modern catch-all suffix for an old house on anestate, true manor or not.
In France, the termschâteau ormanoir are often used synonymously to describe a French manor house;maison-forte is the appellation for a stronglyfortified house, which may include two sets of enclosing walls,drawbridges, and a ground-floor hall orsalle basse that was used to receive peasants and commoners. The termmanoir is used historically only inNormandy and inBrittany. Thesalle basse was also the location of the manorial court, with the steward or seigneur's seating location often marked by the presence of acrédence de justice or wall-cupboard (shelves built into the stone walls to hold documents and books associated with administration of the demesne ordroit de justice).
Thesalle haute or upper-hall, reserved for the seigneur and where he received his high-ranking guests, was often accessible by an external spiral staircase. It was commonly "open" up to the roof trusses, as in similar English homes. This larger and more finely decorated hall was usually located above the ground-floor hall. The seigneur and his family's privatechambres were often located off of the upper first-floor hall, and invariably had their own fireplace (with finely decorated chimney-piece) and frequently a latrine.[citation needed]
In addition to having both lower and upper halls, many French manor houses also had partly fortified gateways, watchtowers, and enclosing walls that were fitted witharrow or gun loops for added protection. Some larger 16th-century manors, such as theChâteau de Kerjean inFinistère, Brittany, were even outfitted with ditches and fore-works that included gun platforms for cannons. These defensive arrangements allowedmaisons-fortes and rural manors to be safe from acoup de main perpetrated by an armed band, many of which roamed the countryside during the troubled times of theHundred Years War and theFrench wars of religion; but these fortified manor houses could not have withstood a lengthysiege undertaken by a regular army equipped with (siege) engines or heavy artillery.[7]
The German equivalent of a manor house is aGutshaus (orGut,Gutshof,Rittergut,Landgut orBauerngut). AlsoHerrenhaus andDomäne are common terms.Schloss (pl. Schlösser) is anotherGerman word for a building similar to manor house,stately home,château orpalace. Other terms used in German areBurg (castle),Festung (fort/fortress) andPalais/Palast (palace).
German language uses terms like Schloss or Gutshaus for places that functioned as the administrative center of a manor. Gut(shaus) implies a smaller ensemble of buildings within a more agricultural setting, usually owned by lower-ranking landed gentry whereas Schloss describes more representative and larger places. During the 18th century, some of these manor houses became local centers of culture where the local gentry, sometimes inspired by what they had experienced during theirgrand tour, was mimicking the lifestyle of the higher nobility, creating lavish parks, art collections or showed an interest in science and research.
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There are many historical manor houses throughout theNetherlands. Some have been converted into museums, hotels, conference centres, etc. Some are located on estates and in parks.
Many of the earlier houses are the legacy of the feudalheerlijkheid system. The Dutch had a manorial system centred on the local lord'sdemesne. In Middle Dutch this was called thevroonhof orvroenhoeve, a word derived from the Proto-Germanic wordfraujaz, meaning "lord". This was also called ahof and the lord's house ahofstede. Other terms were used, includinglandhuis (or justhuis), aridderhofstad (Utrecht), astins orstate (Friesland), or ahavezate (Drente,Overijssel andGelderland). Some of these buildings were fortified. A number of castles associated with thenobility are found in the country. In Dutch, a building like this was called akasteel, aslot, aburcht or (inGroningen) aborg.[8]
During theDutch Golden Age in the 17th century,merchants andregents looking for ways to spend their wealth bought country estates and built grand new homes, often just for summer use. Some purchased existing manor houses and castles from the nobility. Some country houses were built on top of the ruins of earlier castles that had been destroyed during theDutch Revolt. The owners, aspiring to noble status, adopted the name of the earlier castle.
These country houses or stately homes (calledbuitenplaats orbuitenhuis in Dutch) were located close to the city in picturesque areas with a clean water source. Wealthy families sent their children to the country in the summer because of the putrid canals and diseases in the city. A few still exist, especially along the riverVecht, the riverAmstel, theSpaarne inKennemerland, the riverVliet and inWassenaar. Some are located near former lakes (nowpolders) like the Wijkermeer,Watergraafsmeer and theBeemster. In the 19th century, with improvements in water management, new regions came into fashion, such as theUtrecht Hill Ridge (Utrechtse Heuvelrug) and the area aroundArnhem.
Today there is a tendency to group these grand buildings together in the category of "castles". There are manycastles andbuitenplaatsen in all twelve provinces. A larger-than-average home is today called avilla or a herenhuis, but despite the grand name this is not the same as a manor house.
Thearchitectural form of the Polish manor house (Polish:dwór ordworek) evolved around the latePolish Renaissance period and continued until the Second World War, which, together with the communist takeover of Poland, spelled the end of thenobility in Poland. A 1944 decree nationalized most mansions as property of the nobles, but few were adapted to other purposes. Many slowly fell into ruin over the next few decades.
Poland inherited many German-style manor houses (Gutshäuser) afterparts of eastern Germany were taken over by Poland afterWorld War II.
InPortugal, it was quite common during the 17th to early 20th centuries for thearistocracy to have country homes. These homes, known assolares (paços, when the manor was a certain stature or size;quintas, when the manor included a sum of land), were found particularly in the northern, usually richer, Portugal, in theBeira,Minho, andTrás-os-Montes provinces. Many have been converted into a type of hotel calledpousada.
Quinta is a term used in thePortuguese language-speaking world, which is applied variously to manors homes or to estates as a whole.
Casa solariega is the catch-all name for manor houses in Spain. They were the places where heads of noble families resided. Those houses receive a different name depending on the geographical region of Spain where they are located, the noble rank of the owner family, the size of the house and/or the use that the family gave to them. In Spain many old manor houses, palaces, castles and grand homes have been converted into aParador hotel.
A Palacio is a sumptuously decorated grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, the hill which housed the Imperial residences in Rome. Palacio Real is the same as Palacio, but historically used (either now or in the past) by theSpanish royal family. Palacio arzobispal is the same as Palacio, but historically used by the ecclesiastic authorities (mainly bishops or archbishops).[citation needed]
Alcázar is a type of Moorish castle or fortified palace inSpain (and alsoPortugal) built during Muslim rule, although some founded by Christians. Mostly of the alcázars were built between the 8th and 15th centuries. Many cities in Spain have its alcázar. Palaces built in the Moorish style after theexpulsion of the Moors from Spain are often referred to as alcazars as well.
Hacienda is landed estates of significant size located in the south ofSpain (Andalusia). They were also very common in the formerSpanish colonies. Some haciendas wereplantations,mines orfactories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities. They were developed as profit-making, economic enterprises linked to regional or international markets. The owner of an hacienda was termed anhacendado orpatrón. The work force on haciendas varied, depending on the type of hacienda and where it was located.
Casona is old manor houses inLeón,Asturias andCantabria (Spain) following the so-called "casa montañesa architecture". Most of them were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Typologically they are halfway between rustic houses and palaces
Quinta is a countryside house closer to the urban core. Initially, "quinta" (fifth) designated the 1/5 part of the production that the lessee (called "quintero") paid to the lessor (owner of the land), but lately the term was applied to the whole property. This term is also very common in the former Spanish colonies.
Alqueria inAl-Andalus made reference to small rural communities that were located near cities (medinas). Since the 15th century it makes reference to a farmhouse, with an agriculturalfarm, typical ofLevante and the southeasternSpanish, mainly inGranada andValencia.
Apazo is a type of grand old house found inGalicia. Apazo is usually located in the countryside and the former residence of an important nobleman or other important individual. They were of crucial importance to the rural and monastic communities around them. Thepazo was a traditional architectural structure associated with a community and social network. It usually consisted of a main building surrounded by gardens, a dovecote and outbuildings such as a smallchapels for religious celebrations. The wordpazo is derived from theLatinpalatiu(m) ("palace").
TheBaserri, called "Caserio" in Spanish, is the typical manor house of theBasque Provinces andNavarre. A baserri represents the core unit of traditional Basque society, as theancestral home of a family. Traditionally, the household is administered by theetxekoandre (lady of the house) and theetxekojaun (master of the house), each with distinctly defined rights, roles and responsibilities. When the couple reaches a certain age upon which they wish to retire, the baserri is formally handed over to a child. Unusually, the parents were by tradition free to choose any child, male or female, firstborn or later born, to assume the role ofetxekoandre oretxekojaun to ensure the child most suitable to the role would inherit the ancestral home. The baserriunder traditional law (thefueros) cannot be divided or inherited by more than one person. This is still the case in theSouthern Basque Country but the introduction of theNapoleonic Code in France, under which such practices are illegal, greatly upset this tradition in the North. Although the Basques in the north chose to be "creative" with the new laws, it overall resulted in the breakup and ultimate financial ruin of many baserris. In practice the tradition of not breaking up baserris meant that the remaining children had to marry into another baserri, stay on the family baserri as unmarried employees or make their own way in the world (Iglesia o mar o casa real, "Church or sea or royal house").
Acortijo is a type of traditional rural habitat in the Southern half ofSpain, including all ofAndalusia and parts ofExtremadura andCastile-La Mancha.Cortijos may have their origins in ancientRoman villas, for the word is derived from theLatincohorticulum, a diminutive ofcohors, meaning 'courtyard'. They are often isolated structures associated with a large family farming orlivestock operation in the vast and empty adjoining lands. It would usually include a large house, together with accessory buildings such as workers' quarters, sheds to house livestock, granaries,oil mills, barns and often a wall enclosing a courtyard. The master of thecortijo or"señorito" would usually live with his family in a two-story building, while the accessory structures were for the labourers and their families —also known as"cortijeros".
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Before the founding of the United States, colonial powers such as Britain, France and the Netherlands made land grants to favored individuals in the original colonies that evolved into large agricultural estates that resembled the manors familiar to Europeans.[citation needed] Founding fathers such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were the owners of large agricultural estates granted by colonial rulers and built large manor houses from which these estates were managed (e.g.,Mount Vernon,Monticello).
American agricultural estates, however, often relied on slaves rather than tenant farmers or serfs which were common in Europe at the time. The owners of American agricultural estates did not have noble titles and there was no legally recognized political structure based on an aristocratic, land-owning class. As a result, this limited the development of a feudal or manorial land-owning system to just a few regions such as Tidewater and Piedmont Virginia, theCarolina Low Country, theMississippi Delta, and theHudson River Valley in the early years of the republic.[citation needed]
Today, relics of early manorial life in the early United States are found in a few places such as theEastern Shore of Maryland with examples such asWye Hall andHope House (Easton, Maryland), Virginia atMonticello andWestover Plantation, the Hudson River Valley of New York atClermont State Historic Site or along the Mississippi such asLansdowne (Natchez, Mississippi).[citation needed] Over time, these large estates were usually subdivided as they became economically unsustainable and are now a fraction of their historical extent. In the southern states, the demise of plantation slavery after the Civil War gave rise to asharecropping agricultural economy that had similarities to Europeanserfdom and lasted into the early 20th century.[citation needed] TheBiltmore Estate in North Carolina (which is still owned by descendants of the original builder, a member of theVanderbilt family) is a more modern, though unsuccessful, attempt at building a small manorial society near Asheville, North Carolina.[citation needed]
Most manor-style homes built since the Civil War were merely country retreats for wealthy industrialists in the late 19th and early 20th century and had little agricultural, administrative or political function.[citation needed] Examples of these homes includeCastle Hill (Ipswich, Massachusetts),Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site andHearst Castle. A rare example of hereditary estate ownership in the United States that includes a manor-type house isGardiners Island,[citation needed] a private island that has been in the same family since the 17th century and contains aGeorgian architecture house. Today, some historically and architecturally significant manor houses in the United States are museums. However, many still function as private residences, including many of the colonial-era manor houses found in Maryland and Virginia a few of which are still held within the original families.[citation needed]
Unlike in Europe, the United States did not create a native architectural style common to manor houses. A typical architectural style used for American manor-style homes in the mid-Atlantic region isGeorgian architecture although a homegrown variant of Georgian did emerge in the late 1700s calledFederal architecture.[citation needed] Other styles borrowed from Europe includeChâteauesque withBiltmore Estate being an example,Tudor Revival architecture seePlanting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, andNeoclassical architecture withMonticello being a prominent example.[citation needed] In theAntebellum South, manyplantation houses were built inGreek Revival architecture style.[citation needed]
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Virginia House is a former 16th-entury English manor house blending three romantic English Tudor designs. In 1925, it was relocated toRichmond, Virginia from main sections dating from the 1620 remodeling of a priory inWarwickshire, England and reconstructed on a hillside overlooking theJames River inWindsor Farms.[citation needed] Virginia House is now owned and operated by theVirginia Historical Society. The almost eight acres of gardens and grounds on which Virginia House rests were designed byCharles Gillette. The house has been preserved and is largely as it was when the Weddells lived there.[9] Virginia House is on theNational Register of Historic Places listings in Richmond, Virginia.
This now lord of these lands Sir Robert Basset hath his dwelling atHeanton-Court, in this parish, an adjunct importing a manor-house in the lord's signiory
ThisNutwellCourt, which signifies amansion-house in a signiory, came to the family of Prideaux
Their house [Yarnscombe] is called"Court", which implieth a manor house, or chief dwelling in a lordship.
The wordcourt annex'd unto the name of the lord, may imply, that Hill had a lordship here; and that the court of his mannor, where the tenants were to pay their suit and service, was usually kept (according to antient custom) at this his mansion-house: this is the reason why many gentlemens seats, in this county, and elsewhere, are distinguished by the title of court, or court-house, because the court of the mannor was wont to be held there
The dictionary definition ofmanor house at Wiktionary
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