English feudal barony - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

In England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was a form of Feudal land tenure

Feudal land tenure

Under the English feudal system several different forms of land tenure existed, each effectively a contract with differing rights and duties attached thereto. Such tenures could be either free-hold, signifying that they were hereditable or perpetual, or non-free where the tenancy terminated on the...

, namely per baroniam (Latin for "by barony") under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. It must be distinguished from a barony, also feudal, but which existed within a county palatine

County palatine

A county palatine or palatinate is an area ruled by an hereditary nobleman possessing special authority and autonomy from the rest of a kingdom or empire. The name derives from the Latin adjective palatinus, "relating to the palace", from the noun palatium, "palace"...

, such as the Barony of Halton

Barony of Halton

The Barony of Halton, in Cheshire, England, comprised a succession of 15 barons who held under the overlordship of the County Palatine of Chester ruled by the Earl of Chester. It was not therefore an English feudal barony which was under full royal jurisdiction, which is the usual sense of the...

. The duties and privileges owed by feudal barons cannot now be defined exactly but involved respectively the provision of soldiers to the royal feudal army on demand by the king, and the attendance at the kings feudal court, the precursor of parliament

Parliament

A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...

. The estate-in-land

Estate (law)

An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...

held by barony if containing a significant castle as its caput
Caput
The Latin word caput, meaning literally "head" and by metonymy "top", has been borrowed in a variety of English words, including capital, captain, and decapitate...

and if especially large, that is to say consisting of more than about 20 knight's fee

Knight's fee

In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a measure of a unit of land deemed sufficient from which a knight could derive not only sustenance for himself and his esquires, but also the means to furnish himself and his equipage with horses and armour to fight for his overlord in...

s (each loosely equivalent to a manor

Manorialism

Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...

), was termed an "honour". These manors invariably included many that were subinfeudated

Subinfeudation

In English law, subinfeudation is the practice by which tenants, holding land under the king or other superior lord, carved out new and distinct tenures in their turn by sub-letting or alienating a part of their lands....

Form of creation

William the Conqueror established his favoured followers as barons by enfeoffing them as tenants-in-chief

Tenant-in-chief

In medieval and early modern European society the term tenant-in-chief, sometimes vassal-in-chief, denoted the nobles who held their lands as tenants directly from king or territorial prince to whom they did homage, as opposed to holding them from another nobleman or senior member of the clergy....

with great fiefdoms to be held per baroniam, a largely standard feudal contract of tenure, common to all his barons. Such barons were not necessarily always from the greater Norman nobles, but were selected often on account of their personal abilities and usefulness. Thus for example Turstin FitzRolf

Turstin FitzRolf

Turstin FitzRolf was a Norman magnate, one of the few "Proven Companions of William the Conqueror" who fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. As his name indicates, he was the son of a certain Rolf, synonymous with Rou and Rollo . His first name appears as Tosteins, Thurstan and other variants...

, the relatively humble and obscure knight who had stepped in at the last minute to accept the position of Duke William's standard-bearer at the Battle of Hastings

Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...

, was granted a barony which comprised well over twenty manors.

Servitium Debitum

The feudal obligation imposed by the grant of a barony was termed in Latin the servitium debitum or "service owed" and was set as a quota of knights to be provided for the king's service, which figure was arbitrarily decided by the king for each barony. It bore no constant relation to the amount of land comprised by the barony, but was fixed by a bargain between the king and the baron. It was at the discretion of the baron as to how these knights were found by him. The commonest method was for him to split his barony into several small fees, i.e. fiefdoms or fiefs, (estates-in-land) or of no standard size, but at least few hundred acres each, possibly up to a thousand acres, into each of which he would sub-enfeoff one knight, by the tenure of knight-service

Knight-service

Knight-service was a form of Feudal land tenure under which a knight held a fief or estate of land termed a knight's fee from an overlord conditional on him as tenant performing military service for his overlord....

. This tenure gave the knight use of the fief and all its revenues, on condition that he should provide to the baron, now his overlord, 40 days' of military service, complete with retinue of esquires, horses and armour. The fief so allotted is known as a knight's fee

Knight's fee

. Alternatively the baron could keep the entire barony or a part thereof in demesne

Demesne

In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...

, that is to say "in-hand" or under his own management, using the revenues it produced to buy the services of mercenary knights known as "stipendiary knights". A barony which could support more than the number of knights required by the servitium debitum had clearly been obtained from the king on favourable terms.

Under and over enfeoffment

Where a baron had sub-enfeoffed fewer knights than required by the servitium debitum, the barony was said to be "under-enfeoffed", and the balance of knights owing had to be produced super dominium, that is "on the demesne". This does not mean they were resident within the baron's demesne, but that they had to be hired from the revenue therefrom. Conversely, a barony was "over-enfeoffed" where more knights had been enfeoffed than was required by the servitium debitum, and this was a signal that the barony had been obtained on overly-favourable terms.

Cartae Baronum

A survey was commissioned by the Treasury in 1166 known as the Cartae Baronum ("Charters of the Barons"), which required each baron to declare how many knights he had enfeoffed and how many were super dominium, with the names of all. It appears that the survey was designed to identify baronies from which a greater servitium debitum could in future be obtained by the king. An example is given from the return of Lambert of Etocquigny:

"To his reverend lord, Henry, king of the English, Lambert of Etocquigny, greeting. Know that I hold from you by your favour 16 carucates of land and 2 bovates by the service of 10 knights. In these 10 carucates of land I have 5 knights enfeoffed by the old enfeoffment:

Richard de Haia holds 1 knight's fee; and he withheld the service which he owes to you and to me from the day of your coronation up to now, except that he paid me 2 marks.

Odo de Cranesbi holds 1 knight's fee.

Thomas, son of William, holds 1 knight's fee.

Roger de Millers holds 2 knight's fees.

And from my demesne I provide the balance of the service I owe you, to wit, that of 5 knights. And from that demesne I have given Robert de Portemort 3/4 of 1 knight's fee. Therefore I pray you that you will send me your judgement concerning Richard de Haia who holds back the service of his fee, because I cannot obtain that service except by your order. This is the total service in the aforesaid 16 carucates of land. Farewell"

Form of summons to parliament

The privilege which balanced the burden of the servitium debitum was the baron's right to attend the king's council. Originally all barons who held per baroniam received individual writ

Writ

In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court...

s of summons to attend parliament, which attendance was their privilege. This was a purely practical measure as the early kings were peripatetic in that they were on almost continual progresses around the kingdom, taking their court (i.e. administration) with them. A king only called a parliament, or council, when the need arose either for advice or funding. This lack of a parliamentary schedule meant that the barons needed to be informed when and where to attend. As baronies became fragmented over time due to failure of male heirs and descent via co-heiresses, (see below) many of those who held per baroniam became holders of relatively small fiefdoms. Eventually the king refused to summon such minor nobles to parliament by personal writ, sending instead a general writ of summons to the sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

of each shire, who in turn was to summon representatives only of these so-called lesser-barons. The greater barons, who retained sufficient power to insist upon it, continued to receive personal summonses. The king came to realise, from the complacency of the lesser barons with this new procedure, that in practice it was not tenure per baroniam which determined attendance at parliament, but receipt of a writ of summons originated by himself. The next logical development was that the king started issuing such writs to persons who did not hold per baroniam and who were not therefore feudal barons, but "barons by writ", albeit still existing during the feudal era. The reason for summoning by writ was based on personal characteristics, not feudal tenure, for example the man so summoned might be one of exceptional judgement or have special military skills, of value to the king's council. The arbitrary summons by personal writ, which signalled the start of the decline of feudalism, eventually evolved into summons by public proclamation in the form of letters patent

Letters patent

Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

Deemed feudal barons

Of most importance, the higher prelates such as Archbishop

Archbishop

An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...

s and Bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

s were deemed to hold per baroniam, and were thus members of the baronage

Baronage

The baronage is the collectively inclusive term denoting all members of the feudal nobility, as observed by the constitutional authority Edward Coke. It was replaced eventually by the term “peerage”-Origin:...

entitled to attend parliament, indeed they formed the greatest grouping of all. Marcher lords in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

often held their lordships by right of conquest and appear to have been deemed feudal barons. The Barons of the Cinque Ports

Cinque Ports

The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...

were also deemed feudal barons, by virtue of their military service at sea, and thus formed part of the baronage

Baronage

entitled to attend parliament.

Baronial Relief

"Baronial relief

Feudal relief

Feudal Relief was a one-off "fine" or form of taxation payable to an overlord by the heir of a feudal tenant to licence him to take possession of his fief, i.e. an estate-in-land, by inheritance...

" was payable by an heir to a tenant-in-chief

Tenant-in-chief

of baronial status in order that he might lawfully take possession of his inheritance. Baronial relief was thus a form of one-off taxation, or more accurately a variety of "feudal incident" levyable by the King on his tenants-in-chief for a variety of reasons. The term "relief" implies "elevation", both words being derived from the Latin levo, to raise up, into a position of honour. Not all fiefs were baronies, but may have been held under other kinds of feudal tenure such as socage

Socage

Socage was one of the feudal duties and hence land tenure forms in the feudal system. A farmer, for example, held the land in exchange for a clearly defined, fixed payment to be made at specified intervals to his feudal lord, who in turn had his own feudal obligations, to the farmer and to the Crown...

, grand serjeanty or simple knight-service

Knight-service

(tenants per baroniam all owed knight-service as assessed upon each constituent manor

Manorialism

within the barony). Nor were all tenants-in-chief necessarily holders of baronies. A tenant who held from the King per baroniam was thus deemed to be a baron (or baro in mediaeval Latinised form). A prospective heir to a barony, termed baronia in its Latinised form, generally paid £100 in baronial relief for his inheritance. Where a barony was split into two, for example on the death of a baron leaving two co-heiresses, each daughter's husband would become a baron in respect of his moiety

Moiety

Moiety may refer to:* Moiety , a part or functional group of a molecule* Moiety , either of two groups into which a society is divided* An Australian Aboriginal kinship group* Native Hawaiian realm ruled by a Mo'i or Ali'i...

(mediaeval French for "half"), paying half of the full baronial relief. A tenant-in-chief could be the lord of fractions of several different baronies, if he or his ancestors had married co-heiresses. The tenure of even the smallest fraction of a barony conferred baronial status on the lord of these lands. This natural fragmentation of the baronies established by the early Norman kings led to great difficulties within the royal administration as the king relied on an ever increasing number of men responsible for supplying soldiers for the royal army and the records of who these fractional barons were became more complex and unreliable. The early English jurist Henry de Bracton

Henry de Bracton

Henry of Bracton, also Henry de Bracton, also Henrici Bracton, or Henry Bratton also Henry Bretton was an English jurist....

(d.1268) was one of the first writers to examine the concept of the feudal barony.

Abolition & surviving vestiges

The power of the feudal barons to control their landholding was considerably weakened in 1290 by the Quia Emptores statute

Statute

A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...

. This prohibited land from being the subject of a feudal grant, and allowed its transfer without the feudal lord's permission.

Feudal baronies became perhaps obsolete (but not extinct) on the abolition of feudal tenure during the Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

, as confirmed by the Tenures Abolition Act 1660

Tenures Abolition Act 1660

The Tenures Abolition Act 1660 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of England passed in 1660. The long title of the Act was An act for taking away the Court of Wards and liveries, and tenures in capite, and by knights-service, and purveyance, and for settling a revenue upon his Majesty in...

passed under the Restoration

English Restoration

The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...

which took away Knights service and other legal rights.

Under the Tenures Abolition Act 1660

Tenures Abolition Act 1660

, many baronies by tenure were converted into baronies by writ

Hereditary peer

Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...

. The rest ceased to exist as feudal baronies by tenure, becoming baronies in free socage, that is to say under a "free" (hereditable) contract requiring payment of monetary rents. Thus baronies could no longer be held by military service. Parliamentary title

Title

A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...

s of honour had been limited since the fifteenth century by the Modus Tenenda Parliamenta act

Act of Parliament

An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

, and could thenceforth only be created by writ of summons or letters patent

Letters patent

.

Tenure by knight-service

Knight-service

was abolished and discharged and the lands covered by such tenures, including once-feudal baronies, were henceforth held by socage

Socage

(i.e. in exchange for monetary rents). The English Fitzwalter Case in 1670 ruled that barony by tenure had been discontinued for many years and any claims to a peerage

Peerage

The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...

on such basis, meaning a right to sit in the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

, were not to be revived, nor any right of succession based on them. In the Berkeley Case in 1861, an attempt was made to claim a seat in the House of Lords by right of a barony by tenure, but the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

ruled that whatever might have been the case in the past, baronies by tenure no longer existed, meaning that a barony could not be held "by tenure", and confirmed the Tenures Abolition Act 1660. Three Redesdale Committee Reports in the early nineteenth century reached the same conclusion.
There has been at least one legal opinion which asserts the continuing legal existence of the feudal barony in England and Wales, namely that from 1996 of A W & C Barsby, Barristers of Grays's Inn. The opinion does not however have widespread support as a reliable authority.

Geographical survivals

Survivals of feudal baronies, in their geographical form, are the Barony of Westmorland

Barony of Westmorland

The Barony of Westmorland was one of two baronies into which the English county of Westmorland was divided, the other being the Barony of Kendal. The barony covered the northern part of the county, and was divided into two wards — East ward and West ward. The barony included...

, the Barony of Kendal

Barony of Kendal

The Barony of Kendal is a subdivision of the English county of Westmorland. It is one of two baronies in the county, the other being the Barony of Westmorland, and contains within it the wards of Kendal and Lonsdale...

The Barony of Arundel and Barony of Abergavenny. These terms now describe areas of the modern county of Westmorland

Westmorland

Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...

, in the same way that the word "county

County

A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...

" itself has lost its feudal meaning of a land area under the control of a count

Count

A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...

or earl

Earl

An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...

Identification of feudal baronies

The surest method of identifying baronies is to search the archives, for example Exchequer

Exchequer

The Exchequer is a government department of the United Kingdom responsible for the management and collection of taxation and other government revenues. The historical Exchequer developed judicial roles...

documents such as fine rolls

Fine rolls

The fine rolls record offers of money to the Kings of England for concessions and favours from the 12th to the 17th centuries.In general, a fine is an agreement made with the king, or one of his chief ministers, to pay a certain sum of money for a specified benefit. In some cases the sum of money...

and pipe rolls

Pipe Rolls

The Pipe rolls, sometimes called the Great rolls, are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury. The earliest date from the 12th century, and the series extends, mostly complete, from then until 1833. They form the oldest continuous series of records kept by...

, for entries recording the payment of baronial relief. This exercise was undertaken by Ian Sanders, who published his results in English Baronies, a Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327 (Oxford, 1960). This work appears to be the first attempt to identify and list all the feudal baronies of England. Sanders identified 132 certain baronies where evidence was found of payment of baronial relief, and a further 72 which he termed "probable baronies" where the evidence was less clear. These are listed below.

Nomenclature

Lands forming a barony were often located in several different counties, not necessarily adjoining. The name of such a barony is generally deemed to be the name of the chief manor within it, known as the Caput
Caput baroniae
In English customs, the Caput baroniae was the ancient, or chief seat or castle of a nobleman, which was not to be divided among the daughters, in case there be no son to inherit. Instead, it was to descend entirely to the eldest daughter, caeteris filiabus aliunde satisfactis....

, Latin for “head”, generally assumed to have been the seat or chief residence of the first baron. Certain baronies however have no identifiable Caput, and these are named by Sanders after the name of the baron, for example the “Barony of Miles of Gloucester”.

Dates of creation

The date of creation of most ancient feudal baronies cannot be determined, as their founding charter

Charter

A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...

s have been lost. Sanders' list treats all baronies as commencing with the Norman Conquest of England

Norman conquest of England

The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...

in 1066, that is to say he makes no enquiry into any such tenures under the Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...

kings. Many of the baronies are first recorded in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

survey of 1086.

List of "Certain" English feudal baronies

Note: Any additions to this list not listed by Sanders, 1960, must provide footnote evidence of baronial relief having been paid, else in the interest of accuracy they will be removed. A second list entitled "List of "Probable" English feudal baronies" exists below, which may be a more suitable position for the listing of probable baronies where no evidence of such payment can be proved. Evidence must be provided nevertheless in a footnote supporting the probability.

Name of barony	County of caput	First known tenant	Earliest record
Aldington	Kent	William FitzHelte	1073
Arundel	Sussex	Roger de Montgomery	pre 1087
Ashby	Lincolnshire	Gilbert de Neville	1162
Ashfield	Suffolk	Robert Blund	1086
Aveley	Essex	John FitzWaleran	1086
Bampton	Devon	Walter de Douai	1086
Biset	—	Manasser Biset (d.1177)	pre 1177
Gloucester	Gloucestershire	Robert FitzHamon(d.1107)	pre 1107
Miles of Gloucester/Brecon	Brecon	Miles de Gloucester	1125
Basing	Hampshire	Hugh de Port	1086
Beckley	Oxfordshire	Roger d'Ivry	1086
Bedford	Bedfordshire	Hugh de Beauchamp	1086
Belvoir	Leicestershire	Robert de Todeni	1086
Benington	Hertfordshire	Peter I de Valoynes	1086
Berkeley	Gloucestershire	Robert FitzHarding	tempore H II, pre 1166
Berkhampstead	Hertfordshire	Robert, count of Mortain	1086
Beverstone	Gloucestershire	Robert de Gurney	1235
Blagdon	Somerset	Serlo de Burci	1086
Blankney	Lincolnshire	Walter I de Aincourt	1086
Blythborough	Suffolk	William FitzWalter	1157
Bolham	Northumberland	James de Newcastle	1154
Bolingbroke	Lincolnshire	Ivo de Taillebois	1086
Bourn	Cambridgeshire	"Picot"	1086
Bradninch	Devon	William Capra	1086
Bulwick	Northamptonshire	Richard FitzUrse	1130
Burgh-by-Sands	Cumbria	Robert de Trevers	tempus H I(1100–1135)
Burstwick/"Holderness"	Yorkshire	Drogo de Brevere	1086
Bywell	Northumberland	Guy de Balliol	tempus W II(1087–1100)
Cainhoe	Bedfordshire	Nigel d'Aubigny	1086
Castle Cary	Somerset	Walter de Douai	1086
Castle Combe	Wiltshire	Humphrey de Insula	1086
Castle Holgate	Shropshire	"Helgot"	1086
Cause	Shropshire	Roger FitzCorbet	11th.c.
Cavendish	Suffolk	Ralph I de Limesy	1086
Caxton	Cambridgeshire	Hardwin de Scales	1086
Chatham	Kent	Robert le Latin (held under Odo Bp. of Bayeux)	1086
Chester	Cheshire	Gherbod the Fleming	1070
Chipping Warden	Northamptonshire	Guy de Reinbuedcurt	1086
Chiselborough	Somerset	Alured "Pincerna"	1086
Clare	Suffolk	Richard I FitzGilbert	c.1090
Clifford	Hereford	Ralph de Tony	1086
Cogges	Oxfordshire	"Wadard" (held under Odo Bp. of Bayeux)	1086
Cottingham	Yorkshire	Hugh FitzBaldric	1086
Crick	Derbyshire	Ralph FitzHubert	1086
Curry Malet	Somerset	Roger de Courcelles	1086
Eaton Bray	Bedfordshire	William I de Cantilupe	1205
Eaton Socon	Bedfordshire	Eudo Dapifer	1086
Ellingham	Northumberland	Nicholas de Grenville	tempus H I
Embleton	Northumberland	John FitzOdard	tempus H I
Erlestoke	Wiltshire	Roger I de Mandeville	tempus H I
Ewyas Harold	Herefordshire	Alfred of Marlborough	1086
Eye	Suffolk	Robert Malet	1086
Field Dalling/St.Hilary	Norfolk	St. Hilary	1138
Flockthorpe in Hardingham	Norfolk	Ralph de Camoys	1236
Folkestone	Kent	William de Arques (held under Odo Bp. of Bayeux)	c.1090
Folkingham	Lincolnshire	Gilbert I de Ghent	1086
Framlingham	Suffolk	Roger I Bigod	1086/tempus H I
Freiston	Lincolnshire	Guy de Craon	1086
Great Bealings	Suffolk	Hervey de Bourges	1086
Great Torrington	Devon	Odo FitzGamelin	1086
Great Weldon	Northamptonshire	Robert de Buci	1086
Greystoke	Cumberland	Forne son of Sigulf	1086
Hanslope	Buckinghamshire	Winemar the Fleming	1086
Hatch Beauchamp	Somerset	Robert FitzIvo (under Count of Mortain)	1086
Headington	Oxfordshire	Thomas Basset	1203
Headingham	Essex	Aubry I de Vere	1086
Helmsley	Yorkshire	Walter Espec	temp.H I
Hockering	Norfolk	Ralph de Belfou	1086
Holderness (see caput:Burstwick)
Hook Norton	Oxfordshire	Robert d'Oilly	1086
Hooton Pagnell	Yorkshire	Richard de Surdeval (under Count of Mortain) (part) Ralph Pagnell (under King) (part)	1086
Hunsingore	Yorkshire	Erneis de Burun	1086
Kendal	Westmorland	Ivo de Taillebois	tempus W II
Kington	Herefordshire	Hugh de Port	post 1100
Kirklinton	Cumberland	Adam I de Boivill(?)	post temp. H I
Knaresborough	Yorkshire	William de Stuteville	c.1175
Launceston	Cornwall	Descent as Earl of Cornwall Earl of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne.-Earl of Cornwall:...	1086
Leicester	Leicestershire	Hugh de Grandmesnil	1086
Long Crendon	Buckinghamshire	Walter I Giffard	1086
Longden & Alcester	Warwickshire	Robert Corbet	1086
Marshwood	Dorset	Geoffrey I de Mandeville	temp. Henry I
Monmouth	Monmouthshire	Wethenoc of Monmouth	c.1066
Morpeth	Northumberland	William I de Merlay	temp. Henry I
Much Marcle	Herefordshire	William FitzBaderon	1086
Mulgrave	Nigel Fossard	1086
Nether Stowey Nether Stowey Nether Stowey is a large village in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England. It sits in the foothills of the Quantock Hills , just below Over Stowey...	Somerset	Alfred de Hispania	1086
Nocton Nocton Nocton is a village south of Lincoln in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. To the east of the village is Nocton Fen, and a small area known locally as Wasps Nest....	Lincolnshire	Norman I de Darcy	1086
North Cadbury North Cadbury North Cadbury is a village west of Wincanton in the River Cam in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. It shares its parish with nearby Yarlington and includes the village of Galhampton, which got its name from the settlement of the rent-paying peasants, and the hamlet of...	Somerset	Turstin FitzRolf Turstin FitzRolf Turstin FitzRolf was a Norman magnate, one of the few "Proven Companions of William the Conqueror" who fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. As his name indicates, he was the son of a certain Rolf, synonymous with Rou and Rollo . His first name appears as Tosteins, Thurstan and other variants...	1086
Odell Odell Odell may refer to:* Odell Brewing Company* Odell Lake and its sequel, Odell Down Under-People:Benjamin Barker Odell, Jr. , American politician and governorBenjamin Odell , American film producer...	Bedfordshire	Walter le Fleming	1086
Okehampton Okehampton Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...	Devon	Baldwin FitzGilbert	1086
Old Buckenham Old Buckenham Old Buckenham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, approximately south-west of Norwich.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,294 in 658 households as of the2001 census...	Norfolk	William d'Aubigny Pincerna	temp. Henry I
Oswestry Oswestry Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....	Shropshire	Warin the Bold (held from Roger of Montgomery Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury Roger de Montgomerie , also known as Roger the Great de Montgomery, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury. His father was also Roger de Montgomerie, and was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy... )	temp. William II
Pleshy	Essex	Geoffrey I de Mandeville	1086
Poorstock	Dorset	Roger I Arundel	1086
Prudhoe Prudhoe Prudhoe is a medium sized town just south of the River Tyne, in the southern part of the county of Northumberland, England about west of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town is sited on a steep, north-facing hill in the Tyne valley and nearby settlements include Ovingham, Ovington, Wylam,...	Northumberland	Robert I de Umfraville	temp. William I
Pulverbatch	Shropshire	Roger I Venator (held from Roger of Montgomery Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury Roger de Montgomerie , also known as Roger the Great de Montgomery, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury. His father was also Roger de Montgomerie, and was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy... )	1086
Redbourne Redbourne Redbourne is a village and civil parish in the North Lincolnshire district of Lincolnshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 386...	Lincolnshire	Jocelin FitzLambert	1086
Richard's Castle Richard's Castle Richard's Castle is a village, castle and two civil parishes on the border of the counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire in England.The village lies on the B4361, 5½ miles south of the historic market town of Ludlow...	Herefordshire	Osbern I FitzScrob	1086
Salwarpe	Worcestershire	Urse d'Abitot held from Roger of Montgomery Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury Roger de Montgomerie , also known as Roger the Great de Montgomery, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury. His father was also Roger de Montgomerie, and was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy... )	1086
Shelford Shelford Shelford is a village in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire. It is near Radcliffe on Trent. It has an old manor house Shelford is a village in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire. It is near Radcliffe on Trent. It has an old manor house Shelford is a village in the Rushcliffe borough...	Nottinghamshire	Geoffrey de Alselin	1086
Skelton Skelton -Places:United KingdomSkelton, Cumbria, England, location of the Skelton transmitter siteSkelton, East Riding of Yorkshire, EnglandSkelton, North Yorkshire, EnglandSkelton-on-Ure, North Yorkshire, England*Skelton, York, England...	Yorkshire	Robert de Brus	temp. Henry I
Skirpenbeck Skirpenbeck Skirpenbeck is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated north west of Stamford Bridge just north of the A166 road.According to the 2001 UK census, Skirpenbeck parish had a population of 142....	Yorkshire	Odo the Crossbowman	1086
Snodhill	Herefordshire	Hugh the Ass	1086
Sotby Sotby Sotby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, situated north east of the city of Lincoln between the towns of Horncastle and Market Rasen....	Lincolnshire	William I Kyme (held from Walden the Engineer)	1086
Southoe Southoe Southoe is a small village in England on the A1 between St Neots and Buckden, Cambridgeshire.The church is central in the village and the south doorway contains parts that are of Norman origin....	Huntingdonshire	Eustace Sheriff of Huntingdonshire	1086
Stafford Stafford Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...	Staffordshire	Robert I de Stafford	1086
Stainton le Vale Stainton le Vale Stainton le Vale is a village in the civil parish of Thoresway in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies about north east of the town of Market Rasen and about south east of the town of Caistor...	Lincolnshire	Ralph de Criol	temp. Henry I
Stansted Mountfitchet Stansted Mountfitchet Stansted Mountfitchet is a village and civil parish in the county of Essex, England, near the Hertfordshire border, north of London. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 5,533. The village is served by Stansted Mountfitchet railway station....	Essex	Robert Gernon	1086
Staveley Staveley Staveley could refer to several places:Staveley, CumbriaStaveley-in-CartmelStaveley, DerbyshireStaveley, North Yorkshire*Staveley, New Zealand, a locality in the Ashburton District-Surname:...	Derbyshire	Hascuil I Musard	1086
Stoke Trister Stoke Trister Stoke Trister is a village and civil parish south-east of Wincanton and miles north-west of Gillingham close to the Dorset border in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England...	Somerset	Bretel St Clair	1086
Styford	Northumberland	Walter I de Bolbec	temp. Henry I
Sudeley Sudeley Castle Sudeley Castle is a castle located near Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. It dates from the 10th century, but the inhabited portion is chiefly Elizabethan. The castle has a notable garden, which is designed and maintained to a very high standard. The chapel, St. Mary's Sudeley, is the burial...	Gloucestershire	Harold de Sudeley	1066
Tarrington Tarrington Tarrington is a small village in Herefordshire, England located half way between Ledbury and Hereford on the A438 road.-The village:The village has approximately 225 residences and a population, according to the 2001 census, of 506. The village has three main meeting places, the Lady Emily...	Herefordshire	Ansfrid de Cormeilles	1086
Tattershall	Lincolnshire	Eudo son of Spirewic	1086
Thoresway	Lincolnshire	Alfred of Lincoln	1086
Totnes	Devon	Juhel de Totnes	1086
Trematon	Cornwall	Reginald I de Vautort (held from Count of Mortain)	1086
Trowbridge	Wiltshire	Brictric	1086
Walkern	Hertfordshire	Derman	temp. Wm I
Wallingford	Berkshire	Milo Crispin	1086
Warwick	Warwickshire	Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan	1086
Weedon Pinkeny/Lois	Northamptonshire	Ghilo I de Pinkeny	1086
Wem	Shropshire	William Pantolf (held from Roger, Earl of Montgomery)	temp. Wm II
Weobley	Herefordshire	Walter de Lacy	temp. Wm I
West Dean	Wiltshire	Waleran the Huntsman	1086
West Greenwich	Kent	Gilbert de Maminot, Bp. of Lisieux (held from Odo Bp. of Bayeux)	1086
Whitchurch	Buckinghamshire	Hugh I de Bolbec	1086
Wigmore	Herefordshire	William FitzOsbern	temp. Wm I
Winterbourne St Martin	Dorset	widow of Hugh FitzGrip	1086
Wolverton	Buckinghamshire	Manno le Breton	1086
Wormegay	Norfolk	Hermer de Ferrers	1086
Writtle	Essex	Isabel, sister & co-heir of John the Scot, Earl of Chester	1241

(Source: Sanders, 1960)

List of "Probable" English feudal baronies

Name of barony	County of caput	First known tenant	Earliest record
Alnwick Alnwick Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....	Northumberland	Ivo de Vesci	11th.c
Appleby Appleby -Europe:* Appleby, North Lincolnshire, a village in England* Appleby Magna, a village and parish in Leicestershire, England** Appleby Parva, a village in the parish of Appleby Magna* Appleby-in-Westmorland, a town in Cumbria, England...	Westmorland	Robert I de Vipont	1203/4
Berry Pomeroy Berry Pomeroy Berry Pomeroy is a village and civil parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England, about two miles east of Totnes. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 973...	Devon	Ralph de Pomeroy	1086

Source, unless other stated: Sanders, 1960, pp. 103–151

Sources

Sanders, I.J. English Baronies, a Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960.
Douglas, David C. & Greenaway, George W., (eds.), English Historical Documents 1042-1189, London, 1959. Part IV, Land & People, C, Anglo-Norman Feudalism, pp. 895–944

Form of creation

Servitium Debitum

Under and over enfeoffment

Cartae Baronum

Form of summons to parliament

Deemed feudal barons

Baronial Relief

Abolition & surviving vestiges

Geographical survivals

Identification of feudal baronies

Nomenclature

Dates of creation

List of "Certain" English feudal baronies

List of "Probable" English feudal baronies

Sources

Further reading

See also