The
manorial courts were the lowest courts of law in England during the
feudal period. They had a
civil jurisdiction limited both in subject matter and geography. They dealt with matters over which the
lord of the manor had jurisdiction, primarily
torts, local contracts and land tenure, and their powers only extended to those who lived within the lands of the
manor,
i.e. both the
demesne and such lands as the lord had
enfeoffed to others, and to those who held land therein. Historians have divided manorial courts into those that were primarily
seignorial – based on feudal responsibilities – and those based on separate delegation of authority from the monarch. There were three types of manorial court: the court of the honour; the court baron; and the court customary, also known as the halmote court.