Baronial Liberty of Ennerdale

The Bailiwick and Liberty of Ennerdale can be classed as a baronial liberty, and in some ways, it’s even more unusual than most of them.

1. What “Baronial Liberty” Means

In medieval and early modern English law:

• A liberty was a jurisdiction with certain rights exempt from the sheriff’s authority, often with its own courts and officers.

• A baronial liberty was a liberty belonging to a baron or other magnate who held it directly from the Crown — often part of a feudal honor.

• These liberties were sometimes further divided into bailiwicks, each administered by a bailiff under the lord.

2. Ennerdale’s Baronial Origin

• Ennerdale was historically part of the Barony of Egremont in medieval Cumberland.

• The lords of Egremont (including the Multon family) held it directly from the Crown with extensive forest and court rights.

• The Forest of Ennerdale was one of several large forest bailiwicks in the area of the Honour of Cockermouth/Egremont, functioning as an autonomous jurisdiction within the barony.

• After the medieval period, these forest liberties were managed as Crown possessions, but Ennerdale retained its own identity as a liberty and bailiwick.

3. What Makes Ennerdale Unique

• 1822 Alienation: The Crown and Parliament sold the entire Forest, Manor, Liberty, and Bailiwick of Ennerdale outright to the Earl of Lonsdale in fee simple.

• This was not a grant of office or tenure — it was a permanent transfer of both the land and the jurisdiction.

• Because of this, Ennerdale today is:

  • A liberty (with rights historically independent of county authority)

  • A baronial liberty by origin (as part of a medieval barony)

  • A private alienated jurisdiction (fee simple) — almost unheard of in England.

4. Modern Status

• In terms of legal history, Ennerdale stands in the same family as the great baronial liberties like the Liberty of Ripon, the Honour of Richmond, and the Liberty of St. Albans.

• In practical modern law, its criminal jurisdiction via court leet is no longer exercisable (post-1977), but its property-based and ceremonial franchises survive.

• This makes it the only surviving privately owned baronial liberty in England with a defined territory of over 17,000 acres.

Bailiwick and Liberty of Ennerdale – Chain of Title & Jurisdiction

1. Early History – Norse and Jarl Control

• Pre-10th century: Ennerdale lay within the Norse-settled coastal and mountain territories of western Cumbria, influenced by the Kingdom of the Isles and the Earldom of Orkney.

• Jarls & Norse Kings: The area was governed at various times by Norse jarls, sea-kings, and Hiberno-Norse rulers, who controlled coastal Cumberland and held sway over upland valleys like Ennerdale.

• Norse place-names in and around Ennerdale (e.g., “dale” from Old Norse dalr) are a direct linguistic legacy of this period.

• The territory was valued for its forests, rivers, and hunting grounds — functioning much like a free chase under Norse law.

2. Anglo-Saxon / Kingdom of Northumbria

• 7th–10th centuries: Ennerdale became part of the Kingdom of Northumbria, one of the great Anglo-Saxon realms of Britain.

• Former Kings of Northumbria (after the Norman Conquest, styled as Earls) held extensive power over the region.

• The Earls, as successors to the kings, maintained regalian rights over hunting, forestry, and justice in what became the Royal Forest of Ennerdale.

3. Earls of Northumbria as Bailiffs & Keepers

• In the medieval period, the Earls of Northumbria served as royal bailiffs and keepers of the Royal Bailiwick and Forest of Ennerdale on behalf of the Crown.

• This meant they were responsible for:

  • Managing the royal forest laws.

  • Overseeing hunting rights and game preservation.

  • Convening forest courts and enforcing forest jurisdiction.

  • Appointing under-bailiffs and foresters to manage the territory.

4. Post-Conquest Feudalisation – Baronial Liberty

• After the Norman Conquest, Ennerdale became part of the Honour of Cockermouth and the Barony of Egremont.

• First held by the de Lucy family, then through marriage to the de Multon family.

• Maintained as a baronial liberty:

  • Court leet, court baron, and forest courts.

  • Immunity from the county sheriff’s jurisdiction.

  • Distinct administration via the Bailiff of Ennerdale.

5. 14th Century – Forest Partition

• 1338: Upon the death of John de Multon, the Forest of Copeland was divided into three bailiwicks: Ennerdale, Middleward, and Derwentfells.

• Ennerdale remained a discrete unit with its own bailiff and liberty status.

6. 15th–16th Century – Clifford & Grey (Lady Jane Grey) Connection

• Passed into the hands of the Clifford family, Earls of Cumberland.

• Through marriage alliances, part of the Clifford estates came under the influence of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, father of Lady Jane Grey.

• Lady Jane Grey, as brief Queen of England in 1553, inherited a legal claim over lands tied to the Clifford-Grey network, including Ennerdale’s liberty rights, before her attainder in 1554.

• After her execution, Ennerdale, along with other forfeited estates, escheated to the Crown.

7. 16th–18th Century – Crown Liberty and Royal Forest

• From 1554 onwards, Ennerdale was a Crown-held liberty and royal forest, managed by the Commissioners of Woods and Forests.

• The Crown continued to appoint a Bailiff of Ennerdale and Keeper of the Forest.

• Earls of Northumbria served as royal bailiffs and keepers of the Royal Bailiwick and Forest of Ennerdale on behalf of the Crown.

• 1765: Leased to the Earl of Lonsdale, including all liberty and forest rights.

8. 19th Century – Parliamentary Alienation

• 1822: Crown and Parliament sold outright in fee simple to the Earl of Lonsdale:

  • “The Forest, Liberty, Bailiwick, and Manor of Ennerdale, with all courts leet, courts baron, royalties, franchises, liberties, privileges, and advantages thereunto belonging.”

• This was a total alienation — no reversion to the Crown — making Ennerdale one of the only suzerainty-free liberties in England.

9. Modern Status

• Ennerdale remains a baronial liberty by origin, now a private liberty in fee simple.

• Territory: ~17,000 acres, including a UNESCO-recognized landscape of forests, lakes, and mountains.

• Modern court leet criminal powers ended in 1977, but proprietary, ceremonial, and customary rights survive.

• It is the only known example of a large medieval liberty once held by Norse jarls, Northumbrian kings/earls, English barons, Tudor royalty, the Crown, and finally alienated outright to a private owner.