Court Baron

The Lordship of Coley is in the early stages of reconstituting a ceremonial and symbolic Court Baron: a small, historically grounded framework of traditional manorial offices, revived in a modern spirit of civic recognition and local continuity. As a first step, Dr Margaret Ounsley has been appointed Steward of Coley. The Court Baron will be developed gradually over time, with further offices and appointments introduced carefully and sparingly.

These appointments are intended as a respectful way of acknowledging individuals who have done—and continue to do—exceptional work connected to Coley and the wider community of Reading. The project is deliberately long-term: the aim is not speed, but coherence, dignity, and historical plausibility.

Feudal society undoubtedly involved profound inequality and coercion. Yet within those older rural and church-shaped structures there were also, at times, striking expressions of organised compassion—seen in Reading through initiatives such as Vachell's Almshouse and the enduring local tradition of charitable provision. In that spirit of noblesse oblige, the Lord and Lady of the Manor hope, in time, to use the Court Baron not only to preserve memory, but also to help support projects that seek to make life more secure and humane for the least fortunate in Reading.

Historically, a Court Baron was the manorial court held for and among the tenants of a manor. Presided over by the Lord (or, more commonly over time, the Steward acting on the Lord's behalf), it upheld the customs of the manor, handled internal regulation, and recorded key matters of manorial life—especially those relating to customary tenure and local obligations—within the formal court rolls.

In the Lordship of Coley's modern restoration, the Court Baron is maintained solely in a ceremonial and symbolic capacity. Over time, a small number of traditional offices may be conferred sparingly, where historically coherent and where a clear, genuine connection exists to service for Coley and the wider community of Reading. Such offices may include, for example:

• Bailiff of Coley
• Ale Taster of Coley
• Hayward of Coley (or a closely related warden-style office reflecting landscape and environmental stewardship)
• Almoner of Coley (in the charitable tradition exemplified locally by Vachell's Almshouse)

Each appointment is intended to honour people—past and present—whose work meaningfully reflects Coley's history, character, and civic conscience.