The Peerage

Terms Relating to Peerage

Barony—Dignity comprised of multiple knightly fees   Caput Honoris—Lord’s main residence and administrative area   Caput—The barony and its parts   Demesne—The land the tenant retains for his own use   Dignity—Royal or noble station or social class   Franchise—A grant of land to a tenant, or a noble from a king   Honor—Noble or king’s title, holdings, and social standing   Jubilee—Royal event to celebrate monarch’s birthday, and one for each decade on the throne

Knight’s Fee—Base manoral unit, usually one per knight, but they can be subdived into partial fees, such as half a knight’s fee   Manor—A barony’s primary house, mesne, and sub-enfeoffed lands   Manorial Court—Court by a mesne lord to adjudicate issues within his territory   Mesne—A mesne lord who holds lands from the king, but is a landlord who has his own tenants.   Relief—Fee paid each generation to the king to assume heriditary noble title   Seasonal Courts—Royal courts held four time per year   Sub-tenant—Land the tenant enfeoffs to a sub-tenant