Everything about Manor House totally explained
A
manor house or
fortified manor-house is a
country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a
manor (see
Manorialism), the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the
feudal system. The term is sometimes applied to relatively small country houses which belonged to
gentry families, as well as to grand
stately homes, particularly as a technical term for minor late medieval fortified country houses intended more for show than for defence.
History and architecture
In general terms, the manor house was the dwelling house, or "capital messuage", of a feudal
lord of a manor, which he occupied only on occasional visits if he held many manors. As such it was the place in which sessions of his "
court baron", or
manor court, were held. Sometimes a
steward or
seneschal was appointed by the seigniorial lord to oversee and manage his different manorial properties. The day-to-day administration was delegated to a
bailiff, or
reeve.
Although not typically built with strong fortifications as
castles were, many manor houses were partly fortified: they were enclosed within
walls or
ditches that often included the
farm buildings as well. Many of them were equipped with small
gatehouses and
watchtowers. The primary feature of the manor house was its
Great Hall, to which subsidiary apartments were added as the lessening of feudal warfare permitted more peaceful domestic life.
By the beginning of the 16th century, manor houses as well as small castles began to acquire the character and amenities of the residences of country gentlemen. This late 16th century transformation produced many of the smaller
Renaissance châteaux of France and the numerous country mansions of the Elizabethan and Jacobean styles in England.
Architecture of French manor houses
In France, the terms or are often used synonymously to describe a French manor house. is another French word to describe a strongly fortified manor house, which might include two sets of enclosing walls and drawbridges. In the western France provinces of Brittany and Normandy, certain large manors enjoyed real means of protection. The seigniorial residences of this type, just like the largest castles, often had a
châtelet or
logis-porche (gatehouse), a courtyard surrounded by walls sheltering the outbuildings – especially the stables, a principal house (
logis principal), a chapel and a
dovecote. In certain cases, the
logis-porche is only one wall, in others, it's a true house. Some of these manor houses were surrounded by ditches (wet or dry) and some were not.
In later medieval French manor houses, the Great Hall was called the
salle haute or "upper hall." This was the hall reserved for the lord and where he received his high-ranking guests. This larger hall was often located above the ground-floor hall or
salle basse that was used to receive peasants and commoners. The
salle basse was also the location of the manor court, with the steward or lord's seating location often marked by the presence of a
crédence de justice or wall-cupboard (shelves built into the stone walls to hold documents and books associated with administration of the demesne or
droit de justice).
In addition to having both lower and upper halls, many French manor houses also had fortified gateways, watchtowers, and enclosing walls that were fitted with
arrow or gun loops for added protection. Some larger 16th century manors, such as the Château de Kerjean in
Finistère, Brittany, were even outfitted with fore-works that included gun platforms for cannons. These defensive arrangements allowed
maisons-fortes, and rural manors to be safe from a
coup de main perpetrated by an armed band as there was so many during the troubled times of the
Hundred Years War and the wars of the
Holy League; but it was difficult for them to resist a
siege undertaken by a regular army equipped with (siege) engines.
Modern usage
In modern usage, the term
manor or
manor house is sometimes used, especially outside Europe, to mean simply either a country house or indeed any other house considered to resemble one, without any reference to age or to the historical sense of the term.
Manor houses in England
Manor houses in Estonia
Further Information
Get more info on 'Manor House'.
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