A Brief Guide to Modern Manorial Law

Intended for busy practitioners but also for historical researchers and the general reader, A Practical Guide Manorial Law offers a short introduction to an important subject that once stood close to the centre of English property law but has now become little known and is often misunderstood. It outlines the development of the manor in England, and subsequently Wales, since Norman times and seeks to link the legal and historical aspects of that development so that manorial issues arising in contemporaneous property transactions or disputes can be properly analysed.

The book examines key concepts of manorial tenure, such as socage and copyhold, together with conveyancing and registration issues, including title challenge. There is a focus on evidence and access to evidence to reflect the importance of historic documents as critical to the process of evaluation and disclosure. Commons, wastes and minerals are also considered in view of their growing importance in the development of renewable energy.