Serjeanty facts for kids

Imagine a time in England and France during the Middle Ages. People often held land in exchange for different kinds of service to a king or a powerful lord. This system was called feudalism. Serjeanty was a special type of land holding. It meant you got land in return for a specific job or duty, which was different from the usual military service given by knights.

What Does Serjeanty Mean?

The word "serjeanty" comes from the old French word sergent. This word itself came from the Latin word serviens, which means "serving." It's related to the word "Sergeant" we use today, but it developed a very different meaning over time.

How Serjeanty Started

Serjeanty began when someone was given land. In return, they had to perform a certain duty. This duty was usually for the king's household or a noble's household. The jobs could be very different!

Some serjeants served in the king's army, but with different equipment than knights. Others had very small duties, like providing a certain amount of food, such as a goose. These small duties were almost like paying rent.

Historians have studied serjeanty a lot. Some, like Frederick Pollock and Frederic William Maitland, thought serjeants were like "servants." But another historian, John Horace Round, disagreed. He pointed out that some serjeanty duties were military. He also said that some services were very honorable.

Mary Bateson, another historian, explained the wide range of duties. She said serjeanties were not always military or always about farming. They could be very close to a knight's service or a farmer's service.

Some examples of these duties included:

• Holding the king's head during a rough sea journey.
• Pulling a rope when the king's ship landed.
• Counting the king's chess pieces on Christmas Day.
• Bringing fuel to the king's castle.
• Doing carpentry work for the king.
• Finding pot-herbs (plants for cooking) for the king.
• Making iron tools for the king's plows.
• Taking care of the king's garden.
• Nursing hunting dogs that were hurt.
• Being a vet for the king's sick falcons.

Over time, lawyers added even more types of duties under serjeanty. For example, escorting the Abbess of Barking or providing military service near the Welsh border.

Serjeants in the Domesday Book

The Domesday Book was a huge survey ordered by William the Conqueror in 1086. It listed all the land and property in England. In this book, "serjeants" (called servientes) appeared as a separate group.

We can trace some serjeanty duties back to Domesday Book. For example, in Hampshire, some people held land for being the king's marshal, finding an archer, or keeping the jail in Winchester Castle.

A simple way to tell if someone held land by serjeanty was that they didn't have to pay "scutage." Scutage was a payment made instead of military service. Instead, serjeants made special agreements with the king.

Some people might have been serjeants even before the Norman Conquest in 1066. For instance, a man named Siward Accipitrarius (meaning "hawk-keeper") likely worked for King Edward the Confessor. He held land in Somerset, which was a good place for his job near water.

Grand Serjeanty vs. Petty Serjeanty

Over time, serjeanty was split into two main types: "grand" (meaning large or important) and "petty" (meaning small).

The idea for this split appeared in the Magna Carta in 1215. This important document said the king couldn't take control of the lands of those who held them by providing small items.

Later, a rule developed that serjeanties could not be sold or divided. This led to changes during the reign of King Henry III (1216–1272). Some serjeanties were changed into "socage" tenures, which meant paying money rent. Others became knight-service tenures.

Eventually, the difference became very clear. "Petty" serjeanties, which involved small payments or duties, became like socage. But "grand" serjeanties, where the person had to perform the service themselves, kept their special rules.

Why Serjeanty Faded Away

By the time King Edward I ruled (1272–1307), serjeanty was already becoming less common. As the old feudal system changed, serjeanty changed even faster.

Many of its varied duties either:

• Became outdated and were no longer needed.
• Were changed into money payments.
• Were changed into knight's service.
• A few honorable or ceremonial duties were kept, especially for coronation ceremonies.
• Some useful duties were done by a substitute or became part of the regular government system.

When military land tenure (knight-service) was ended in 1660 by King Charles II, grand serjeanty was kept. This was because its duties were seen as honorary. By then, grand serjeanty was mostly about performing specific jobs at coronations. People really wanted to have these rights. The earliest record of this is from the coronation of Queen Eleanor of Provence in 1236.

Famous examples include the King's Champion, who belongs to the manor of Scrivelsby. This role has been held by the Dymoke family for a long time. Another is supporting the king's right arm, which belongs to the manor of Worksop.

Modern Remnants of Serjeanty

Today, any remaining grand serjeanty roles are seen as great honors. But it's important to remember that originally, grand serjeanty was a duty, not a right.

Even in the Middle Ages, many grand serjeanty duties became more like a symbol of honor from the king or queen. The actual duty might have been very small or even silly, only requiring the person to be present. For example, the duty of supporting the king's right arm was still performed at the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.

The meaning of "serjeant" as a household officer still exists today. For example, the monarch has serjeants-at-arms, serjeant-surgeons, and serjeant-trumpeters.

Examples of Grand Serjeanty Duties

Here are some interesting examples of grand serjeanty duties:

• Manor of Farnham: The duty was to provide white kid gloves and support the king's right arm while he held the Royal Sceptre during his Coronation. This duty lasted from the late 1000s until 1327.
• Manor of Worksop: This manor took over the duty of supporting the king's right arm from 1327.
• Manor of Scrivelsby: This manor held the role of The King's Champion.
• Manor of Kingston Russell: The duty was to count the king's chessmen and put them away after a game.
• Manor of Kenninghall: This manor held the role of the Chief Butler of England.
• Manor of Bardolf-in-Addington: The duty was to serve a dish called Dillegrout at coronations. This lasted from 1066 until 1821.
• Manor of Nether Bilsington: The duty was to present three Maple cups.
• Manor of Wymondley: The duty was to bear a silver-gilt cup.
• Manor of Lyston: The duty was to bear a charger (a large plate) of wafers.
• Manor of Pelham: This manor held the role of Chief Sewer (a server at a meal).
• Manor of Heydon: The duty was to bear a towel for washing the monarch's hands.
• Manor of Bedford: This manor held the role of Almoner (someone who gives out charity).
• Manor of Ashele: This manor held the role of naperer (someone in charge of table linens).
• The manor of Kinver and Stourton: This land was held by the service of keeping the Royal Forest of Kinver.

Hereditary Offices Not Tied to Land

It's important to know that serjeanty is different from offices that are passed down through families but are not connected to owning a specific piece of land. These are called "hereditary offices in gross." They can be passed to a daughter if there's no male heir, and even split among several daughters.

Examples include:

• The Lord Great Chamberlain.
• The duty to carry the spurs at a coronation. In 2023, this duty was performed by descendants of the Earl of Pembroke.
• The Grand Carver of England.

See also

• Quia Emptores
• History of English land law
• Feudal land tenure