The Bailiwick of Ennerdale Est 1251 - Hon. George Mentz JD MBA CWM

Jurisdictional Seals, Arms, and Crests of the Bailiwick and Forest of Ennerdale

A Legal and Historical Basis for Heraldic and Judicial Emblems

Overview

The Bailiwick, Liberty, Manor, and Forest of Ennerdale is one of the largest and most ancient privately owned jurisdictions in England, with over 17,000 acres of territory, including mountains, rivers, forests, and moorlands. What sets Ennerdale apart legally and historically is not only its vast size but also its unique legal origin — it was sold outright by the Crown in 1822, not granted, leased, or held in service.

Sale and Jurisdictional Independence

In 1822, the Commissioners of His Majesty’s Woods and Forests conducted a cash sale of the entire Liberty and Bailiwick of Ennerdale to the Earl of Lonsdale. This was not a typical manorial transfer or lease, but rather a complete divestment by the Crown of its sovereign rights over this territory, including:

• Bailiwick jurisdiction
• Liberty status
• Court Leet powers
• Manorial and forest rights
• And the implied authority to maintain its distinct legal identity

This kind of sale established Ennerdale as a "free bailiwick" and quasi-palatinate, meaning it is effectively a private jurisdiction with autonomy in matters of local governance, symbolism, and traditions.

Legal Basis for Seals, Arms, and Crests

Because Ennerdale is not a mere honorary title or symbolic manor, but rather a former royal liberty with preserved juridical rights, the current holder of the lordship and bailiwick has the following legal and customary powers:

1. Right to Create a Jurisdictional Seal

The use of a court seal was historically essential for any liberty or bailiwick exercising court leet or baronial justice. Ennerdale’s surviving right to maintain a Court Leet and judicial authority over its territory provides the legal basis for maintaining or creating an official seal of jurisdiction.

2. Right to Arms and Crests by Custom and Precedent

Historically, lords of liberties, manors, and baronies created their own heraldic devices to represent their jurisdiction. While formal grants from heraldic authorities (e.g., College of Arms or Lord Lyon) are one route, the customary use and long-standing independent jurisdiction of Ennerdale allows the creation and usage of a seal, arms, and crest to represent the bailiwick and its official functions.

This practice is consistent with hundreds of historical examples in England, where lords of liberties, sokes, and hundreds bore arms and seals as part of their official capacities.

3. Seal as Symbol of Administrative and Judicial Authority

As with medieval ecclesiastical and municipal authorities, the liberty seal of Ennerdale can be legally used to:

• Authenticate court leet proceedings
• Issue proclamations and appointments within the liberty
• Represent the jurisdiction in legal or ceremonial contexts
• Maintain the dignity and governance of the liberty

Recognition and Modern Usage

Although modern UK law does not create new legal jurisdictions easily, pre-existing private jurisdictions such as Ennerdale — whose rights were never extinguished, but sold in perpetuity — retain symbolic and customary legal authority. This includes the power to name officers (e.g., High Bailiff, Warden, Gamekeeper), hold court, and issue seals and insignia.

Thus, the Lord of the Bailiwick and Forest of Ennerdale lawfully maintains:

• The arms and crest of the liberty
• The Great Seal of Ennerdale
• And may lawfully appoint officers and use heraldic emblems in official documents, ceremonial occasions, and representation of the territory

Conclusion

The Bailiwick and Forest of Ennerdale, as a historically autonomous liberty and free jurisdiction sold by the Crown, retains the legal and customary right to create, use, and maintain its jurisdictional seals, arms, and crests. These rights are not honorary or speculative but arise from the continuity of its historical jurisdictional status, the formal divestment of sovereign rights by the Crown, and the prerogatives of manorial law still recognized under English property and heraldic traditions.

For more information on jurisdictional arms, seal usage, or appointment powers of the Ennerdale Court Leet, please contact the office of the Lord of the Liberty of Ennerdale.  ** Remember, these arms, crests, seals and symbols are outside of the realm of heraldry and family coats of arms, and these banners, seals, arms, and crests belong to the Bailiwick, Liberty, and Officers of the Territory.