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The Rare Lordship, Liberty, and Bailiwick of Ennerdale Bailiwick

A Historic Territorial Jurisdiction in the Heart of Cumbria

The Lordship, Liberty, and Bailiwick of Ennerdale is one of the rarest and most historically significant manorial holdings in the United Kingdom. Situated in Cumbria, formerly part of Cumberland, this unique jurisdictional entity dates back to the medieval period, when it formed part of the Free Chase of Copeland—a royal hunting forest with administrative divisions governed under feudal law.


📜 Historical Origins

Ennerdale emerged as a distinct liberty and bailiwick following the partition of the Barony of Copeland in the 14th century. After the death of John de Multon (d. 1334), whose vast estates were divided among co-heiresses and subject to Crown reversion, Ennerdale was separated from the larger baronial structure. The Crown retained the territory and treated it as a self-governing jurisdiction, complete with:

  • Court Leet authority (local criminal and civil jurisdiction)

  • Forest and manorial rights

  • Independence from county sheriffs

  • A recognized caput or administrative seat at Ennerdale Hall

These features qualify Ennerdale not only as a liberty but also as a bailiwick—an area under the supervision of a bailiff appointed either by the lord or the Crown.


⚖️ Legal and Feudal Features

The Liberty of Ennerdale held exceptional status:

  • It possessed view of frankpledge, petty jurisdiction, and court leet, allowing the lord to oversee law and order within the bounds of the liberty.

  • The bailiwick was the administrative mechanism by which justice and land management were executed.

  • The lordship was held in capite, i.e., directly from the Crown, and not from any intermediate lord or noble.

This imperial-style feudal structure is comparable to the Reichsunmittelbare Herrschaften of the Holy Roman Empire, wherein a Freiherr or imperial lord held lands and jurisdiction directly from the Emperor.


🌍 International Context & Recognition

The lordship may be lawfully styled in various heraldic and legal traditions:

  • English: Lord of the Liberty and Bailiwick of Ennerdale

  • German: Freiherr der Freiheiten und der Vogtei von Ennerdale

  • French: Seigneur de la Liberté et du Bailliage d’Ennerdale

  • Norse (historic): Lendr maðr og dómsherra yfir fríðlendi Ennerdalr

This rare combination of liberty status, bailiwick authority, and manorial court rights sets Ennerdale apart as one of the few surviving territorial lordships with active legal, ceremonial, and historic identity.


👑 The Current Lord

Today, the Lord of the Liberty and Bailiwick of Ennerdale is Commissioner George Mentz, JD, MBA, DSS, a distinguished international jurist, educator, and historian. Mentz holds several historical lordships, including Fief Blondel in Guernsey, and has been involved in the scholarly preservation of ancient liberties, manorial law, and seigniorial systems.

Through stewardship and historical inquiry, the Lordship of Ennerdale continues to be recognized as a living example of medieval English liberties, with ongoing interest from legal historians, genealogists, and heraldic scholars worldwide.


📚 Further Reading

  • Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward III (1334–1338)

  • History of the Forests and Liberties of Copeland, Cumberland Archives

  • Feudal England: Historical Studies on the Liberty System, J.H. Round

  • Manorial and Seigniorial Law, English Historical Review


For official inquiries, academic partnerships, or historical requests related to the Lordship and Liberty of Ennerdale, please contact the Office of the Lordship Steward.

 

⚖️ Ceremonial Powers of the Lord of Ennerdale

Appointments under Court Leet, Bailiwick, and Free Chase Rights

The Lordship of the Liberty and Bailiwick of Ennerdale, owing its direct origin to Crown grants from the 14th century and earlier Norse rule, retains within its legal and ceremonial structure one of the most unique sets of appointment privileges in the British Isles. These powers derive from the ancient Court Leet, manorial jurisdiction, and the territory's history as a Free Chase and Royal Forest.


🏞️ Direct from the Crown: A Liberty of Exceptional Status

Unlike ordinary manorial estates, Ennerdale was separated from the Barony of Copeland and recognized as a liberty and bailiwick held in capitedirectly from the monarch, not via any feudal intermediary. This rare standing enabled the Lord to:

  • Convene the Court Leet to administer justice and governance

  • Exercise forest jurisdiction over common rights, grazing, and woodland law

  • Appoint officers to enforce law and maintain order within the liberty


🛡️ Ceremonial and Heritable Appointments within the Liberty

Under the traditional franchises granted to lords of liberties and ancient forests, the Lord of Ennerdale holds the power to make the following ceremonial and historic appointments—titles that once carried real judicial or military authority and today remain symbols of historic sovereignty:

1. Captain of the Liberty

  • A prestigious ceremonial military office.

  • Historically responsible for defense of the liberty and mustering men-at-arms.

  • Analogous to a Knight Banneret or Reichsritter under Germanic law.

2. Chief of the Bailiwick

  • The senior officer or elder of the liberty or forest division.

  • May act as ceremonial overseer of tenants, customs, and rights.

  • Similar in function to a Chief Steward or tribal chieftain in Norse tradition.

3. Bailiff of Ennerdale

  • Historically enforced the law, collected manorial rents, and summoned courts.

  • Still ceremonially appointed to represent the authority of the Lord.

  • Can wear regalia such as a staff of office or badge of the liberty.

4. Master or Keeper of the Forest

  • An ancient office responsible for preserving forest law, managing grazing, hunting rights, and woodland stewardship.

  • Historically known as a Verderer or Forester of Fee, and in Norse usage as a skógarmaðr.

5. Constable of the Liberty

  • Officer empowered by the Court Leet to ensure peace and guard local order.

  • Can be symbolically invested during ceremonial assemblies or heritage events.


👑 Why These Appointments Matter Today

Although the judicial powers of Court Leet are now symbolic, the rights of appointment remain rooted in historical law and form part of the cultural, ceremonial, and diplomatic role of the Lordship. These offices:

  • Preserve ancient traditions of governance, justice, and community leadership

  • Provide continuity with Anglo-Norse, Norman, and feudal legal frameworks

  • Reflect the Lord's territorial dignity and sovereign-style privileges

  • May be recognized in modern heraldry, historical societies, or noble orders

In rare cases, such as Ennerdale, the authority to appoint a Captain, Chief, Bailiff, and Forest Master represents one of the last living examples of manorial autonomy tied to liberty law.


✨ A Living Tradition

Today, these ceremonial roles may be bestowed upon worthy individuals, local dignitaries, or honored guests in formal ceremonies, often accompanied by scrolls, regalia, oaths, and heraldic symbolism.

The Lord of Ennerdale continues this tradition with great care, ensuring that the legacy of English liberties and feudal jurisdiction lives on in the valley of Ennerdale—a place where history still breathes through title and land.

 

Pedigree and Provenance of the Lordship, Liberty, and Bailiwick of Ennerdale

I. Ancient Origins and Territorial Heritage

The lands comprising Ennerdale, in present-day Cumbria, represent one of the most storied and continuously inhabited regions in the British Isles. Ennerdale’s deep antiquity stretches back to pre-Roman times, when it formed part of the territories of Celtic Brythonic tribes, specifically the Brigantes.

  • Under the Roman Empire (1st–5th century AD), the area was administered as part of the province of Britannia. Though Ennerdale lay just west of Hadrian’s Wall, it was within the Roman military zone, with nearby forts such as Hardknott and Ambleside guarding key routes into the Lake District. The region remained a contested frontier between Roman civilization and the highland tribes to the west.

  • Following Rome’s decline, Ennerdale became part of the Kingdom of Rheged (5th–7th centuries), a semi-legendary Celtic kingdom known for its poetry and warlike kings, such as Urien of Rheged. Rheged's influence spread across modern Cumbria and southwestern Scotland.

  • Later, Ennerdale was absorbed into the Kingdom of Strathclyde, and eventually Northumbria, a powerful Anglo-Saxon realm that extended from the Humber to the Firth of Forth. The region saw waves of settlement and raiding by Angles, Norsemen (Vikings), and later Danes, leaving genetic, linguistic, and cultural traces.

  • The Norse-Viking influence is particularly strong in the West Cumbrian valleys, including Ennerdale, with many place names in the region retaining Old Norse etymologies.

  • During the High Medieval period, Ennerdale was part of the Barony of Copeland and later held under the Honor of Cockermouth, a vast feudal holding that encompassed much of western Cumberland. Within this framework, Ennerdale was recognized as a manor, liberty, and bailiwick with significant degrees of autonomy.

The native Cumbrian population, of mixed Celtic, Norse, Saxon, and later Scottish descent, continued to inhabit the region, many living in free tenures, and maintaining customary rights related to forest, pasture, and court usage.


II. Royal Forest, Free Chase, and Liberty

From the Norman Conquest onward, Ennerdale was designated as a Royal Forest and Free Chase, protected under English forest law, with rights reserved for the monarch and baronial lords.

The Forest of Ennerdale was part of the broader Royal Forest of Copeland, with specific designation as a bailiwick—a district managed by a bailiff acting under royal authority. The area was notable for its vast woodlands, glacial lakes, and game, making it a prized hunting ground.

As a liberty, Ennerdale operated with special jurisdictional privileges, such as exemption from county sheriff authority, and the ability to hold its own Court Leet and Court Baron, enforcing laws and resolving disputes locally. These privileges placed Ennerdale among a rare class of autonomous territories governed by feudal lords and forest officials rather than royal justiciars.


III. Crown Ownership and Government Oversight

During the Tudor and Stuart reigns, the Crown retained direct ownership of Ennerdale and administered its revenues, courts, and land usage through the Court of Exchequer, the Auditors of Land Revenue, and eventually the Commissioners of Woods and Forests. These bodies maintained records of manorial rents, customary tenants, forest fines, and jurisdictional appointments, preserving the unique legal status of Ennerdale as both a liberty and forest.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, amidst reforms in public land management and Crown Estate policies, the government began disposing of non-essential royal holdings to noble families and private interests.


IV. Sale by the King and Crown Government: Conveyance to Earl of Lonsdale

In a remarkable and rare legal act, the Crown and Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues executed a true sale of the Bailiwick, Liberty, Manor, and Forest of Ennerdale, complete with court rights, liberty status, and forest jurisdiction, to William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale.

This deed of conveyance, sealed with royal authority and parliamentary approval, granted the Lonsdale family tenancy in chief, including all rights and dignities historically associated with the Lordship. The area retained its independent courts and liberty privileges, making the transaction one of the few surviving examples of a feudal liberty and bailiwick being sold outright from the Crown.


V. Modern Era: Acquisition by Hon. George S. Mentz, JD MBA

In the 21st century, the Ennerdale estate passed through lawful succession and private transfer to become the hereditary property of Hon. George S. Mentz, JD MBA, an internationally recognized professor of law, author, and commissioner.

Hon. Mentz acquired the Lordship of the Bailiwick, Liberty, Manor, and Forest of Ennerdale through documented private conveyance, with recognition of its full seignorial rights, privileges, and dignities. This includes:

  • Court Leet and manorial jurisdiction

  • Customary and ceremonial rights

  • Historical land and liberty claims

  • Preservation of one of the last free bailiwicks in England

Hon. George Mentz, as Seigneur of Ennerdale, is now styled formally as:

"The Right Worshipful Lord of the Bailiwick, Liberty, and Forest of Ennerdale"

His position is distinguished as one of the only known modern Lords of a surviving English liberty and private bailiwick—a title rooted in royal grant, forest law, and feudal jurisprudence.


VI. Present Status and Legacy

Today, Ennerdale remains a historically rich and environmentally protected area. Much of the land falls under the stewardship of the Wild Ennerdale Partnership, a conservation initiative involving:

  • Forestry England

  • National Trust

  • Natural England

  • United Utilities

Yet, the title and seignory remain lawfully vested in private ownership, preserving a link to ancient English legal and social order.


Conclusion

The Lordship and Bailiwick of Ennerdale stands as an unparalleled example of English continuity: from Roman military frontier, through Celtic kingdoms, Norse invasions, and feudal independence, to a modern legal title held with dignity and stewardship. Its transfer from Crown to noble, and eventually to a recognized international jurist, reflects a living history that bridges over two millennia of governance, law, and culture.

 

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