Manorial farmsteads and the expression of lordship before and after the Norman Conquest

Manorial farmsteads may be treated as an expression of lordship, and their study allows changes in self-presentation to be traced in the period between the mid-10th and mid-12th centuries. A relative uniform design of farmstead is identified from the 10th century, but increasing diversity appears in plan during the course of the 11th century. The plan with the manor house at the rear of the courtyard was replaced in the 12th century by one with the hall at the front in what is identified as an increasingly assertive display of lordship. This change reflects the growing competition between lords and a need to demonstrate status in a more prominent manner. Manorial farmsteads provide an insight into long-term changing social attitudes.