Manor hall

“ If the lord was not living in the manor-house there was someone there to represent him and to look after his interests. In scores of manors the people never set eyes on their overlord; but they felt the grip of his power through the steward of the manor. Now, though the steward could not go against the customs of the manor openly, there were many ways in which he could make himself very disagreeable to the people under his care. He was there to grind what he could out of the tenants for the lord, and he took care to grind for himself too. ”

“ AS every circle has its centre, so had every manor its hall, the centre of its organization, the heart whence throbbed the vital force through the district, and to which it returned. The hall was not merely the place where the lord lived, for he did not always occupy it, but it was the gathering place of the courts leet and baron.
It is the fashion to hold that land was originally held in common, and that private proprietorship in land is an encroachment on the public rights. ”

“ But as they reached the crest of the hill and, at a turn round the copse, the hall came into view a furlong away—one of those wonderful graystone manor-houses which are like gems set in the greening casket of Old World Wessex—the young man gave a subdued exclamation. ”

“ But let it be borne in mind where a real hall is in place and where it is not. It belongs to a manor and to a manor only; it is incongruous in a villa residence, and wholly out of place in a town dwelling. Many a modern gentleman's place in the country is designed to look very pretty and very mediæval or Tudor ”

“ For the first time in many years gentlemen were coming to stop at the manor. A smile crept over her face as she gazed upon them, and then she softly let down the curtain.
When the day had advanced another hour by the sundial outside the boxwood grotto a vision stood on the landing at the top of [205] the stairs and spread out the panniers of a long-unused gown. The hall below was filled with the badinage of masculine voices, and the surly Christopher, forced into playing the host, seemed to be performing the part with no poor grace. ”

“ The old manor-house, which stood at the north-east corner of West End Lane, was a long, low farmhouse building which contained a big hall. Mr. Pool, a lessee, pulled it down and built a brick house on the site, and, later, built a small house on the south side of the lane, where he went to live himself. The Courts followed him, and were held there. There are now on the site of the ancient manor-house two buildings side by side; the one to which the ancient title has descended appears the more modern. ”

“ How comfortless the house must have been—from our standard—even in its best days, with its rough stone floors and rude furnishings! No fireplace appeared in the banqueting hall, which must have been warmed by an open fire, perhaps in the center, as in the hall of Penshurst Place. How little these ancient landmarks were appreciated until recently is shown by the fact that for many years Stokesay Manor was used as a blacksmith-shop and a stable for a neighboring farmer. The present noble proprietor, however, keeps the place in excellent repair and always open to visitors. ”

“ For the purpose of establishing a sort of club for these employees, Mr. Wellcome succeeded in purchasing the Manor House known as Acacia Hall, and the extensive and beautiful grounds in which it is situated. The Manor House he has fitted up as a club for the members of his staff. An old mill which stands close by has been converted into what is called the library building. The upper floor is fitted out as a lecture room, and there is a library which already contains some thousands of volumes. A third building, called the Tower House, contains club accommodations for men. ”

“ Within the Northern side are also the Manor House, farm-buildings, and garden. The remainder of the Station is an excellent pasture. It shows several traces of foundations of buildings, proving it to have been a place of considerable importance. Almost every grave that is made cuts through foundation walls. There are also several traces of pavements. On the top of the hill, to the North-west, are some groundworks, which are said to have been a hall occupied by one of the younger branches of the family settled at Bewcastle,—hence the place is called the Hallhills. ”

“ South Hall Manor At the general survey, we find that the Earl Warren had a manor in this town, which Alveva, a Saxon lady, held in the Confessor's time, of St. Adeldred's monastery of Ely, viz. two carucates in de. mean, and three held by 40 socmen, valued at 70s. per annum, and Simon held one carucate, valued at 20s. per annum, there was a church belonging to it, which Godric claimed as belonging to the fee of Ralph. ”

“ As already stated Hawksyard was in Highe Frith, part of the manor of Alstonefield, and a manor was an estate in fee simple in a tract of land granted by the sovereign to a subject, usually a man of some consequence, in consideration of certain services. ”

“ In the former his place of abode is a castle, château, derived from castellum, schloss, from schliesen, a place into which the lord might lock himself in and from whence lock out all enemies. But the English terms—mansion, manor-house, hall, court, imply nothing military, give token of no exclusiveness, make no threat. The chronic warfare and petty disturbances that prevailed on the continent of Europe obliged the lords of the soil to perch their residences on inaccessible and barren rocks, whereas in England they are seated comfortably in valleys, in the midst of the richest land. ”

“ This same Sir Philip de Somerville held the Manor of Whychenover at half terms from the Earl on condition that there ever hung in his hall one bacon flitch to be assigned to a happy married couple yearly in Lent, after a variety of ceremonies like those in the more famous case of Dunmow: the disposal of the flitch there being likewise according to "the custom of the manor."
In the customs that made up the inner life of the manor one finds a diversity too great for classification. However, those old English folk were a merry lot ”

“ You must remember, too, that there were several different kinds of landowners or overlords—the king, the great lords, bishops, colleges, and monasteries. The manors, of which these estates were made up, in the course of centuries were divided and subdivided in many ways as the land became more valuable. Many people might thus have an interest in one manor which a couple of hundred years before had been in the hands of one person only. ”

“ BIRTSMORTON COURT, WORCESTERSHIRE
PORCH, CHELVEY COURT, SOMERSETSHIRE Granchester Manor House, Cambridgeshire, until recently possessed three places of concealment. Madingley Hall, in the same neighbourhood, has two, one of them entered from a bedroom on the first floor, has a space in the thickness of the wall high enough for a man to stand upright in it. The manor house of Woodcote, Hants, also possessed two, which were each capable of holding from fifteen to twenty men, but these repositories are now opened out into passages. ”

“ Barrie's manor in Thompson hath been many ages united to Caston Hall in Caston, and so continues at this day, as you may see at p. 286.
I am lately informed, that Mr. Futter, at his death, left the college, college manor, and impropriate rectory, to Mr. Ware, his sister's son, who sold the rectory to Mr. Colman, the college and manor to Mr. Cater, father of the Rev. Mr. Cater, the present [1738] lord, and part of the college lands to Mr. Tho. Barker, whose sons now enjoy them: the Barkeres or Barkers are an ancient family here. ”

“ In 1536, the manor of Whitwell-Hall in Skeyton, was held by Thomas Sterne, of Grace Catesbye, as of her manor of Bainard's Hall in Bunwell, which she held in jointure. In 1543, Vawce's manor in Easton, was held by Gilbert Talbot, of Edmund Grey, as of his manor of Bainard's Hall.
In 1566, Robert Grey held this manor of the Earl of Sussex, as of his manor of Atleburgh, by one fee. ”

“ The plan is not only a very perfect example of college architecture, but is a model of the xv century English manor-house, of the type of Haddon Hall; [190] so that Queens’ College is as homogeneous a structure as King’s is heterogeneous. The hall is on the west, adjoining it is the combination room, above, the President’s lodging with a bedchamber over it. The north side is kept for the chapel and for the library which is on the first floor. The chambers are on the east and south sides, the gateway being in the former. ”

“ Beside the castle and manor-house a number of houses sprang up in town and country—houses with the addition of court and garden, with a second story containing several bedrooms instead of one, a withdrawing-room to ensure more privacy, and a parlour (parlering or speaking room) to obviate the necessity of receiving guests in the bedroom. This parlour was better furnished than the hall, which still remained somewhat bare with its plain wooden benches and long dining-table, though even here luxury was creeping in and covering the benches with cushions of damask from Damascus. ”

“ The foundation of all these dates from the 13th century. Ightham Mote, Kent, portions of which, with the moat, date from the 14th century, is one of the best preserved manor-houses; then follow Norborough Hall, Northamptonshire; Creslow manor-house, Bucks, with moat; Sutton Courtenay, Berkshire; the Court Lodge, Great Chart, Kent; Stanton St Quentin, Great Chalfield, and South Wraxhall, all in Wilts; Meare manor-house, Somerset; Ockwell, Berks; Kingfield manor-house, Derbyshire ”

“ The village would have been an ideal site for a ‘garden-city,’ and models of domestic architecture were not far to seek—Algors House, The White House, Alderton Hall, and others outside the parish but not far off, might have served. But it is only now that people are beginning to realise that a plain, roomy, old-fashioned cottage is better art than a smart new villa: and even now, after all that Ruskin and Morris have done, it is only among the more highly cultivated that saner views are beginning to prevail. ”

“ In later times, however, this was overlooked, and it seems to have been held that Monk Wood was only reserved to the lord on the condition that his tenant farmers should be restrained from lopping at large in the Forest and so infringing the privileges of copyholders. Monk Wood was lopped for the last time somewhere about 1840. In 1767 the tenant of Alderton Hall had under his lease an assignment from it of 1000 faggots yearly ‘to be made up as London ware,’ and 100 logs; in 1787 he had 500 faggots and 250 logs: all to be used on the premises. ”

“ Little Wenham Hall, Suffolk, built partly in brick and flint, and one of the earliest in which the bricks, probably imported from Flanders, are found; Charney Hall, Berkshire (T-shaped in plan in two storeys) ”

“ His great aim had always been to get people on the land and he denounced obstacles put in their way. "For God's sake let them pitch away, and if they have not good titles give them better." The Manor House had become a warm and comfortable residence well finished and well furnished. In 1801 Nairne wrote to his sister, with some natural exultation, that where he had at first found an untrodden wilderness were now order, neatness, good buildings, a garden and plenty of flowers, fruits and humming birds. ”

“ We do not pause to put away our books, but set off down the long passage and up the stairs and down more steps and up others, for the Manor House is built with the especial purpose of breaking the necks, legs, and arms of the inhabitants thereof, and though we, from long acquaintance, escape scot free, so do not stranger servants, who usually pitch head-foremost down one or other of the many pitfalls, and come heavily to grief. ”

“ Redford says the drains can't possibly be touched while we're all in the house, and yet they must be opened at once. Can't you guess now?"
"Miss Russell never means to send us home when we've only just come back?" gasped Lindsay hopefully.
"No, not that, though it's nearly as jolly. She's taken a beautiful old manor house in the country, and it's to be our school for the whole of the summer term. We're to go there in a body—girls, and teachers, and servants, and everyone." ”

“ An I can surprise Sir Mervyn ere he hears that the emblem of Lancaster is raised in the west it will strike a blow for York in Somerset, and moreover I shall win me my bride. I must myself to the Manor. I would see how it is garrisoned, and convey a message to Catharine alone."
"You are a dead man first!" exclaimed Diccon. "This were folly, Master Roger. A lion's den were safer than the Manor." ”

“ I can't be too thankful that the cistern made a noise just at that moment, and frightened you down again."
"Then you knew of this secret door, though not of the one in the picture gallery?" said Lindsay.
"Yes; it was discovered two centuries ago, in the reign of Queen Anne, I believe. In many old manor houses there are equally clever contrivances for hiding-places. They are often called 'priests' holes'. I've heard of one under the steps of the stairs, and another in a window-seat, or up a chimney, or even behind a picture."
"Like ours," said Cicely. ”

“ William Tindal, in his History of Evesham, 1794, records the fact that in 1790 Aldington belonged to Lord Foley, but history is silent as to local events from that date until modern times, when, in the first half of the next century, the Manor became the property of an ancestor of the present owner. There is a tradition that the Manor House was a small but beautiful old building, with a high-pitched stone-slate roof and three gables in line at the front ”