FANCY becoming the lord or lady of the manor?

Two titles are up for sale with a price tag of £6,000.

The first is associated to Brook Hall in the Tolleshunt Knights parish and the second at Chedingsell in Inworth.

The ceremonial title of lord or lady has been around for centuries associated with nobility and English tradition.

William the Conqueror increased their popularity in 1086 when he commissioned a Doomsday Book, with 13,000 titles recorded.

In modern day Britain, lordships and ladyships can be inherited or bestowed when granted a life peerage by the Queen.

The third way is for people to simply buy the title where the successful bidder will receive a certificate of title and title deed, the formal contract which legally binds you to take on the new title and give up your old one.

The lordship titles for the two manor houses in Essex have been put up for sale by Manorial Auctioneers of London and Strutt and Parker of Chelmsford.

Brook Hall, with a parish of 2,246 acres, stands on the north side of a brook about a mile from the church of St Nicholas.

It went through several ownership changes until it came to the Crown in the 16th century, where it was given to Henry VIII’s chief minister Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, who was attainted for treason and beheaded.

Fast forward to the 20th century, and the lord of the manor and principal landowner was Charles John Wilkin whose family have owned it ever since.

The Lordship of Chedingsell was part of the revenues of the Nunnery of Helenstow in Bedfordshire, founded by Countess Judith, niece of William the Conqueror. By the 14th century, the parish held 70 acres of arable, six acres of meadow and wood. These lands lay in Inworth and Great Braxted.

Following centuries of different families taking over the estate, with Parliament attempting to oust political opponents who resided there, it eventually became the property of the Calverts who were lords in the 1930s, before selling to the Wilkin family.

For more information, call Robert Smith on 0207 5821588.