Legacy of the Landed Elite: The Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America

In the colonial era, long before the American Revolution reshaped the political and social structure of the New World, an elite class of landowners held vast estates and sweeping authority over their domains. These individuals were known as Lords of the Manor—a title rooted in feudal England and transplanted into colonial America by proprietary land grants and royal charters.

To recognize and preserve the legacy of these unique figures, the Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America was established. As a hereditary society, it honors the descendants of those who were officially recognized as lords of manors in colonial America prior to independence.

Origins of the Manorial System in America

The manorial system in America originated with the proprietary colonies, especially in New York, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, where the Crown granted large tracts of land to individuals or families who exercised semi-feudal rights. These landowners—styled as “lords of the manor”—often had:

Judicial authority over local tenants;
The ability to lease and sell land under specific conditions;
The right to hold local courts (known as court baron or court leet);
Significant political and economic influence in colonial society.

Manors in America, unlike their medieval English counterparts, were adapted to colonial realities but retained many hierarchical features. Some of the best-known manorial families included the Livingstons, Philipses, Van Cortlandts, and Calverts.

Founding of the Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America

The Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America was founded in 1911 by noted author and historian Hester Dorsey Richardson (Mrs. Albert Levin Richardson) of Baltimore, Maryland. According to the Order’s website:

“Hester was a member of the Maryland Historical Society, Maryland Society of Colonial Dames, and the Baltimore Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, where she held the office of Historian. She was an incorporator and vice president of the Maryland Original Research Society and Maryland Secretary of The General Federation of Women’s Clubs from 1901 to 1905. Hester joined every hereditary society that she could, but was stymied by the entrance requirements for the Society of The Ark and The Dove. Hester had no qualifying ancestor who would make her eligible to join the society of descendants of those who arrived aboard those two ships. The very next year, in 1911, Hester decided that the Lords of the Maryland Manors and their families deserved to be commemorated in addition to the two boats. It was her manorial descent and her interest in hereditary societies that led her to commemorate these men with the formation of the Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America, admitting both men and women.”

Initially organized in 1911 as the New York Branch of the National Order which was founded in Maryland by Mrs. Hester Dorsey Richardson, the branch became the largest and most active in the society. In 1933, at the suggestion of Mrs. Richardson, the necessary steps were taken for the branch to become the National Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America, Incorporated, and this format has been retained since that time.

The mission of the Order is to research and preserve the history of patroonships, seigneuries, and manors in Colonial North America as well as to promote historic preservation and education on colonial life.

At the 113^th Annual Meeting of the Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America in 2024, it was announced that the National Society of Descendants of Lords of the Maryland Manors would merge into The Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America. The Order welcomes all of the Society’s current members as members of

Qualifications and Membership

Membership in the Order is solely by invitation, and is open to men and women who are lineally descended in either the male or female line from a recognized Patroon, Seigneur, or Lord of a Manor of New Netherland, the Province of New York, the Province of Maryland, New France, or a similar system of landholding (with Court Leet or Court Baron) in any of the original North American colonies. Members must:

Prove documented, lineal descent from a person who held the legal title of Lord of the Manor in one of the British American colonies prior to 1776;
Provide evidence of the manorial grant, often recorded in colonial land patents, proprietary charters, or Crown land deeds;
Submit a genealogical chart and supporting records reviewed by the Order’s registrar.

Recognized manorial families include (but are not limited to):

Philip Livingston, Lord of Livingston Manor, New York
Frederick Philipse, 1st Lord of Philipse Manor
Robert Carter I of Virginia’s Corotoman Estate (honorarily considered manorial in scale)
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, who oversaw manorial grants in Maryland

Society Activities and Contributions

The Order is actively engaged in:

Publishing scholarly research on colonial manorial systems;
Supporting historic preservation of manor houses and estates;
Hosting invitation-only events, such as annual meetings or heritage dinners;
Encouraging academic lectures and papers on the transition from feudal-style landholding to democratic property systems post-1776.

Conclusion

The Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America preserves a unique aspect of American colonial history—one that combines land, law, and lineage. These early lords, though not noble in the European sense, held significant power and prestige in the colonies. Their descendants today carry on the memory of estates that helped shape regional economies, political structures, and even the geography of the young nation.

For those whose ancestors once ruled over vast estates and hosted courts on colonial soil, the Order offers not just recognition, but a deep and meaningful connection to the early aristocracy of America’s pre-revolutionary past.

Legacy of the Landed Elite: The Order of Colonial Lords of Manors in America

Origins of the Manorial System in America