Manor Titles’s pitch sounds deceptively simple and straightforward, it also seems to carry some air of authority:
“Join the world of the privileged Titled few by acquiring an authentic, French or English Title of distinction, conveying a V.I.P. status of impeccable integrity, respectability, honour and standing in society.
We offer a range of title services which enable you to upgrade your status to that of Lord or Lady of the Manor with the added advantage that your Passport, Drivers Licence, Bank and Credit Card facilities may be amended accordingly. The background of our company’s research service is based on the fact that the English Legal system is such that where it can be substantiated by means of extensive searches of available records and archives, that there are no living descendants to a particular title or titles.
By using intensive historical research to find suitable available Titles, the legal rights of ownership of the ‘styled titled name and legend’ can be claimed and registered by our company. The rights to such a ‘styled titled name and legend’ is sold on for a fee accordingly, this grants you the right to use Lord of the Manor of “*****” & Lady of the Manor of “*****”.
Once these ‘dormant’ Titles have been reassigned they will be gone forever, since they are no longer granted. The age, Manor name and provenance determine the prices of Titles.
Lord of the Manor from £4,500: In the Middle Ages, noblemen were the rulers. It was their duty to insure that the peasants, churchmen, and the land were defended so that they could live in peace and act as judges to handle disputes. The name ‘noble’ comes from the belief that they were to act in a ‘noble’ manner. Legend has it that King Richard I (the Lionheart, 1157-1199) said, “a true nobleman is measured by his deeds, character and honour”.
Acquiring a manor title of nobility, with such historical value, is to preserve the heritage and ideals of a more honourable era in history. The restoring, and holding of such titles, together with the preservation of their historical importance is indeed an honour and a privilege.”
The only problem is that they are Registered Trademarks and not Titles, and therefore mean absolutely nothing, though you will get “Researched family seal of honour with Latin motto (if found) incorporated in a certificate of Title, and display documents on hand made Egyptian papyrus (aged to give them an ‘antique’ effect) are provided to adorn the walls of your castle/home”.
What they do is very simple, and lucrative, as the profit margin on each sale must be more than 90% – they even have the cheek to extract from the hapless buyer an extra £400 for legal fees.
The operation works like this, first they find an attractive name in the Domesday Book and check that it is not connected with a genuine, currently recognised, manorial lordship. Then they register the name as a trademark of the type described as “a styled titled name or legend”. To this they claim copyright and confuse the buyer with explanations of copyhold, the buyer finally believing that they are the same but understanding neither.
But then, even more outrageous are the charges that they are trying to extract for French Titles.