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Ciechanów Land

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Ciechanów Land ( Polish : Ziemia ciechanowska ), named after the town of Ciechanów , located in central Poland, was an administrative unit ( ziemia ) of both the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . Divided into three counties , it belonged to the Masovian Voivodeship .

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67-668: The history of Ciechanów Land dates back to the late 13th century, when a system of castellanies was established in the province of Mazovia . Ciechanów became seat of a castellany, which stretched from the Vistula to the border with Prussia . In the late 14th century, following the example of the Kingdom of Poland, Mazovian dukes decided to introduce a new system of lands , divided into counties . The Land of Ciechanów had an area of 2970 km, with three counties: Ciechanów, Przasnysz and Czerwinsk nad Wisla . Furthermore, in 1471–1495,

134-742: A manorial lordship can be noted on request in British passports through an official observation worded, 'The Holder is the Lord of the Manor of ................'. The issues of land claims were raised in the UK Parliament in 2004 and were debated with a reply on the subject from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs acknowledging 'need for reform of the remnants of feudal and manorial law' as

201-653: A case was highlighted in Peterstone Wentloog , Wales , where villagers were being charged excessive fees to cross manorial land to access their homes. In 2007, a caution against first registration caused houses to stop selling in Alstonefield after Mark Roberts , a businessman from Wales also previously involved in the Peterstone Wentloog case, registered a caution against first registration for 25,000 acres (100 km ) after purchasing

268-467: A fee). Under King Henry II, the Dialogus de Scaccario already distinguished between greater barons (who held their baronies per baroniam by knight-service), and lesser barons (who owned the manor without knight-service). As they held their title due to ownership of manors, and not per baroniam knights service, Lords of the Manor were in the group of lesser barons. The entitlement or "title" to attend

335-484: A free noble or a ministerialis , but either way, he administered the castle as a vassal . A ministerialis , was wholly subordinate to a lord and was under his control. Ministeriales replaced free nobles as castellans of Hohensalzburg under Conrad I of Abensberg ’s tenure as Archbishop of Salzburg from 1106 to 1147, beginning with Henry of Seekirchen in the 1130s. In the Medieval Kingdom of Hungary

402-473: A historic legal jurisdiction in the form of the court baron . The journal Justice of the Peace & Local Government Law advises that the position is unclear as to whether a lordship of a manor is a title of honour or a dignity, as this is yet to be tested by the courts. Technically, lords of manors are barons , or freemen ; however, they do not use the term as a title. Unlike titled barons, they did not have

469-1083: A legally recognised form of property that can be held independently of its historical rights. It may belong entirely to one person or be a moiety shared with other people. The title is known as Breyr in Welsh . In the British Crown Dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey the equivalent title is Seigneur . A similar concept of such a lordship is known in French as Sieur or Seigneur du Manoir , Gutsherr in German , Kaleağası (Kaleagasi) in Turkish , Godsherre in Norwegian and Swedish , Ambachtsheer in Dutch , and Signore or Vassallo in Italian . The manor formed

536-805: A lord of the manor could either be a tenant-in-chief if he held a capital manor directly from the Crown , or a mesne lord if he was the vassal of another lord. The origins of the lordship of manors arose in the Anglo-Saxon system of manorialism . Following the Norman conquest , land at the manorial level was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 (the Normans' registry in Sicily was called, in Latin ,

603-406: A noble title, historically holders of manorial titles were seen as people of rank. They are a semi-extinct form of hereditary landed title that grants the holder the rank of Esquire by prescription and are considered high gentry or lower, non- peerage nobility by contemporary heralds and students of nobiliary. Lordship in this sense is a synonym for ownership, although this ownership involved

670-480: A residence, known as the manor house and demesne ) as well as seignory , the right to grant or draw benefit from the estate (for example, as a landlord ). The title is not a peerage or title of upper nobility (although the holder of could also be peer) but was a relationship to land and how it could be used and those living on the land (tenants) may be deployed, and the broad estate and its inhabitants administered. The title continues in modern England and Wales as

737-462: A right to sit in the House of Lords , which was the case for all noble peers until the House of Lords Act 1999 . John Selden in his esteemed work Titles of Honour (1672) writes, "The word Baro (Latin for Baron ) hath been also so much communicated, that not only all Lords of Manors have been from ancient time, and are at this day called sometimes Barons (as in the stile of their Court Barons, which

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804-440: A single summons as a group through the sheriff, and representatives from their number would be elected to attend on behalf of the group (this would later evolve into the House of Commons ). This meant the official political importance of ownership of manors declined, eventually resulting in baronial status becoming a "personal" title rather than one linked to ownership of territory. The lesser Baronial titles, including Lordships of

871-437: A sub-tenant. Further sub-infeudation could occur down to the level of a lord of a single manor, which in itself might represent only a fraction of a knight's fee. A mesne lord was the level of lord in the middle holding several manors, between the lords of a manor and the superior lord. The sub-tenant might have to provide knight-service, or finance just a portion of it, or pay something purely nominal. Any further sub-infeudation

938-483: A time when manorial rights were being sold to larger city corporations . In 1854, the lords of the manor of Leeds had "sold" these acts of ownership to the "corporation of Leeds" which would become the City of Leeds . Other town corporations bought their manorial titles in the 19th century, including Manchester , where the corporation paid £200,000 for the title in 1846. By 1925, copyhold tenure had formally ended with

1005-766: A title of lord of the manor may not have any land or rights, and in such cases the title is known as an 'incorporeal hereditament'. Before the Land Registration Act 2002 it was possible to volunteer to register lordship titles with the Land Registry; most did not seek to register. Dealings in previously registered Manors are subject to compulsory registration; however, lords of manors may opt to de-register their titles and they will continue to exist unregistered. Manorial rights such as mineral rights ceased to be registerable after midnight on 12 October 2013. There were fears in 2014 and earlier, that holders of

1072-528: A total area of 7200 km. This Poland location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Castellanies Philosophers Works A castellan , or constable , was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe . Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from castellanus . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1194, Beatrice of Bourbourg inherited her father's castellany of Bourbourg upon

1139-592: Is Curia Baronis, &c . And I have read hors de son Barony in a barr to an Avowry for hors de son fee ) But also the Judges of the Exchequer have it from antient time fixed on them." Since 1965 lords of the manor have been entitled to compensation in the event of compulsory purchase. Before the Land Registration Act 2002 it was possible for manors to be registered with HM Land Registry . No manorial rights could be created after 1925, following entry into force of

1206-487: Is a term denoting a district administered by a castellan. Castellanies appeared during the Middle Ages and in most current states are now replaced by a more modern type of county subdivision. The word is derived from castle and literally means the extent of land and jurisdiction attached to a given castle. There are equivalent, often cognate, terms in other languages. Examples of French châtelainies include

1273-403: Is arranged under parishes, the other is arranged under manors and shows the last-known whereabouts of the manorial records, the records are often very limited. The National Archives at Kew, London , and county record offices maintain many documents that mention manors or manorial rights, in some cases manorial court rolls have survived, such documents are now protected by law. Ownership of

1340-429: Is called 'overriding interest', or in other words the ability to affect land even if the interests or rights are not registered against that land, as of 12 October 2013. Manorial incidents can still be recorded for either registered or unregistered manors; however, proof of existence of the rights may need to be submitted to the Land Registry before they will be noted and they may not be registered at all after affected land

1407-562: Is debated as to whether the title forms part of the "titled" strata of the British nobility which is these days predominantly linked to titles of peerage, but the title has historically been associated with the English landed gentry and squirearchy within the context of the class structure of the United Kingdom . The status of lord of the manor is today often associated with the rank of esquire by prescription. Many Lordships of

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1474-537: Is one of the largest holders of manorial titles in the UK. The Dukes of Westminster owe their fortune to the marriage of heiress Mary Davies, Lady of the Manor of Ebury , to Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet , with the Manor of Ebury today forming the Grosvenor Estate . As a feudal title 'Lord of the Manor', unlike titles of peerage, can be inherited by whomever the title holder chooses (including females), and it

1541-484: Is sold after 12 October 2013. This issue does not affect the existence of the title of lord of the manor. There have been cases where manors have been sold and the seller has unknowingly parted with rights to unregistered land in England and Wales. A manorial lordship or ladyship is not connected to the English or British Peerage system , but rather is a remnant of the feudal or Baronial system that pre-dates it. It

1608-664: Is the only English title that can be sold (though they rarely are), as Lordships of the manor are considered non-physical property in England and are fully enforceable in the English court system. Feudal lordships of the manor therefore still exist today (2023) in English property law , being legal titles historically dating back to the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Being incorporated into property law (whether physical or non-physical) they can be bought and sold, as historic artifacts. The title itself as stated below can be separated from

1675-604: The Catalogus Baronum , compiled a few years later). The title cannot nowadays be subdivided. This has been prohibited since 1290 by the statute of Quia Emptores that prevents tenants from alienating their lands to others by subinfeudation , instead requiring all tenants wishing to alienate their land to do so by substitution . Lord Denning , in Corpus Christi College Oxford v Gloucestershire County Council [1983] QB 360, described

1742-621: The English Channel . The Constable of the Tower of London and those castellans subordinate to the dukes of Normandy were responsible for their administration. Vivian Lipman posits four reasons for this: the castles provided defence, they were centres of administration, their dungeons were used as prisons, and castellans could turn to the Jewish community to borrow money as usury was forbidden to Catholics. A castellany , or castellania,

1809-514: The French Revolution . During the 19th and 20th centuries, châtelain was used to describe the owner of a castle or manor house, in many cases a figure of authority in his parish, akin to the English squire . In Germany the castellan was known as a Burgmann , or sometimes Hauptmann ("captain"), who reported to the lord of the castle, or Burgherr , also often known as the burgrave ( Burggraf ). The burgmann may have been either

1876-538: The King's Council in parliament began to be granted exclusively by decree in the form of a writ of Summons from 1265 entrenching the status of the Greater Barons and effectively founding the House of Lords . Magna Carta (which had been first issued in 1215) had declared that "No free man shall be seized, imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed, exiled or ruined in any way, nor in any way proceeded against, except by

1943-701: The Lodz Voivodeship , and Wojnicz now in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship or Otmuchów in Silesia . In France, castellans (known in French as châtelains ) who governed castellanies without a resident count , acquired considerable powers such that the position became hereditary. By the tenth century, the fragmentation of power had become so widespread that in Mâcon , for instance, where

2010-766: The Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem . Anselm was the first such castellan, c. 1110. A castellan was established in Valletta on the island of Malta. In the Kingdom of Poland and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , castellans ( Polish : Kasztelan ) were the lowest rung of the territorial administration of the country and deferred to voivodes (with the exception of the Burgrave of Kraków (Polish Burgrabia krakowski ) who had precedence over

2077-616: The Voivode of Kraków ). Castellans were in charge of a subdivision of a voivodeship called the castellany (Polish Kasztelania ) until the 15th-century. From then on castellanies, depending on their size, either became provinces , or in the case of smaller domains were replaced by powiats and the castellan role became honorific and was replaced in situ by a Starosta . Castellans in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were of senatorial rank and were often appointed from

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2144-484: The "ban" – that is, to hear court cases and collect fines, taxes from residents, and muster local men for the defence of the area or the realm. There are similarities with a lord of the manor . Castellans had the power to administer all local justice, including sentencing and punishments up to and including the death penalty, as when, in 1111, the Salzburg castellan caught the minister fomenting armed rebellion and had

2211-471: The 9th century, as fortifications improved and kings had difficulty making their subordinates pay their taxes or send the military aid they demanded, castellans grew in power, holding their fiefdoms without much concern for their overlord's demands. This changed as kings grew in power and as the Holy Roman Emperors replaced recalcitrant vassals with rival ministerial appointments. Usually

2278-622: The Duchy of Ciechanów existed, with a size of 8200 km, and such towns as Łomża , Zakroczym and Różan . In 1526, following the death of Duke Janusz III of Masovia , all of Mazovia was annexed by Poland, and the Masovian Voivodeship was established. The Land of Ciechanów continued to exist, with its own castellan and local sejmik at Ciechanów, where two envoys were elected to the Warsaw Sejm . The Land of Ciechanów

2345-466: The Law of Property Act 1922. Manorial incidents, which are the rights that a lord of the manor may exercise over other people's land, lapsed on 12 October 2013 if not registered by then with the Land Registry. This is a separate issue to the registration of lordships of manors, since both registered and unregistered lordships will continue to exist after that date. It is only their practical rights that lost what

2412-420: The Manor ) is not a title of nobility, as in a peerage title . The holder of a lordship of the manor can be referred to as Lord or Lady of the manor of [ Placename ], or Lord or Lady of [ Placename ], for example Lord or Lady of Little Bromwich, this shortening is permitted as long as "of" is not omitted and the name of the holder is included before as not to imply a peerage. It has been argued that Lords of

2479-517: The Manor are 'held' via Grand Serjeanty - a duty to carry out certain functions when required - which places them in close proximity to the monarch, often during the Coronation . An example would be the Manor of Scrivelsby , where the owner of the Manor is required to serve as King's Champion . Additionally, many peers also hold Lordships of the manor, and the sovereign via the Duchy of Lancaster

2546-603: The Manor, therefore were not incorporated into the peerage. It is understood that all English Feudal Baronies that were not Lordships of the Manor and had not been upgraded into a peerage, were abolished by the Tenures Abolition Act 1660 , passed after the Restoration, which took away knight-service and other legal rights. This left Lordships of the Manor as the sole vestige of the English feudal system. Like their English counterparts, by 1600 manorial titles in

2613-407: The basic unit of land ownership within the baronial system. Initially in England the feudal "baronial" system considered all those who held land directly from the king by knight-service , from earls downwards, as "barons". Others forms of land tenure under the feudal system included serjeanty (a form of tenure in return for a specified duty other than standard knight-service) and socage (payment of

2680-497: The castellan of Uxelles annexed first Briançon , then Sennecey-le-Grand and finally l'Épervière. In other areas, castellans did not manage to rise to noble status and remained the local officer of a noble. During the Ancien Régime , castellans were heads of local royal administration, and their power was further delegated to their lieutenants. All remaining lordships and local royal administrators were suppressed during

2747-575: The castellan was called "várnagy", and in the Latin chronicles he appeared as "castellanus". The lord of the castle had very similar functions to those in German lands. In Hungary the King initially designated castellans from among his court for the administration of castles and estates. Later designation of castellans devolved to the most powerful noblemen. At one time there was a castellan nominated from among

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2814-514: The castellanies of Ivry-la-Bataille , Nonancourt , Pacy-sur-Eure , Vernon and Gaillon , all in Normandy, which under in the treaty of Issoudun of 1195, after a war with King Richard I of England , were acquired for the French crown by Philip Augustus . Examples of castellanies in Poland include: Łęczyca and Sieradz (both duchies at one time), Spycimierz , Rozprza , Wolbórz now in

2881-478: The castellany was the basic unit of governance, there was no effective administrative level above it, so that the counts of Mâcon were largely ignored by their subordinate castellans from about 980 to 1030. In the 12th century châtelains had become "lords" in their own right and were able to expand their territories to include weaker castellanies. Thus the castellan of Beaujeu was able to take over lands in Lyons , or

2948-630: The death of her brother, Roger. Similarly, Agnes became the castellan of Harlech Castle upon the death of her husband John de Bonvillars in 1287. The title of "governor" is retained in the English prison system , as a remnant of the medieval idea of the castellan as head of the local prison. During the Migration Period after the fall of the Western Roman Empire (third to sixth century), foreign tribes entered Western Europe, causing strife. The answer to recurrent invasion

3015-489: The delegate became known as the alcaide pequeno (little alcaide ) or the alcaide-menor (minor alcaide). Lord of the manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England , referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The titles date to the English feudal (specifically Baronial ) system. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy

3082-410: The duties of a castellan consisted of military responsibility for the castle's garrison , maintaining defences and protecting the castle's lands, combined with the legal administration of local lands and workers including the castle's domestic staff. The responsibility applied even where there was no resident castellan at the castle, or if he was frequently absent. A castellan could exercise the power of

3149-484: The enactment of Law of Property Acts , Law of Property Act 1922 and Law of Property (Amendment) Act 1924, converting copyhold to fee simple . Although copyhold was abolished, the title of Lord of the Manor remains, and certain rights attached to it will also remain if they are registered under the Land Registration Act 2002 . This Act ended manorial incidents unprotected by registration at the Land Registry after October 2013. The Land Registration Act 2002 does not affect

3216-404: The existence of unregistered lordships after October 2013, only the rights that would have previously been attached to the same. During the latter part of the 20th century, many of these titles were sold to wealthy individuals seeking a distinction. However, certain purchasers, such as Mark Roberts , controversially exploited the right to claim unregistered land. A manorial title (i.e. Lord of

3283-543: The first element being the title may be held in moieties and may not be subdivided , this is prohibited by the statute of Quia Emptores preventing subinfeudation whereas the second and third elements can be subdivided. Although manorial lordship titles today no longer have rights attached to them, historically the lordship title itself had the power to collect fealty (i.e. services) and taxes. The Historical Manuscripts Commission maintains two Manorial Document Registers that cover southern England . One register

3350-461: The formerly Norman territories in France and Italy did not ennoble their holders in the same way as did, for example, a barony in these territories. Lordships of the Manor often have certain feudal era rights associated with them. The exact rights that each manor holds will be different: the right to hold a market, a right over certain waterways or mineral deposits are all within scope. Historically

3417-412: The lawful judgement of his peers", and thus this body of greater Barons with a right to attend parliament were deemed to be "peers" of one another, and it became the norm to refer to these magnates collectively as the "peerage" during the reign of Edward II . Meanwhile the holders of smaller fiefdoms per baroniam ceased to be summoned to parliament, and instead lesser barons of each county would receive

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3484-530: The lordship of the manor of Alstonefield for £10,000 in 1999. Judith Bray, land law expert from Buckingham University , speaking to BBC about the case, said that "the legal situation is very confusing because a piece of legislation in the 1920s separated manorial rights from the ownership of land." In reports about the Alstonefield case, the BBC stated, "Scores of titles are bought and sold every year, some like

3551-508: The manor can have the prefix "The Much Honoured" as using Mr, Miss or Mrs would be incorrect. The style 'Lord of the Manor of X' or 'Lord of X' is, in a sense, more of a description than a title, somewhat similar to the term Laird in Scotland. King's College, Cambridge has given the view that the term 'indicated wealth and privilege, and it carried rights and responsibilities'. It is debated whether manorial lordships can be classed as

3618-410: The manor thus: In medieval times the manor was the nucleus of English rural life. It was an administrative unit of an extensive area of land. The whole of it was owned originally by the lord of the manor. He lived in the big house called the manor house. Attached to it were many acres of grassland and woodlands called the park. These were the "demesne lands" which were for the personal use of the lord of

3685-464: The manor. Dotted all round were the enclosed homes and land occupied by the "tenants of the manor". In England in the Middle Ages , land was held on behalf of the English monarch or ruler by a powerful local supporter, who gave protection in return. The people who had sworn homage to the lord were known as vassals . Vassals were nobles who served loyalty for the king, in return for being given

3752-450: The nobility, but not exclusively so. In Portugal, a castellan was known as an Alcaide . Later, the role of the alcaide became an honorary title awarded by the King of Portugal to certain nobles. As the honorary holder of the office of alcaide did not often live near the castle, a delegate started to be appointed to effectively govern it in his place. An honorary holder of the office became known as alcaide-mor (major alcaide ) and

3819-399: The offender blinded, "as one would a serf". Later the castellan came to serve as the representative of the people of his castellany. So happened in the case of the castellan of Bruges , when the burghers stood up for more privileges and liberties from the counts of Flanders . A particular responsibility in western Europe concerned jurisdiction over the resident Jewish communities bordering

3886-495: The one Chris Eubank bought for fun, others seen as a business opportunity. It is entirely lawful, and there is no doubt the titles can be valuable. As well as rights to land like wastes and commons, they can also give the holder rights over land." The report goes on to say that the Law Commission in England and Wales were considering a project to abolish feudal land law but would not review manorial rights. In many cases,

3953-452: The physical property just as any other right can. Rights like the lordship, mineral and sporting can all be separate from the physical property. The title since 1290 cannot be sub-divided ( Subinfeudation ). Land, sporting rights, and mineral rights can be separated. Property lawyers usually handle such transactions. There are three elements to a manor (collectively called an honour ): These three elements may exist separately or be combined,

4020-489: The possession of the manor by only one resident as "giving him too great a superiority over his fellow townsmen, and exposing him to considerable odium". Thus, the Manor of Leeds was divided between several people ( shares ). This situation could create legal problems. In January 1872, as a group, the "lords of the manor of Leeds" applied to the Law Courts to ascertain if they could "exercise acts of ownership" over land at

4087-419: The royal courts also began to protect these customary tenants, who became known as copyholders . The name arises because the tenant was given a copy of the court's record of the fact as a title deed. During the 19th century, traditional manor courts were phased out. This was largely because by the mid 17th century, large English cities had leading residents such as John Harrison (died 1656) of Leeds , who saw

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4154-460: The status of a court leet , and so they elected constables and other officials and were effectively magistrates' courts for minor offences. The tenure of the freeholders was protected by the royal courts. After the Black Death , labour was in demand and so it became difficult for the lords of manors to impose duties on serfs. However their customary tenure continued and in the 16th century

4221-641: The use of land. After the Norman conquest of England , however, all land in England was owned by the monarch who then granted the use of it by means of a transaction known as enfeoffment , to earls, barons, and others, in return for military service. The person who held feudal land directly from the king was known as a tenant-in-chief (see also Land tenure ). Military service was based upon units of ten knights (see knight-service ). An important tenant-in-chief might be expected to provide all ten knights, and lesser tenants-in-chief, half of one. Some tenants-in-chief " sub-infeuded ", that is, granted, some land to

4288-562: Was densely populated, with poor szlachtas making up to 30% of total population. Local residents colonized the neighboring lands of Podlasie , Lithuania , Prussia (see Masurians ), Volhynia and Pomerelia . In 1793, after the second partition of Poland , a new administrative system was introduced by the Polish Diet. The Ciechanów Voivodeship was established, made of the Lands of Ciechanów, Zawkrze, Różan, Zakroczym and Wyszogród, with

4355-476: Was prohibited by the Statute of Quia Emptores in 1290. Knight-service was abolished by the Tenures Abolition Act 1660 . Manors were defined as an area of land and became closely associated to the advowson of the church; often by default the advowson was appended to the rights of the Manor, sometimes separated into moieties. Many lords of the manor were known as squires , at a time when land ownership

4422-465: Was the basis of power. While some inhabitants were serfs who were bound to the land, others were freeholders, often known as franklins , who were free from customary services. Periodically all the tenants met at a 'manorial court', with the lord of the manor (or squire), or a steward, as chairman. These courts, known as courts baron , dealt with the tenants' rights and duties, changes of occupancy, and disputes between tenants. Some manorial courts also had

4489-403: Was to create fortified areas which evolved into castles . Some military leaders gained control of several areas, each with a castle. The problem lay in exerting control and authority in each area when a leader could only be in one place at a time. To overcome this, they appointed castellans as their trusted vassals to manage a castle in exchange for obligations to the landlord, often a noble. In

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