72 



FEUDALISM IN GUERNSEY. 



des Sages, St. Peter's-in-the-Wood. The stone seats for the 

 officials of this Court are also still in existence. 



The Court of Fief de la Corvee in the court yard at the 

 farm of Le Pont, St. Pierre-du-Bois. 



The Court of Fief de Suart in the lands of Le Long 

 Frie, St. Pierre-du-Bois. 



The Court of Fief de Lihou in the court yard of Mr. 

 de Garis, Des Adams, St. Pierre-du-Bois. 



The Court of Fief des Reveaux, in the high road near 

 Les Islets, St. Pierre-du-Bois. 



The Court du Fief des Coltons in the court yard of the 

 farm at Le Grais. 



The Court of Fief de St. Martin, alias de Calais, 

 alias de Fermain, was formerly held near the Town Church, 

 on a spot marked by a large stone, near le Pont Orson, 

 the bridge Avhich used to span the mill stream. 



It will be noticed that nearly all these courts were held 

 out of doors, as was very frequently the custom in the middle 

 ages. The Abbot of St. Alban's, for instance, held his court 

 under the great ash tree at St. Alban's in 1257. 



Early in the sixteenth century the Royal Court was 

 already attempting to restrict the powers of the Manor Courts 

 by various ordonnances. In spite of these they still continued 

 to flourish up to the middle of the seventeenth century, after 

 which date they declined rapidly. The court of Fief du Comte 

 retained its jurisdiction up to 1775, when it was suppressed 

 by Bailiff William Le Marchant. That of Fief St. Michel 

 was only abolished in 1861. These courts still exist in name, 

 their duties, and those of the other Manor Courts in the 

 island, now consisting merely of the appointment of officers 

 for the collection of the revenue due the seigneur, or on some 

 fiefs for the supervision of the streams, to see that the water 

 has free course. 



Manors were usually divided into the demesne lands, and 

 the tenures. The demesne, the lands surrounding the Manor 

 House, kept by the seigneur for his own use. The tenures, 

 the lands held by the tenants. The latter, in Guernsey, were 

 usually divided into frank-fiefs, if the manor was a large one, 

 free tenements and villein " bouvces." At the present day 

 many of our manors are entirely held in tenures, the seigneur 

 owning no land, only receiving his seignorial dues from his 

 tenants. 



The seigneurs of the frank-fiefs and the free tenants held 

 their lands by homage, relief, or one year's revenue on 

 succession to them, and by suit at the Manorial Court at the 



