P566ORACLE 566 Mon 3 Mar C4 1702:29
1/5
THE A-Z OF
INVESTMENTS
L is for investing in a Lordship
In 1985, the Earl of Lichfield offered
for sale four of his lordships ─
Alrewas, Edingale, Bentley and Dunston.
The first, Alrewas, was particularly
attractive since it is said to have the
finest collection of manorial documents
in the world, recording every event on
the Manor from 1298 to 1935. It was
sold by chartered surveyors, Bernard
Thorpe, for an amazing £18,000!
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Your Money ...560 Feature ...567
CADBURY'S CHOCOLATE RECIPE 184 (ITV)
P566ORACLE 566 Mon 3 Mar C4 1707:56
2/5
THE A-Z OF
INVESTMENTS
Lordships of Manors date back to Saxon
times and many existed at the time of
the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Lord
had, at one time, many privileges
including escheat (the right to take
control of property when the owner died
intestate and without heirs) and droit
de seigneur, under which the lord had
the right to appropriate any village
maiden in his Lordship on her wedding
night.
Some less colourful rights remain for
anyone investing in a lordship today;
the income from Wayleaves for telegraph
poles, the right to extract minerals,
or the right to cut turf, for example.
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P566ORACLE 566 Mon 3 Mar C4 1711:02
3/5
THE A-Z OF
INVESTMENTS
Investors in a lordship are, in fact,
paying for the right to use the title
and for a few other privileges. A Lord
or Lady of the Manor can apply for a
coat of arms from the College of Arms,
have the title inserted in passports,
on stationery, cutlery, prams, cars and
cheque books. They can even join the
Manorial Society of Great Britain.
A lordship can be sold or handed down
the family but it's not a peerage and
doesn't allow the bearer to sit in the
House of Lords. Some documents may come
with the title but these usually can't
be taken home or out of the country.
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Your money...560 Feature...567
P566ORACLE 566 Mon 3 Mar C4 1716:49
4/5
THE A-Z OF
INVESTMENTS
Investing in lordships is not, as you
might expect, for the poor. Estate
agents, Strutt & Parker quote a
minimum of £6,000 rising to £30,000 fgr
the most important titles. Recently
they sold the Lordships of East Ham,
West Ham and Plaistow for more than the
£30,000 guide price.
Strutt & Parker no longer sell by one
off auction but by private treaty.
They've had a brochure printed with
details of the lordships to be sent to
customers, often overseas. About a
third of the lordships sold here go to
foreign buyers, mainly in the US, the
Midldle East and West Germany.
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Your money...560 Featuqe...567
P566ORACLE 566 Mon 3 Mar C4 1724:16
5/5
THE A-Z OF
INVESTMENTS
Have lordships proved to be a good
investment in the past? In the 1950s
and 60s lordships of the manor were
fetching up to £750 and by 1982 that
figure had risen to about £2,500. Today
there's nothing for less than £6,000.
1986, the 900th anniversary of the
Domesday Book, is likely to be a good
year, but after that no-one knows what
will happen to prices and certainly
there are safer places for youq cash.
If you're still undaunted, don't miss
the Lordship of Great Linton, Cambridge
a snip at £12,750! With it comes the
right to hold a weekly market in Great
Linton on Tuesdays.
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