3 - Landed Estate

Summary

The importance of lands for the gentry has been extensively shown in what is now a substantial body of studies of such families on both a county and an individual basis. The greatest asset that the gentry possessed, providing both an economic and a social base, was their land. As well as its obvious function of providing livelihood, land determined status and contributed towards one's worship. A landowner, to maintain his social status, had to retain his land and keep it in good order. Involvement in the management of lands was central to success, for even if the daily running of affairs was in the hands of officers, they in turn needed to be instructed and supervised. The difference between a very great landholder and those with far smaller estates was mainly one of degree. Those with larger, geographically dispersed estates had to oversee a larger, more tiered, administrative machine, while the men with one or two manors needed to be involved more immediately in their management. A professional lawyer, even one as busy as Roger Townshend I, still kept a very close eye on the detail of how his Norfolk manors were managed.

Retaining and managing the landed estate was part of the holder's duty, for he had a responsibility to those future generations who would continue the family line. By good management, too, the living family's gentry status was maintained and secured.