Pedigree and Provenance of the Lordship, Liberty, and Bailiwick of Ennerdale

I. Ancient Origins and Territorial Heritage

The massive territory comprising Ennerdale, in present-day Cumbria, represent one of the most historically layered and geographically significant regions in Britain. The area was first settled in prehistoric times, later forming part of the tribal domain of the Brigantes, a powerful Celtic people of northern Britain.

• Under the Roman Empire, the Ennerdale region was a frontier zone just west of Hadrian’s Wall, linked to military routes and garrisons guarding the western Lake District. The Romans built outposts and watchpoints nearby, but Ennerdale itself, rugged and wild, remained semi-autonomous—used strategically and sparsely settled.

• Following the fall of Roman authority in Britain, Ennerdale became part of the Kingdom of Rheged, a legendary Brythonic-Celtic polity whose heroic age produced poets and warrior kings such as Urien of Rheged. The territory later transitioned to the Kingdom of Strathclyde, then Northumbria, becoming a vital part of the Anglo-Celtic frontier.

• Over centuries, the area was settled or raided by Angles, Saxons, Danes, Norsemen (Vikings), and Scottish clans, each leaving linguistic, genetic, and cultural traces still observable in local place names and oral traditions. Ennerdale, by its very name (from Old Norse Anundar-dalr, “valley of Anund”), bears testament to the Scandinavian presence. Prior to England absorbing Ennerdale, the Ennerdale territory functioned similar to a large mormaerdom or Earldom. If Ennerdale was still in Scotland, it would be the largest private manor or baronial territory in the entire country of Scotland.

II. Geographic Majesty: One of the Largest Manorial Liberties in England

Ennerdale is not only historically important but also geographically monumental.

Spanning over 17,000 acres, the Lordship and Liberty of Ennerdale comprises a vast and unspoiled wilderness of:

• Glacial lakes (notably Ennerdale Water),

• Mountain ranges (such as Pillar and Steeple),

• Ancient forests and woodlands,

• Flowing rivers and crashing waterfalls,

• Heathlands, uplands, and wild valleys.

This makes it one of the largest surviving manorial territories and liberties in all England, unmatched in scale, natural diversity, and continuity of legal identity.

III. Royal Forest, Liberty, and Bailiwick Jurisdiction

During the Norman and Plantagenet eras, Ennerdale was designated as a Royal Forest and Free Chase, governed under forest law directly by the Crown. It formed part of the greater Royal Forest of Copeland, a cluster of protected lands in what is now Cumbria.

Ennerdale was also created as a Liberty and Bailiwick, with unique jurisdictional autonomy, including:

• Court Leet and Court Baron rights,

• Soke and sac (jurisdictional privileges),

• Forest fines and enforcement powers,

• The authority to appoint bailiffs and manorial officers.

The Bailiff of Ennerdale, often a noble or royal appointee, managed the lands, tenants, and legal affairs within the forest and liberty.

This arrangement made Ennerdale an autonomous legal territory, immune from certain county controls and part of a special class of ancient liberties granted and maintained by the Crown.

IV. Crown Ownership and Parliamentary Oversight

From the Tudor period onward, the Court of Exchequer, Auditors of Crown Lands, and eventually the Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues maintained administrative and fiscal control over the Liberty and Forest of Ennerdale.

Royal records from the 16th to 19th centuries document:

• Leases of pasture rights,

• Management of forest resources,

• Court appointments and records of tenants,

• Manorial surveys and valuations.

These records confirm Ennerdale’s continuing status as a royal liberty and forest, with substantial income and jurisdictional dignity attached.

V. Historic Sale from Crown to Earl of Lonsdale

In the 19th century, during the rationalization of Crown lands and privileges, the Crown and its Commissioners undertook a lawful and direct sale of the Liberty, Bailiwick, Forest, and Manor of Ennerdale to William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale.

This true and rare conveyance included:

• The entirety of the liberty’s land rights and titles,

• Court and judicial powers,

• All residual feudal incidents and dignities.

Thus, the Earl of Lonsdale became seised in fee of the largest liberty in Cumbria, maintaining sovereign-like local powers and owning one of the last functioning court leet jurisdictions in England.

VI. Private Inheritance: The Mentz Acquisition

In the 21st century, following the descent and succession of manorial rights through the Lonsdale estate and its successors, the full title and legal dignity of the Lordship, Liberty, Bailiwick, and Forest of Ennerdale passed via lawful deed and conveyance to:

The Honourable George S. Mentz, JD MBA,
American lawyer, Law Professor, Commissioner, Chancellor and international author.

As the lawful holder and seigneur, Mentz now holds one of the last surviving private bailiwicks and court-leet jurisdictions in England—historically, legally, and geographically distinguished.

He is formally styled as:

“The Right Worshipful Lord of the Bailiwick, Liberty, and Forest of Ennerdale”

His acquisition preserves over 1,000 years of Anglo-Celtic, Norse, and feudal legal continuity.

VII. Present-Day Status and Conservation Stewardship

While the legal title remains in private ownership, much of the land itself is managed as part of the renowned Wild Ennerdale Partnership, a collaboration between:

• Forestry England,

• National Trust,

• Natural England,

• United Utilities.

The partnership oversees conservation of Ennerdale’s natural beauty while honoring its historical autonomy.

Conclusion

The Lordship, Liberty, and Bailiwick of Ennerdale is a legal, historical, and environmental treasure. From Roman frontiers to Celtic kingdoms, Norse settlements to feudal courts, it has survived as a sovereign manorial domain, complete with its own judicial system, spanning glacial lakes, alpine forests, rivers, and mountain peaks.

It is:

• One of the largest manorial and liberty territories in England (17,000+ acres)

• One of the few remaining private bailiwicks with legal court jurisdiction

• The last known Crown Liberty to be sold directly by the King and Parliament to private hands

Under the custodianship of Hon. George S. Mentz, the Seignory of Ennerdale stands as a living remnant of English constitutional and feudal history, merging natural majesty with sovereign heritage where Mentz remains a dedicated a protector of the forests, lakes, mountains, and environment.

Ennerdale, one of the most remote and untouched valleys in the Lake District National Park, is a vast and ecologically rich landscape comprising over 17,000 acres of wild beauty. At its heart lies Ennerdale Water, a deep glacial lake surrounded by ancient woodlands and steep mountains such as Pillar, Great Gable, and Haycock. The valley is carved by glacial forces, featuring dramatic U-shaped valleys, moraines, and corries, while the River Liza flows gently from the lake, supporting salmon and otter populations. The surrounding Ennerdale Forest, managed as part of a rewilding project, contains native oak, birch, and ash trees alongside patches of heather-clad heath and upland moorland. This biodiverse haven is home to red squirrels, deer, peregrine falcons, and rare alpine plants. Numerous cascading waterfalls descend from the fells via streams like Smithy Beck and Sourmilk Gill, feeding tarns and lochans nestled high above the valley floor. With no public road running through it, Ennerdale remains a place of profound tranquility, a living example of glacial, Celtic, and Norse-influenced history where natural processes are being restored and preserved. This ancient manor and liberty, once part of the Roman Empire, Strathclyde, and the Honour of Cockermouth, is today recognized as one of the largest free chases and manorial estates in all of England, encompassing forests, rivers, mountains, waterfalls, and heaths in a continuous natural tapestry.

If Ennerdale were still part of Scotland today, it would be the largest private manor or baronial territory in the entire country.

With over 17,000 acres of glacial lakes, wild rivers, ancient forests, rugged mountains, and open heathland, the Lordship, Liberty, and Bailiwick of Ennerdale surpasses the scale of any known surviving Scottish feudal barony or private estate with similar autonomous status. While historic Scottish feudal baronies rarely exceeded 2,000 to 5,000 acres, and even the most prestigious titles (such as the Barony of Dirleton or Barony of Lethington) were compact by comparison, Ennerdale would dwarf them in both geographic scale and jurisdictional authority.

Ennerdale’s legacy of court leet rights, liberty status, and private bailiwick jurisdiction makes it more comparable to a medieval mormaerdom or quasi-principality, and its continuity as a heritable private lordship represents a rarity even in the broader history of feudal Britain.

The Lordship, Liberty, and Bailiwick of Ennerdale is the largest surviving private manorial liberty and bailiwick in England with court leet and historical jurisdictional rights attached.

At over 17,000 acres, it is:

• The largest manorial liberty still recognized by title and historic jurisdiction.

• The largest private bailiwick with a traceable sale from the Crown and government to a private noble.

• One of the last remaining English territories to retain the historic structure of a liberty, royal forest, and manorial court in a single seignory.

While larger modern estates exist in the UK, none combine Ennerdale’s scale with the rare legal status of being a:

• Liberty (with autonomy from county jurisdiction),

• Bailiwick (with historical judicial office and forest oversight),

• Manor (with title to court leet and customary rights),

• And a Crown-conveyed title, lawfully transferred from royal forest and Crown liberty to private hands.

🏆 Therefore:

Ennerdale is the largest surviving territorial unit in England that still qualifies as a:

• Feudal manor

• Private liberty

• Bailiwick

• Crown forest jurisdiction
  held in private ownership, with a historical court and legal dignity intact.

In Scotland, while there are larger private estates, Ennerdale would be the largest known surviving manorial-style liberty with legal jurisdiction if it existed under Scottish tradition today—but with critical distinctions due to differences in Scots law.

Here’s the refined answer:

🏴 What Would Ennerdale Be in Scotland?

If Ennerdale (at over 17,000 acres) were located in Scotland today:

It would be the largest known surviving territory equivalent to a feudal barony or private liberty that retains:

• Historical court leet-like jurisdiction,

• Liberty status,

• A documented Crown-to-private conveyance,

• And heritable dignity with manorial or seignorial characteristics.

🏰 Key Context in Scotland:

🔹 Feudal Baronies in Scotland:

• After the Abolition of Feudal Tenure Act 2000 (effective 2004), baronies became incorporeal dignities only.

• No Scottish barony today includes land ownership or legal jurisdiction—only the title remains.

• Typical baronies historically covered 500 to 5,000 acres.

🔹 Scottish Regalities or Lordships:

• Larger than baronies, sometimes covering tens of thousands of acres (e.g., Regality of Argyll, Lordship of the Isles).

• However, these are extinct in law or now symbolic only, with no surviving legal jurisdiction.

📌 Therefore:

Ennerdale, if under Scots law, would be the largest privately held seignorial or baronial territory in modern Scotland that retains court-style rights and historical legal dignity.
It would be larger than any surviving Scottish barony, and no known Scottish bailiary, liberty, or manor today combines this scale with historic legal jurisdiction and private ownership.

🏆 Summary Claim:

“If the Lordship and Liberty of Ennerdale were located in Scotland today, it would be the largest surviving feudal-style private liberty or baronial domain, unmatched in both size and legal-historical authority—a combination that no modern Scottish barony or estate currently holds.”