English feudal barony facts for kids

King John signs the Magna Carta in 1215. He is surrounded by his baronage, who were powerful landowners. This picture is from a history book published in 1902.

In the old kingdom of England, a feudal barony was the highest way to own land under the feudal system. It meant that the person holding the land, called a baron, owed special duties to the king. These duties included providing soldiers for the king's army when needed. Barons also had the special right to attend the king's court. This court was like an early version of parliament.

If a barony had a very important castle as its main base, called a caput baroniae, and was very large (more than about 20 knight's fees, which were like small estates), it was called an honour. An honour often had lands spread out across different areas, called shires. This was a clever plan by the Norman kings. They wanted to stop any one lord from becoming too powerful in a single area. Usually, the main castle of the honour, its caput, was in a more central spot. This castle gave the honour its name and was its main office. The term honour is very useful for understanding England in the 1000s and 1100s. This was before the system of peerage (different ranks of nobles) became more developed.

This type of barony was different from those found in a county palatine. A county palatine was like a mini-kingdom with its own rules. So, baronies there were the highest rank within that county, not for the whole kingdom. An example is the barony of Halton in the Palatinate of Chester.

How were Feudal Baronies Created?

William the Conqueror created feudal baronies for his favorite followers. He gave them large areas of land, called fiefdoms. They held these lands "by barony" (per baroniam). This was a standard agreement for all his barons. These barons were not always the most important Norman nobles. William often chose them because of their skills and how useful they were to him. For example, Turstin FitzRolf was a simple knight. He became Duke William's standard-bearer at the Battle of Hastings. For this, he received a barony with more than twenty manors (small estates).

The lands that made up a barony were often in different counties. They were not always next to each other. The barony usually took its name from the main manor within it. This main manor was called the Caput, which means "head" in Latin. It was usually where the first baron lived or had his main office. For instance, Turstin FitzRolf's barony became known as the barony of North Cadbury in Somerset.

We don't know the exact date when most feudal baronies were created. Many of their original founding papers have been lost. Many of them were first written about in the Domesday Book survey of 1086.

What was the Servitium Debitum?

The main duty of a baron was called the servitium debitum. This Latin phrase means "service owed." It was a set number of knights the baron had to provide for the king's army. This number didn't depend on how much land the barony had. Instead, it was agreed upon between the king and the baron.

The baron could choose how to find these knights. The most common way was to divide his barony into smaller parts, called fiefs. Each fief was given to a knight. This was called knight-service. The knight could use the land and its income. In return, he had to provide 40 days of military service to the baron. He also had to bring his own helpers, horses, and armor. This small land given to a knight was known as a knight's fee. Another way was for the baron to keep all or part of the barony for himself. This was called keeping it "in demesne" (meaning "in hand"). He would use the money from these lands to hire knights, known as "stipendiary knights."

Knights: Too Few or Too Many?

Sometimes, a baron gave land to fewer knights than the king required. This was called "under-enfeoffed." The baron then had to find the remaining knights from his own lands or by hiring them.

On the other hand, a barony was "over-enfeoffed" if the baron had given land to more knights than the king asked for. This meant the baron had received a very good deal from the king.

How Barons were Called to Parliament

Barons had the right to attend the king's council. This was a privilege that balanced their duty to provide knights. At first, all barons who held land "by barony" received a special written order, called a writ, to attend Parliament. This was practical because early kings traveled a lot. They took their government with them.

The king only called a parliament when he needed advice or money. There was no set schedule for these meetings. So, barons needed to be told when and where to go. Over time, baronies sometimes split up. This happened if a baron died without male heirs, and his land was divided among his daughters. Many of these new landowners held only small parts of a barony. Eventually, the king stopped sending personal writs to these smaller nobles. Instead, he sent a general writ to the sheriff of each area. The sheriff would then only summon representatives of these "lesser barons." The more powerful barons still received personal summonses. The king soon realized that he could decide who attended Parliament. It was not just about holding land "by barony" anymore. It was about who received his special writ.

The next step was that the king started sending writs to people who did not hold land "by barony." These people became "barons by writ." The king chose them for their personal qualities. For example, they might be very wise or have great military skills. This new way of choosing who attended Parliament showed that the feudal system was changing. Eventually, this led to titles being created by public announcement, known as letters patent.

Who Else Was a Feudal Baron?

Important church leaders, like archbishops and bishops, were also considered to hold land "by barony." So, they were part of the baronage and could attend Parliament. In fact, they formed the largest group there. Marcher lords in Wales often held their lands because they had conquered them. They were also seen as feudal barons. The Barons of the Cinque Ports were also considered feudal barons. This was because they provided military service at sea. They too had the right to attend Parliament.

Baronial Relief: A Special Fee

Baronial relief was a one-time fee paid by an heir. This fee allowed them to legally take over their inherited land. It was like a special tax or payment the king could collect from his main landowners for different reasons. An heir to a barony usually paid £100 in baronial relief. The word "relief" means "elevation," suggesting being raised to a position of honor.

If a barony was split, for example, between two daughters who inherited it, each daughter's husband would become a baron for his half. He would pay half of the baronial relief. A main landowner could even hold small parts of several different baronies. This happened if he or his ancestors had married women who shared an inheritance. Even holding the smallest part of a barony gave the owner baronial status. This splitting of baronies made things very difficult for the king's government. The king relied on more and more people to provide soldiers. Keeping track of these "fractional barons" became very complicated. An early English legal expert, Henry de Bracton (who died in 1268), was one of the first to study the idea of the feudal barony.

The End of Feudal Baronies

The power of feudal barons over their land was greatly reduced in 1290 by a law called Quia Emptores. This law made it easier to transfer land without the feudal lord's permission.

Feudal baronies became outdated, though not completely gone, after the English Civil War. This was confirmed by the Tenures Abolition Act 1660. This law, passed during the English Restoration, ended knight service and other old legal rights.

Under the Tenures Abolition Act 1660, many baronies by tenure changed. They became "baronies by writ," which meant the title was given by a special order. The rest stopped being feudal baronies. They became baronies held in "free socage." This meant they were held under a "free" (inheritable) agreement that only required money payments. So, baronies could no longer be held by military service. Since the 1400s, parliamentary titles of honor had been limited by a law called Modus Tenenda Parliamenta. From then on, titles could only be created by a writ of summons or letters patent.

The system of holding land by knight-service was ended. Lands that were once held this way, including feudal baronies, were now held by socage. This meant they were held in exchange for money rents. In 1670, the English Fitzwalter Case decided that baronies by tenure had not been used for many years. It ruled that no one could claim a peerage (a right to sit in the House of Lords) based on them. In the Berkeley Case in 1861, someone tried to claim a seat in the House of Lords based on a barony by tenure. But the House of Lords ruled that baronies by tenure no longer existed. This confirmed the Tenures Abolition Act 1660. Three reports from the Redesdale Committee in the early 1800s came to the same conclusion. However, at least one legal opinion from 1996 by A W & C Barsby, Barristers of Grays's Inn, says that feudal baronies still legally exist in England and Wales.

Where Feudal Baronies Still Exist Geographically

Some feudal baronies still exist as geographical areas. Examples include the Barony of Westmorland (or Appleby), the Barony of Kendal, the Barony of Arundel, and the Barony of Abergavenny. The first two names now describe parts of the historic county of Westmorland. This is similar to how the word "county" itself has lost its old meaning of a land area controlled by a count or earl.

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