FEUDAL ANOMALY

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12507, 21 May 1906, Page 7

FEUDAL ANOMALY

Mr Alfred Coiildivy, of Dnnton Green, nwr Sewnoaks. has recently had on extraordinary exi>orieiice of tln> feudal pv.'tem of 'fliicl tenure which still Ut s in Kf!.:«aml. Last year ho niirchaH'd si small estate of two nn<l a halt 1 acres at Diinton (iriK'ii for .CI 7OO. It " ;-situated in th-.> Manor of Otforcl. the lord of which ie Earl Arahenst. The ' 4 .;tato i' held under what is known as 'customary freehold," and tho lord oi the* manor is entitled to a lieriot on every change of tenancy. As the heriot ; he may wize the te-mint's bes-t live becfits.'or in the eibs-m-e of a he I - w entitled to the modest fine of 3s Gd. i '''The ''customary freeholder' from whom >(r Could rev bought the property. f«y« ■'Truth," possessed no Ix-nst, and eiiii-'----diiontlv Earl Aniher.st only got the Hs (id A short time ago Mr Conldrey .fold half «n. aero of the* land for £180. \ few days Inter ho received a vicit { rom Kari Amherefs deputy-f-teward, Jlr Knocker. A horse and trap rUandjn<* in the yard, and .Mr Ooiildrey was uykVd if the horse wore bis. Ito re- , pijrti in the nflinnativo, whereupon the (Jpputy-stpwanl cut somo liairs trom the onimaVs inane, «nd, placing his hand o n its shoulder, paid: '•This hoive is " now the property of Lord Atnhornt." The eietion actually made Earl .Ani-horst the, owner of the ' liorse. Mr Couldrcy was allowed to red«cm it on payment of £M 11>>. If he had kept a motor oar instead of ;\ hor-e ho would only have had to pay 3s (Id, instead of £11 IK Inn reivnt interesting hcok on 'The Manor cind Manorial Records," Mr Xathmiial .f. Hniw j mentions ft cane, in 1827, in which a lord [ i>l the manor seized «s a tenant* In^t. ■ /boast a racehorse worth between iX'UOO ■ end £3000..