Manor Court - Royal Courts

Royal Courts

In some cases the manorial court functioned as a de facto court leet.

The lord of the manor could be given a post by the central government, such as sheriff or officer in charge of the county, in return for a small payment. In these cases the manorial court's jurisdiction could in effect become county-wide.

Alternatively, the lord could acquire a franchise of the Crown to hold court for criminal matters. This jurisdiction was that of court leet and View of Frankpledge (the two terms define the same assembly), the manor freemen being the jury of a "crown" court within the manor's area.