What are Manorial Documents

A manor was an area of land under the authority of the Lord or Lady of the Manor. A manor differed from an estate in that it had the right to hold manorial courts.  

Particular records were generated by the courts and it is these that make the manorial records such an important historical resource. Some manorial records pre-date parish registers – the oldest Northumberland manorial record in the care of Northumberland Archives is dated 1278 – a court roll from Black Callerton in Newburn Parish.

The records tell stories of the community and the people that lived on the manor. Land transfer was recorded in court records and the courts heard cases of manorial tenants breaking the customs (laws) of the Manor. In the early period these include cases of anti-social behaviour. The manor courts were involved in cases that would now fall under the jurisdiction of trading standards (mis-selling of goods etc.) and planning (encroachments etc.)