History of Agricultural Rent in England 5 



the lord of the manor resided, though the 

 same person might have several manors 

 and pass from one to the other. Connected 

 v^ith the manor were certain local courts, 

 in which, practically, the power of the lord 

 of the manor was supreme. It is true that 

 the general idea of these courts was to act 

 on customary rules, but in case of dispute, 

 the decision of the lord of the manor or 

 his representative was final. Of course I 

 am only looking at the power of the 

 manorial courts from the point of view 

 of landlord and tenant ; but incidentally, we 

 must notice that, to begin with, the lord 

 of the manor had such powers that the 

 tenants were, for the most part, in a state 

 of serfdom. 



They could not leave the estate ; they 

 could not give their daughters in marriage 

 without the consent of the lord of the 

 manor ; they could not sell their stock, and 



