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The History of Law Blog

From Normans times to now, focus on land law ...

Norman Barons: Writs and Relief

By Tessa Shepperson Leave a Comment

Turstin FitzRolfIn Norman England, at the top of the feudal hierarchy immediately below the King, were the barons. The landed aristocracy as they became.

Most of them are descended from what Georgette Heyer (a much under rated author) is fond of describing in her books as the ‘raff and scraff’ of Europe, who came over with William the Conqueror in his army and were rewarded for their support by grants of land.

Turstin FitzRolf

One of the best known examples of William favouring his supporters is the case of Turstin Fotzrolf who was William’s standard bearer at the Battle of Hastings.

The story goes that William needed someone to be his standard bearer.  As this was the standard which had been sent to him by the Pope no less, it was a pretty important job.

However both the knights he asked first (Raoul de Conches and Walter Giffard in case you wanted to know) refused, and the King got a bit cross. So he called up a humble knight, Turstin FitzRolf, and asked him to do it. Which he did ‘right cheerfully’.

As well he might, as he was subsequently rewarded by large grants of land and is recorded in the Domesday book as having over 20 manors.

It is possible that Turstin is the standard bearer in the baueux tapestry section above.

Baronial holdings

Baronial land was held per baroniam,  a standard type of feudal contract similar to (or possibly the same as) tenure by ‘knight service’.  Except that they held direct from the King rather than from another lord.

They were also ‘tenants-in-chief’ and much of their land was sub let out on various types of feudal contract to their followers. The remainder was kept for themselves as ‘demesne’ land.

Writs and relief

To become a baron you had to pay your dues to the King first. This was known as ‘baronial relief’ and was a payment, a sort of one off taxation, that you had to pay to the King before you could step into your inheritance.

However being a Baron gave you the right to attend the Kings Council.  And eventually, to receive a writ to attend Parliament. The House of Lords.

Bayeux Tapestry picture is from Wikipedia commons

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Filed Under: Norman Tagged With: Barons, William I

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The Norman posts

Oath of fealty

Landlord and tenure

Turstin FitzRolf

Norman Barons: Writs and Relief

Delamere forest

The Kings Demesne

Norman England

The Estates of Man in Norman England

French Manor

The Lord of the Manor

Doomsday book

The Domesday Book

Henry I

Henry I – The Lion of Justice

Signatures of William I and Matilda

Custom and courts before and after the conquest

Writs, law and the nature of lawyer DNA

Sheriffs in Norman times

trial by battle

Oaths and Ordeals

Derek Jacobi as Cadfael

Cadfael and law in the reign of Stephen

Westminster Hall

The Arms of William the Conquerer

What the Normans did for law in England

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