ABSTRACT
At the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, the basic social unit was the manor. Each manor was a community of agricultural labourers of servile status, governed and protected by the lord of the manor. The lord could not, however, rule in an arbitrary manner. Each manor had its own local law, the law and custom of the manor. The Norman invaders adopted and imposed their authority on this manorial system. As between the lord and his serfs, the local law and custom of the manor continued to apply. As between themselves, the Norman overlords were subject to the king’s law. The king’s law was, however, of general, as opposed to local, application and so became known as the common law. Gradually, the importance of the common law waxed, and that of the local or manorial law waned; but, at least in relation to the ownership of land, manorial law retained some importance right down to the 20th century.
