Home > Famous Houses in United States > The Manor

The Manor

A Manor House is a country house, which are used as the administrative centre of a manor (Manorialism) and the residence of the lord of the manor. It was sometimes a fortified structure, but also commonly a large castle-like dwelling.

Most manor houses were constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries and were used for many purposes including entertaining, agricultural work and even trading. Many of these buildings were destroyed during periods of unrest and some still remain standing today. Manor houses can be found all over the world, from Europe and North America to Asia and Africa. They can be found in rural areas, near towns and cities, and in some cases, close to larger castles and forts.

Manor is the lowest unit of territorial organization in the feudal system in Europe. These houses are also known as Fortified manor house and Castle manor. Manor houses were historically the home of a lord or noble and their family, and also sometimes served as the administrative center of a manor. The term “manor” often refers to any historic rural estate or economic organization that operated under the feudal system.

Manors were typically comprised of several farms, cottages, and associated buildings built around a primary dwelling usually referred to as a Baronial hall or Manor house. On larger estates, there may have also been additional buildings such as stables, barns, servants' quarters, a gatehouse, and more. Many of these buildings would be made from local materials such as stone or wood and would be surrounded by a wall or ditch for additional security. Manor houses were typically on the larger side and could range from single-story, fortified dwellings to large castles with multiple stories.

The manor house was also usually the site of local courts of law for the lords' tenants and those living on the manor. Court sessions were often held in the manor house, and disputes between the tenants were settled onsite. The Manor system of government was in practice in Europe from the 8th century through the mid-19th century. Over the centuries, however, the Manor system diminished in importance as empires and nations increasingly became centralized.

Manor houses sometimes applied to country houses that are small as well as grand and ones that date from earlier periods. Some manor houses were built or heavily remodeled in the Georgian or Victorian periods, and they may incorporate some of the classic features of those styles in their design, such as a central front door with a portico above, elaborate window surrounds, and symmetrical design. In some cases, they may feature other styles such as Tudor or Elizabethan gables, and they may feature more recent embellishments such as a Jacobean layout. Other manor houses may be much simpler, boasting more traditional elements such as thatched roofs, whitewashed walls, and smaller windows. Many of these smaller manor houses also display cottage-style gardens and other features from the Arts and Crafts movement. The gardens may include trees, shrubs, benches, and walkways in their design.

In addition to the house itself, many manor houses usually have an expansive garden that is used for entertaining and leisure. Traditionally, the gardens are made up of lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers, and other landscaping. Some manor gardens also include ponds, fountains, and statues, and may include pathways and pergolas leading to other parts of the estate. Manor houses are often surrounded by a high stone wall to protect against wild animals and intruders, and some may also feature an outbuilding such as a shed or barn.

Manor houses can also be associated with their location. In the British countryside, manor houses are often found at the centre of a small village or town, and may be intertwined with the local history and culture. In some cases, the house and grounds may even form a key economic hub of the area. Many of these manor houses have experienced a number of uses throughout their long history, such as providing accommodation for the local gentry or becoming a place of worship. In some instances, they can provide an important connection to the past and may even be a site of historical importance. In general the manor houses are private house of a feudal lord of a manor, which he occupied only on the occasional visits if he held many manors or if living in a grand house otherwise. Manor house also known as country house or manorial house, which might be luxurious in the large residences of the gentry. Manor houses mostly surrounded by the beautiful landscapes, with park, meadows, gardens, woodlands and woods as well as many of the great house.

In the past, manor houses were fortified and had large walls or ramparts and moats to protect its residents and servants from predators or invaders. Manor houses were mostly the hubs for the local communities and held court, served as centers of economic activities such as craft production and other associated activities. Manor houses had buildings such as workshops, stables, storage rooms, granaries, wells, and wine cellars and outbuildings. The outbuildings were used for storage buildings for farm tools, threshing barns, and grain mills. Manor houses generally included houses for the family, but also gardens, farmsteads, orchards, roads, fields and tracks for horses. Manor houses often had lodges, which were buildings with stable for horses, or barns as well as staff quarters. In some cases manor houses were accompanied by land, which was subdivided for the extended family and can also include villages.

Today, many manor houses in Europe have been preserved and are now tourist attractions. Some have been transformed into hotels, restaurants, and museums to preserve the historical value and charm of the manorial house. These have become popular destinations for people wanting to experience the grand lifestyle of the gentry of the past.

Sometimes a steward was appointed to oversee and manage different properties of manor lords, in certain circumstances a steward was appointed to oversee and manage different properties of manor lords. A steward was especially important when the manor lord was absent, as the steward handled all transactions relating to property. An example of such a steward is Ivan Rakitic, who served as a steward for the 15th century Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković.

The key feature of manor house was its grand hall to which additional apartments were added for domestic use. The hall was the principal room to which family and visitors had access. Many manors also featured formal gardens and landscaped parks, as well as a great hall. Other features often included ponds, stables, orchards, and other outbuildings. The interior of the manor house generally included an area for entertaining guests, as well as rooms for private family use. Most manor houses had a library, chapel, and parlor, along with bedrooms for the family and servants. The dwelling would often be surrounded by a stone wall, with a gate to provide access to the manor grounds.The hall was typically the focal point of the manor house, where the lord and his family would live, dine, entertain guests, and receive important visitors. It often included expensive furniture, rich carpets, tapestries, and art, as well as other features to denote the lord’s wealth and status. Additional rooms were often added beyond the hall, including a great parlor, a dining chamber, a bedchamber, a withdrawing room, a nursery, and service wing apartments. These provided necessary accommodations for the lord’s family and servants, as well as space for visitors, storage, and other needs.

Many manor houses were partially fortified and they were enclosed with in walls or ditches. It also had a small gatehouse and watchtower, as well as other features such as a drawbridge and fortified gates. The manor was situated on an easily defensible terrain, often with moats, thick walls, and defensive towers or turrets. Inside the manor houses were courtyards, banquet halls, guard rooms, and garrison rooms. These were used to secure the manor residence against intruders and in times of war. That were used by the lord and his guards to protect the residents from possible attack. The medieval manor house was designed to provide privacy and security for the lord of the manor, and usually included a great hall for entertaining guests, a chapel for worship and prayer, and a kitchen for food storage and preparation. Additionally, the manor house often contained other outbuildings such as stables, livestock pens, and a granary.

The primary feature of the manor-house was its great hall, to which subsidiary apartments were added as the lessening of feudal warfare permitted more peaceful domestic life. The great hall was usually entered through the great stair, a massive flight of stone steps at one end. In plan it is commonly rectangular, and the walls are frequently lined with benches and frequently decorated with portraits of former Lords.

The manor-house generally included various other rooms such as a parlor, kitchen, pantry, buttery, larder, scullery, brewhouse, buttery, cellar, great chamber, withdrawing chamber, inner parlor and chapel. The great chamber would have been the private living space of the lord and his family. It would often have a large bed, luxurious furnishings and was sometimes decorated with tapestries. The withdrawing chamber would have been an area for quiet, private study or entertaining in greater intimacy. The chapel would have been the center of religious activity in the manor-house and was sometimes used for the administration of justice.

In additional to these main rooms the manor-house often included a courtyard, stable, dovecote, garden and grounds. The courtyard was used for various activities such as storing supplies and for military drills. The stable was used for keeping horses, and the dovecote was used as a place for breeding and keeping doves. The garden and grounds would have often consisted of an orchard and a kitchen garden. The orchard was used for growing various fruits, while the kitchen garden was used to grow vegetables and herbs.

Generally speaking, the manor-house was the center of a manorial estate which consisted of a demesne (estate of the lord of the manor) and included lands and dwellings of other tenants. Tyrone House, Kinsale, Cork, Ireland is a great example of a 16th century manor-house.

Tyrone House was constructed in 1563 by Donal O'Sullivan, the first Lord of Bantry. It was initially built with two stories, a spiral stone staircase and a series of multi-story rooms. The estate also included a bawn, walled garden, orchard, farmyard, an avenue of trees, quay and stables.

The house still retains some of its original features including the lavish Renaissance paintings and carved ceiling. There are also two picturesque courtyard gardens along with period furnishings and original antiques. The house also has a large art collection and boasts some of the finest 17th century furniture in Ireland. Today, the estate has been transformed into a luxury hotel and fine art gallery.

The manor-house was a dwelling for the lord of the manor and his family. It also housed many of his retainers, servants, bailiffs, stewards and huntsmen. The lords lived off the produce of their estates and, in return, provided justice and security to their tenants. During the later part of the 16th century manor-houses shifted from a defensive structure to a luxurious residence. This change was marked by the development of grand interiors and exteriors, gardens, glazed windows and elaborate chimney stacks.

The manor-house provided a way for the ruling class to demonstrate their wealth and power in a time of political and social change. As such, it continues to be an important element of the social structure of many countries around the world. In late 16th century renovation produced many of the smaller Renaissance châteaux of France and the numerous country mansions of the Elizabethan and Jacobean styles in England. Some of these Renaissance styles are reflected in châteaux created by the great families of the ancien régime, who adopted Renaissance elements and combined them with traditional Gothic architecture. The result was a more formal, symmetrical, balanced structure that drew on the best elements of both styles.

On the continent, this movement usually began with "Châteaux Neufs", which were often symmetrical in plan with an emphasis on harmonious facades. Although these were essentially French in origin, many of the themes, such as parterre gardens, terraced steps, and formalized garden structures, influenced the Renaissance architecture of northern Europe. In England, Mannerism (the later phase of the Renaissance) developed into the English Renaissance architecture of Elizabethan and Jacobean style. Many of the most famous surviving buildings of this period include Hampton Court Palace, Hardwick Hall, and Hatfield House. The architecture of the time combined traditional Gothic details with Renaissance Classicism, often in a much more elaborate style than before. This style also extended to the churches of the time, where classical elements blended with those of the Perpendicular Gothic style.

The Renaissance also saw the development of numerous grand country houses, many of which included substantial formal gardens. These gardens drew inspiration from Italian Renaissance gardens, featuring a formal layout of terraces, steps, pools and hedges, interspersed with sculptures and geometric shapes.