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Is a lord of the manor a "noble title?"
Maybe - but probably not.
Said succinctly, this matter has never been settled in a court of law. Interestingly, the Scottish "cousins" to manors, Scottish feudal baronies, have long been considered part of the minor nobility.
What is a "manor?"
This is a simple question with a complex answer - and the devil is in the details. It might be best if we just quoted the UK Gov't (LR Practice Guide 22):
Manors are of ancient origin dating from before Norman times. The extent of the manor was usually determined by the original grant from the Crown or superior lord. A manor was self-contained with its own customs and rights within its defined area.
There are three separate elements of manors that can affect HM Land Registry:
- lordship of the manor: whoever owns the lordship of the manor is entitled to refer to themselves as lord of that manor, for example, Lord of the manor of Keswick
- manorial land: because a manor was a defined area it included the physical land within that area. Such land could either be freehold or leasehold
- manorial rights: rights which were part and parcel of the manorial title and which were usually kept by the lord on disposal of parts of the manorial land, for example, the right to hunt, shoot or fish
These elements may exist separately or be combined. The lordship title cannot be subdivided, but the manorial land and the manorial rights can be.
Confusion can be caused, as ‘manor’ can refer to either the lordship and/or the manorial land.
Is a lord of the manor a "lord?"
Yes - but it's complicated.
"Lord" is a word that has been used for centuries and has, understandably, evolved with the times & circumstance. Post-Conquest, "lord" almost exclusively referred to lords of manors - the historical record clearly proves that time & again. However, as the concept of peerage rose in importance and manors declined in the 13th & 14th centuries, the word was co-opted to describe a peer - Baron Fiddleysticks is addressed as "Lord Fiddleysticks." This ambiguity has generated an entrenched, biased argument with both sides fighting for their agendas - ex: the often flogged "landlord of the dog & duck" argument. It is, however, believed by this writer, after two decades of committed study, that lords of manors are simply "lords" of a much older, distantly related genus species than the modern day peers.
Will The Crown formally recognize a lord of the manor?
Yes - but only in very rare circumstances where the lordship has been successfully registered through HM's Land Registry and receives an extract number which can be queried 24/7 online. Registration guarantees proof of ownership.
Unfortunately, only 1-2% of all titles were registered before The Land Registration Act 2002 took effect. No further titles may be registered for the first time - but those that are already registered may have this registration be reassigned via transfer or sale.
The UK Identity and Passport Service will include such titles on a British passport as an "observation" (e.g., 'The Holder is the Lord of the Manor of X'), provided the holder can provide documentary evidence of ownership. Learn more HERE.
Are lords of manors esquires - and thereby granted precedence?
Probably - but only by prescription or tradition.
Lordships of the manor have existed apart from what we normally hearken to when thinking about "noble titles" or the UK order of precedence. However, local copyholders of land naturally afforded the lords of their relative manors with a certain degree or respect. Over many centuries, this seems to have taken the form of assigning them the rank of esquire - as in "The Squire of Placename." Evidence of this appears all across the written record, scholarly and no, and can hardly be argued. However, this is not formally recognized by the Crown and anyone can call themselves esquire in the 21st century.
This is a small victory but a victory none the less.
See: A Manual of Dignities, Privilege and Precedence, by Charles Dodd, 1843 - page 248