Why Fiefs Direct from the Crown Are Legally and Historically Unique

Featuring the Fief de Thomas Blondel & Fief de L’Eperons

I. 🔹 What Is a Crown-Alienated Fief?

A fief held direct from the Crown—known in feudal law as a “tenant-in-chief” or “free lord” (Seigneur)—is a rare legal and historic entity in which the land, rights, and titles are granted or alienated directly by the sovereign (the Crown) to an individual lord. These fiefs are unique because they:

• Bypass all intermediary lords, making the holder legally and historically answerable only to the Crown.

• Retain feudal privileges and dignities, such as courts, homages, and rents.

• Often include autonomous or quasi-palatinate jurisdictions, particularly in places like Guernsey.

II. 🌍 The Channel Islands: Last Strongholds of Feudal Law

Unlike mainland England—where feudalism was dismantled by the Tenures Abolition Act of 1660—the Channel Islands, especially Guernsey, preserved the Norman feudal system into modern times.

The fiefs of Thomas Blondel and L’Eperons, located in the parishes of Torteval and St. Pierre du Bois, are Crown-recognized, legally recorded, and among the last functioning private fiefs in Europe.

III. ⚖️ Legal and Ceremonial Powers of Blondel & L’Eperons

These historic seigneuries are far more than symbolic:

• Registered in the Royal Court of Guernsey, the fiefs are acknowledged in Crown dependencies law.

• The 2018 Royal Court Deed documents the lawful transfer of these fiefs to Counselor George S. Mentz, confirming:

  • Payment of Treizième (1/13th feudal duty) to the Crown.

  • Rights to court, homage, champarts (grain rents), forfeitures, escheats, and other seigneurial incidents.

  • Retention of ceremonial and symbolic powers, including appointments of officers (Captain, Bailiff, Forest Master).

The fiefs include:

• Beaches, foreshores, and seabeds, possibly extending to international waters.

• Customary rights such as an annual dinner owed to the Seigneur by the Prior of Lihou, as referenced in the 1440 Deed.

IV. 📜 Historical Deeds and Confirmations

🕰️ Fief Thomas Blondel

• First recorded in 1284 AD under Sir William de Chesney.

• Documented in a 1440 deed of sale from Jenete Blondel to Bailiff Thomas de la Court, acknowledging the fief’s lands, dignities, and annual rents.

• Registered again in 1637 and most recently conveyed in 2018 to Counselor George Mentz, following the legal protocol of Guernsey’s Royal Court, with payment of all duties including Treizième.

🕰️ Fief L’Eperons

• Historically part of the greater Fief au Canelly system.

• Lies within the parish of Torteval, adjacent or coterminous with parts of Blondel.

• Included in the 1440 conveyance, described as “the fief de l’Eperon,” and reaffirmed in 2018 with Blondel as part of a unified seigneurial domain.

V. 🏛 Modern Legal Standing

These fiefs:

• Exist independently of modern land titles and are recognized by the Crown’s judiciary.

• Survive under The Feudal Dues (Guernsey) Law 1980, which abolished certain feudal practices but preserved fiefs and required Treizième payment for alienation.

• Are recorded and confirmed in recent years by Her Majesty’s Royal Court of Guernsey, making them valid and living jurisdictions in feudal law.

VI. ✅ Why Blondel and L’Eperons Are So Special

1. Direct from the Crown: No superior noble interposes between the Seigneur and the sovereign—this is true feudal independence, or suzerainty-free tenure.

2. Ceremonial & Judicial Rights: These fiefs carry the dignity of ancient court leet, homage, rents, and regalian privileges—remnants of local sovereignty.

3. Continuous Documentation: These are not revived titles—they have continuous record from the 13th century through 1440, 1637, 2000, and 2018.

4. Rare Legal Survival: They are among the last private fiefs in Europe with full legal registration in a Royal Court and ongoing feudal rights.

Final Statement

The Fiefs of Thomas Blondel and L’Eperons are two of the last suzerainty-free, Crown-registered private fiefs in existence. With a lineage dating back to the Norman Dukes and preserved through the Royal Court of Guernsey, they stand today not just as historical relics—but as living legal jurisdictions governed by Seigneur George Mentz. Their continuity of rights, privileges, and dignity make them unmatched in European legal and feudal history.