£8,250 to become lord or lady of Stainton

Another chance to be lord or lady of the manor in Teesdale is up for grabs for just over £8,000 – the third dale manorial title to go up for sale in recent months.
Manorial Auctioneers of London are offering the Lordship of Stainton for an asking price of £8,250. This includes both of the village’s registered village greens which lie behind Streatlam Close.
According to Durham County Council, the Register of Common Land and Village Greens states that the greens are registered in the ownership of Richard John Hanby Holmes.
The Lordship of Streatlam and the Lordship of Cleatlam which included a three-acre village green, were both sold last month by the same London-based auctioneers.
The Register of Common Land and Village Greens stated that Cleatlam village green had also been registered in the ownership of Richard John Hanby Holmes since August 1, 1972. Andrew Hanby Holmes was selling the title which went for £8,250. The Trayne family were the earliest known lords of Stainton in the 1200s. However, the longest-standing family have been the Bowes who came into ownership of the title through the marriage of Sir Adam Bowes to the Trayne heiress Alice in the 14th century.
Just like the manorial titles for Streatlam and Cleatlam, Stainton’s title has royal links with Queen Elizabeth II whose grandfather, Claude Bowes-Lyon, succeeded his father in 1904 as the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.
According to Manorial Auctioneers, Timothy Patrick Bowes-Lyon, the 16th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne was the last Earl to own the title.
Chairman of Stainton and Streatlam Parish Council and county councillor James Rowlandson informed parish councillors about the sale.
Cllr Rowlandson said: “I had a reply from our clerk who suggested that the parish council could pass on the cost for the upkeep of that part of the village green. No one expressed an interest in buying it.”
It is believed that a change in ownership would not affect local people’s rights to use the greens for lawful sports and pastimes. The new lord or lady of the manor will be able to use the title on their passports, cheque books and credit cards.
They will also be eligible for membership of the Manorial Society of Great Britain.
The new owners of the lordship would be invited to the society’s functions during
the year including an annual reception at the House of Lords.
Anyone interested in buying the title should call 0207 5821588 or visit www.msgb.co.uk.