

MEDIEVAL HOUSES FREE
A manor had three main types of land: demesne land (directly under the control of the lord), dependent land (performed obligations to the lord), and free lands (rented by free peasants).Some had a church, a mill, and a wine or oil press. Typical manors consisted partly of the peasants' cottages, huts, barns and gardens, which were usually clustered together to form a small village.As they were tied to the manor on a hereditary basis, peasants could not leave or marry without their lord’s permission.Presiding over the manorial courts, the lord of the manor dispensed justice within his jurisdiction.Its basic unit was the manor, a self-sufficient landed estate, or fief, owned by wealthy lords and knights.It was an economic system-the peasants held land from the lord of the manor in return for fixed dues in kind, money, or labour.It originated from the late Roman Empire, when large landowners had to secure their control over both their lands and their tenants. It was a system wherein rural society was arranged around a manor house on an estate. Manorialism, also referred to as seignorialism, was the most convenient organising device of rural economy in medieval Europe, by which the peasants were rendered dependent on their land and on their lord.They eventually lost particular significance in early modern England.ĭepiction of a 13th-century manor house in Millichope, Shropshire Manorialism Certain changes were undertaken in building manor houses throughout the centuries. The manor house was primarily the residence of a lord of the manor and later accommodated other functions hence it came to be an important administrative and economic centre.


Since the rural society in a manorial system was arranged around a manor house on an estate, the manor house became a significant structure during the period. The manor was a distinct societal unit with legal, social and economic functions. Manorialism was the most convenient organising device of rural economy in medieval Europe.Let’s find out more about the Medieval Manor Houses!
