IF you ever wished to literally lord it over your friends, and you have a few thousands pounds to spare, you can become the official Lord of Camblesforth.
The Lordship of the Manor of Camblesforth dates back to the reign of William the Conqueror, and is up for auction alongside titles from West Yorkshire and around the country, with a list price of £6,000.
The announcement of the sale, by Manorial Auctioneers in London, states: “The new Lords or Ladies of the Manors will be able to use the titles on their passports, cheque books, and credit cards, and they will be eligible for membership of the Manorial Society of Great Britain.”
Robert Smith, executive chairman of the Manorial Society, said the private sale was already open, and titles such as this one often produced a great deal of local and international interest.
Mr Smith said: “We’ve just put the catalogue out, but we just never know with these things how much interest there will be. Sometimes you have them on the catalogue for a year, sometimes they can be gone tomorrow.
“I always like things to go locally and I think that area of Yorkshire is pretty well-heeled, so maybe there is someone there who would like to buy it.”
The title is being sold by London-based Richard Grossman, whose family bought it at auction in 1954 from solicitors who had owned it since purchasing it from the Beaumont family in the late 19th Century.
Last year, the Lordship of the Manor of Carlton was the highest-priced title at a similar event, also put up for sale by Mr Grossman for a guide price of £10,000, and sold to Lord Gerald Fitzalan Howard, who owns Carlton Towers.
Mr Smith said: “It used to belong to his family. It was a private sale, so I can’t say how much he paid for it. Camblesforth was another manor that they owned, but Lord Fitzalan Howard was not interested in them both. As he lives in Carlton Towers, that was what he wanted, so that’s what he got.”
Mr Smith said: “In a sense it’s as hereditary as your house, as to whether it’s passed on. It would have to be put in your will, and it can either be kept or sold.”
There is no closing date for the sale, and more details are available by emailing manorial@msgb.co.uk or going to msgb.co.uk.
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