Editing Lord of the manor (section)

===Courts and Appointments===

Most [[Manorial court|manorial courts]] are now abolished, however the [[Administration of Justice Act 1977]] made exception for 32 [[Court leet|Court Leets]]. Their powers are significantly diminished from the era in which they held most power - The Court Leet of Henley in Arden for example is limited to the making of presentments about matters of local concern. There is also the Court Leet of Laxton which continues to oversee the [[Open-field system|open field system]] in [[Laxton, Nottinghamshire|Laxton]], and the [[Lordship_of_Denbigh#Modern_vestiges_of_the_lordship|Lordship of Denbigh Estray Court]] whose jurisdiction relates to return of lost sheep on common land.

Manors may appoint Stewards and other officers, though other than those outlined by legislation (such as the Steward of Laxton in respect of the Court Leet of Laxton) functionally these rolls are almost entirely ceremonial. For a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] to resign from parliament, The Crown, acting as the respective Lord of the Manor, must appoint the member as either [[List of stewards of the Chiltern Hundreds|Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds]] or [[List of stewards of the Manor of Northstead|Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead]]. This is because an appointment to an "office of profit under The Crown" disqualifies an individual from sitting as an MP.<ref>https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1977/38</ref>