Benefits from holding the Title

Benefits from holding the Title

Holding any Title can have both direct and indirect paybacks and it is usually the indirect benefits that make such a bestowal a truly enjoyable experience. You may find that restaurants that are fully booked months in advance suddenly offer you their best table, or "sold-out" theaters suddenly find tickets to their finest seats. It is the little perks like these that do make life just that little more pleasant. Even the deference that others pay to the person holding the Title upon knowing that he is indeed a Lord can be a refreshing experience. For reasons that are perhaps drummed into all of us from a young age, a Lord is always listened to with just a bit more respect and attention than an ordinary individual.

There are those, generally the more business oriented, who wish to use this to their financial gain. There is no question that a Lord carries more weight in a negotiation than a commoner - this is particularly the case when dealing overseas, as Lords there are even rarer still Titles have certainly helped the 1ikes of Lord White and Lord Hanson when building up the multi-billion pound Hanson consortium and it is well known that many public companies insist on having a Lord on the Board of directors, as this gives "stability" to their image.

Many such benefits will only come when the Title is used in an unassuming manner for there is nothing worse than the newly ennobled Lord, blowing his trumpet and demanding that others bow and scrape. By contrast, the person who plays the Title down, lets others find out "accidentally" about it and insists that it really is "nothing" will gain respect and admiration even from those dead set against the aristocratic system. Humble and down to earth people are loved the world over. It is important to realize as well that no one actually has to know how the Title was acquired and as far as others are concerned, it might just be an inheritance from a distant cousin, godfather, a throwback from your ancestry or even just something that was the unexpected outcome of a business transaction.

The Lordship of Yardley has a whole variety of varied rights and privileges. Some of

these rights are indeed standard ones as enjoyed by all Lords. Others are special rights which only the Lord of Yardley may enjoy. The rights themselves are just that - rights that the Lord may exercise should he so wish. As such there is no obligation but they are indeed a charming heritage to pass to future generations. Some of these rights include:

Wastes and Verges: Many years ago, the Lords of Yardley owned vast tracts of land in the surrounding areas and have gradually sold it off to their tenants with the advent of Death Duties and the Land Reform Acts. However, very often, land along the roadsides (verges) and waste pastures (wastes) were forgotten about and so any of these wastes or verges that might still exist today will automatically be conveyed to the new Lord or Lady. Further research may well uncover the existence and rights, if any, and whereabouts of such land. This can be a most valuable right when used to block an unsavory development, for example, as developers often need to gain access to their land by crossing the verge. In such a case, the Lord can either sell them the verge for a princely sum or charge them a monthly fee for the right to use it. Sometimes as well, the Council can be charged for putting up signposts on the verge land and British Telecom can be charged for any telegraph poles that they may have on the wastes. These rights should not be underestimated in Yardley as they are held right in the city centre.

Right to Hold Court: The Lord of Yardley has the right to hold a Court up to once every three weeks and to appoint a Steward (a Judge), a jury of 12 good men (to be selected from the village) and a hangman. The Lord of Yardley's hangman would have the job of maintaining the village stocks. He can also appoint a Bailiff, who can be used to enforce the Lord's debts and legal parameters still exist for this. The Court is still a legal entity within the framework of the British legal system, but no longer deals with criminal matters, although it may refer these to another Court. Of course, these days the Court is more likely to be ceremonial than anything else. However, certain decisions must still be made by the Lord's Court - it may for example lay down the rules as to how many sheep may graze in which field and who should cut their hedges, and the Lord of Yardley may wish to have say over what signposts are erected. It is also an interesting point that many laws still depend on the Lord for enforcement and officially for example, in order for an arrest to be made under the Justice of Peace Act of the fourteenth century in Yardley, the warrant must be signed by the Lord who then accompanies two officers. The Lord of Yardley by Statute still has considerable powers, and these are an aspect which the Lord may still take advantage of, should he so wish. It can be fascinating to look through past records in the records offices regarding the activities of the Lords and by examining these and the decisions made in the Lord's Court, one can discover many more rights.

Appointment of the Lord's officials: The Lord has the right to appoint a Forester to collect the dead wood in Yardley - quite a useful position in a village such as this. He can also appoint a constable and bailiff to enforce the decisions of his Court as described above, and a bread taster, to check the local bakers are doing their job properly. Other officials include a Town Crier and a steward for the court.

Appointment of an Ale Taster: This right, which exists in certain other Manors as well, is particularly important here, as many an individual would love to be appointed "to check that ale is up to standard" in Yardley. It would certainly be something to get the local publican involved in and the chances are, a very good way of becoming involved in the community as well.

Records and Documents Associated with this Title:

In records offices throughout the land, there are literally hundreds of pages of Records, many dating back over 500 years and written on old animal skins and sealed with the waxes of the day. These may be inspected by the Lord. The majority constitute records from the Lord's Court, as each time he passed judgment, it was recorded by his scribe and this judgment then became part of the laws of England (This system was known as the Common Law since it was law that came to be decision not through Acts of Parliament or Royal decree, but by individual Lords interpreting what was right and what was wrong). It should be noted that it is extremely rare for so many records to survive. Decisions as to how many hours a week his subjects should work for a Lord were recorded and passed down generation after generation amongst most Titles. The subjects, who were not too keen on the idea, in times of strife or uprising, conveniently "lost" these vital records so that there was no proof that they had to work for the Lord!