FEUDALISM IN GUERNSEY. 



69 



the other at Lihou, to the north of the ruins of the priory. 



The sites of others are, however, indicated by such names as 

 Le Colombier, near Ronceval, St. Sampson's, &c. Probably 

 also La Colombelle, near Les Ruettes Brayes, may owe its 

 name from being the site of one of the smaller dovecots which 

 the lesser seigneurs were permitted to have attached to their 

 farm buildings. 



The administration of a feudal manor has been regarded 

 from two points; (1) the old view, which represented every- 

 thing feudal as a grinding tyranny, whether from the king as 

 supreme in the State, down to the lord of the manor ; (2) the 

 modern view, which sees the power both of king or baron 

 great, but not absolute. The king, the chief of the State, 

 but regarded by his barons rather as chief among equals than 

 as a superior. As the barons of Aragon said to their king — 

 4; We, each of whom is as good as you, all together better than 

 you."* 



So the feudal baron ruled his estate as chief among his 

 principal tenants, who formed his court and administered 

 justice under his representative, the seneschal. This system 

 is clearly shown in the records of manor courts in England, 

 and by the old " franchises " of our Guernsey Fief du Comte, 

 the earliest copy of which dates from 1406. Here we find 

 the seneschal, or president of the Manor Court, and the greffier, 

 or clerk, appointed by the Lord of the Manor. The eight 

 vavassors, or judges of the court, were the seigneurs of the 

 eight principal frank-fiefs of the manor, who held their land 

 by suit of court. By the sixteenth century only three of 

 these frank-fiefs retained hereditary seigneurs, namely those 

 of Du Groignet, Du Pignon, and De Carteret, the two first 

 held by the Le Marchants, and the latter by a Blondel. 

 These seigneurs served as vavassors either in person or by 

 deputy chosen by themselves, subject to the approval of the 

 Seigneur du Comte. The vavassors of the other five franc- 

 fiefs, De Longues, Des Reveaux, Du Videclin, Des Grantes, 

 and De La Court, were chosen by the lord of the manor, 

 and presented by him to take oath before the Manor Court. 

 They bore the title of seigneurs of the franc-fief they 

 represented whilst acting as vavassors. 



The next important officer, the prevot or grangier of the 

 manor, whose duties in some measure corresponded with those 

 of the prevot or sheriff of the Royal Court, was curiously 

 chosen by the tenants of the thirty-two vellein bouvees 

 of the manor. Two of these bouvees in turn choosing 



* Lord Acton's Circle, p. 231. 



