THE ANCIENT NORMAN FIEF - CHANNEL
ISLANDS
" FIEF de BLONDEL " Est. 1179

Greetings from the Ancient Lords, Dames and Seigneurs of Private Fief Blondel Est. 1179 -
"Le Seigneurs de la Fief Thomas Blondel & Fief de L'Eperons
The Fief of Blondel is One of the Last Private Fiefs registered directly with the Crown in Her
Majesty's Crown Dependencies
Fiefdom. In feudalism, a fiefdom (also called a fief, feud, feoff, or fee) was a property or right that an
overlord, seigneur or Lehnsherr (sometimes granted directly from a King o Queen) gave a vassal in exchange
for fealty or service. This property, of whatever size, could be inherited by the man's
heirs.
Some Fiefs are Free Fiefs registered directly from the Sovereign such as this ancient Norman Fief.
The lords of these
Guernsey fiefs were originally all: "
liberi homines " and " franc-tenans ", free men, or free tenants. In other parts of Scandanivia,
Frankonia, Germania, the name is Free Lord, Free Tenant, or Feudal
Lord.
Friherre af Fief Blondel, Kanaløyer Est. 1179
History of the Viking Norman Seigneur & Fiefdoms
911AD - The Norse Channel Islands were conquered by the Vikings
before 911AD. As a concession to the invaders, Fiefs of the Channel Islands begin with the Grants by King Charles
the Simple. In 912, Charles the Simple, King of France, ceded to Rollo, the great Norwegian Chieftain, the province
of Neustria, now called Normandy, and Rollo became the first duke of that province. On his baptism and marriage
with Gisele, daughter of Charles, he also received Brittany, for which Juhael Berengier, Earl of Rennes, did him
homage.
911AD. The Great Viking Chief Rollo Göngu-Hrólfr or Gaange
Rolf.
Chief Rollo was a Viking Warrior who became the first ruler of Normandy, a region of
France. He is sometimes called the 1st Duke of Normandy and speculations point to Denmark as Rollo's birth place.
Guernsey, second largest of the Channel Islands. It is 30 miles (48 km) west of Normandy, France, and roughly
triangular in shape. With Alderney, Sark, Herm, Jethou, and associated islets, it forms the Bailiwick of
Guernsey.
1020AD - The Fiefdom of Thomas Blondel came about through the
medieval fragmentation of Fief Au Canelly and consequently, of the initial half of Guernésiais or Guernsey given by
Duke Richard II in 1020 to Neel, Vicomte of the Cotentin.
AD 1179 - We find Legal Reference of Lord Seigneur of Thomas
Blondel, a noble fief, in a charter of 1179AD when he is witnessing a grant to St. Michael's Mount. He is Robert
Malmarchie (Thomas Blondel).
1204 AD - Fief Blondel and other Fiefs are Forfeited to the Crown with
separation from Normandy and given to loyal Seigneurs and Dames.
1200's AD - The Parish of St. Andrew in which Thomas Blondel lies
contained a group of four late 12 century ecclesiastical Fiefs, one held by the Bishop of Countances, the second
held by the Abbot of Cormery, Tours, the third held by the Abbot of La Croix St. Lewfroy, Evreux, and the fourth
held by the Abbess of Trinity, Caen. The Fief Thomas Blondel derives its name, as we have already observed from the
family of Malmarcher or Malmarchy who are recorded in the charters as existing in Guernsey in the 12th Century.
Today, The region of The Fief de Thomas Blondel lies in both St Pierre du Bois (St. Peter of the
Wood) and of the Parish of Notre Dame de Torteval along with the Blondel Dependency Fief de
l'Eperon of Torteval Parish of the Island of Guernsey.
In 1270, on the death of Sir Henry Le Canelly, the Guernsey fief
was divided between his daughters. Guilemette, the wife of Henry de Saint Martin obtained a considerable part of
the island originating later the Fiefs of Janin Besnard, Jean du Gaillard, Guillot Justice and Thomas
Blondel. This was confirmed by the tenants and officers of the Fief in letters patent issued by Guernsey's Royal
Court under the Bailiwick Seal in 1463. The original noble, Thomas Blondel was a jurat of Guernsey’s Royal Court
from 1421-45. The Blondel family has given several jurats to the island. Later the Columbines and Fiotts were the
holders of the title. For a time, the rights over the Fief were divided in two.
In 12th Century Kingdom of France, the term baronnie or Baron was generally applied
to all lords or seigneurs possessing an important fief, but later in the
13th century the title of Baron meant that the holder held his Fief directly from the
Crown and was thus more important than a count since counts were typically
vassals.
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The islands were invaded by the French in 1338, who held some territory
until 1345.
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Edward III of England granted a Charter in July 1341 to Jersey, Guernsey,
Sark and Alderney, confirming their customs and laws to secure allegiance to the English
Crown.
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The young King Richard II of England reconfirmed in 1378 the Charter
rights granted by his grandfather, followed in 1394 with a second Charter granting, because of great
loyalty shown to the Crown, exemption for ever, from English tolls, customs and
duties
A 1440 Record of the Fiefdom
Deed of the Fief of Thomas Blondel which the deed is still at University Leeds, shows the parishes of
St Peter of the Wood and Torteval, Guernsey, made by Janet Blondel to Thomas de la Court. attested by Jean Bonamy
and Jacques Guille, jurats. According to the Deed, the Fief Blondel further
includes the: Fief Blondel territory in the parishes of St Pierre du Bois (St. Peter of the Wood) and of Notre
Dame de Torteval along with the Fief de l'Eperon of Torteval, the Bouvée Phlipot Pain, lying in the said parish of
St Pierre duBois, and the Bouvée Torquetil and Bouvée Bourgeon lying in the said parish of
Torteval.
A few of these Guernsey fiefs are still registered directly with
the Crown where a treizième or conge was paid in Royal Court to Her Majesty. A lawyer must be hired to register the fief in French.
Conge is part of the feudal past when a due (representing one thirteenth of the property price) was charged on the
property changing hands and was paid to the Seigneur of the fief upon which the property sat. It remains due and
payable to the Receiver General in respect of the conveyance of fiefs. The owners of Fiefs maintain the legal
right to be styled Seigneur or Dam.
In the case of the Fief Blondel, the fee was paid by the
Seigneur of Fief Blondel directly to the Crown of the United Kingdom. There may be only a few legally recognized
feudal fiefs in the world left at this time which are legally allowed or directly registered with a Sovereign King
or Queen.
The Noble Fief of Blondel is one of the island's few
feudal titles not held by the Queen.
The Feudal Lord's of Blondel - Approx. Chronology of
FreeLords who Held the Norman Title.
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1st Seigneur Feudal Duke & Lord -
Great Viking Chief Rollo Göngu-Hrólfr or Gaange Rolf - Le Seigneur of the Noble Fief including
Fief Blondel 1179 a Norman Freeholder Lord of property, region, and land rights over small
palatinates. Also known
in Northern, Viking, & Scandanavian Countries as: Free Lord - Friherre - The Fief Thomas
Blondel
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1204-5AD - Separation of Guernsey from Normandy, The loss of
Normandy by King John in 1204 isolated the Channel Islands from mainland Europe where up to today,
Guernsey is an independent crown dependency. Self governing but loyal to the Crown of
England
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1254AD - In 1254 Henry granted the Islands to his son, the future
Edward I, but at the same time stipulated that the Islands were never to be separated from the English
Crown.
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2nd Seigneur of the Fief Blondel or
Feudal-Free-Lord) Family Le Canellys until 1270 - Fief Blondel and
other Fiefs are Forfeited to the Crown with separation from Normandy and given to loyal Seigneurs and
Dames.
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In 1270AD , on the death of Sir Henry Le Canelly, the
large Guernsey fief was divided between his daughters. Guilemette, the
wife of Henry de Saint Martin obtained a considerable part of the island which originated the fiefs of
Janin Besnard, Jean du Gaillard, Guillot Justice and Thomas Blondel.
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3rd Seigneur of Fief Blondel - Sir William De
Chesney 1284 - Sir William De
Chesney
is named as the Seigneur of the Fief Thomas Blondel
in 1284 AD which is over 735 years
ago
that this noble feudal fief has existed under the direct relationship with the Crown of
England.
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4th Lord - Le Dame
Janet Blondel and Blondel Family until 1440
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5th 1440 - Seigneur of Fief Blondel -
Sieur Thomas De La Court under the protection of Prince & Duke of
Gloucester, Lord of the Islands at the time.
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1481 - Papal Bull in 1481 directed against attacks on the islanders
that had the effect, beneficial to trade, of making Guernsey protected by
the Vatican .
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6th Seigneur of Fief Blondel -
Freeholder-Feudal-Lord & Friherre/Freiherr) George S. Le Couteur, Seigneur of Fief Thomas
Blondel
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7th Lord Seigneurs or Freeholder-Feudal-Lord
& Friherre or Freiherr) Seigneur Daniel Hardy & Le Dame Marie Guille in the
1700's.
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8th Lord) Seigneur Pierre Robillard of Maison de
Pleinmont, Torteval, was the Seigneur of Fief de Thomas Blondel. The rights over the Fief again joined
during the XIX century as shown in documents of 11/10/1800 (Reg Tome 26, p 420) and 19/05/1798 - Pierre
Robilliard obtained the Fief from Daniel Hardy & Marie Guille. 1800
"Monsieur Pierre Robilliard, Seigneur des fiefs Thomas Blondel, Guillot Justice,
Bouvee du Quemin, et fief La Cour Ricard, Decede au Seigneur.
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9th Seigneur - Mr. George S. Le Couteur bought and became Seigneur
of fief Thomas Blondel. The other three fiefs remained to Dame Mary Robilliard, wife of M. Le P.
Coquierre, and so passed to their daughter, Miss Le Coquierre.
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9th Seigneurs/Dames of the Fief Blondel -
Seigeur George S. Le Couteur -Back to The
Le Couteur Family
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Fief Blondel, Guernsey, occupied by Germany,
1940-1945.
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10th Seigneur Count Marcov) The rights of
Fief Thomas Blondel acquired by (Count & Seigneur Dr. Marcov of Spain) from Sept. 2000
until December of 2017.
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11th Free Lord & Seigneur - Commissioner &
Counselor George Mentz JD MBA, Seigneur of Fief of Blondel et L'Epersons ) on the island of (Dgèrnésiais -
Guernsey French) in Dec. 2017, the
rights of the Private Fief of Thomas Blondel were acquired by George Mentz, Esq of the United
States. Acquired by
conveyance and payment of: Duty, Treizième & Congé, and Jurats fee, and Fief Permission
Fees to the HM/Crown and Receiver General, HM Clerk Greffier and Courts
** Mentz is an
international lawyer who studied Common, Civil and French/Latin Law who has a keen interest in
maintaining the Feudal Courts of the Fief Blondel because it is one of the oldest feudal
courts in the world. Mentz is also the titular feudal Lord Baron of Ancient
Longford-Westmeath in Ireland through acquisition from the original sale from Earl and Lord
Westmeath. The Fief of Thomas Blondel also includes the Fief à Eperon as a
dependency.
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The Seigneury of the Fief of Blondel historically over the last 600 years contains
about three bouvées of land called the Bouvée Phlipot Pain, lying in the
said parish of St Pierre duBois, and the bouvées Torquetil and
Bourgeon along with the Fief de
l'Eperon lying in the
said parish of Torteval and likewise all and such
seigneuries, dignities, liberties, graces and franchises as to the aforesaid fiefs and each of them attach and belong with a
certain dinner annually supplied by the fief of the Prior of Lihou.
The Fief territory itself is spread over areas in the parishes of St. Pierre-du-Bois
and Torteval and contains within it ancient buildings, beachfront, ocean access, & port lands of the island.
The private Fief Blondel may be one of the few Legal Fiefs in the World that does not require or demand annual or
periodic fealty or oaths to and from the Crown. Thus, it is an independent and free fiefdom and one of the oldest
surviving fiefs and lordships in the world. The Lord of a Channel Island Fief would be called a Seigneur or Dame or
in other languages a Feudal Lord, Lehnsherr (Germanic), Friherre (Viking/Danish), or føydalherren (Norwegian). As
this free lordship direct from the Crown is Norman and predates typical baronial titles, it is one of the most
ancient fief titles in continuous use in the world.
The Chief Pleas of the Seignorial court of Seigneurial court of Fief Thomas Blondel
were held annually at the mounting block or steps (perron) of the Church of St. Pierre-du-Bois.


The Fief Blondel is a private fief dating back to 1179 in the Crown Holding Island of
Guernsey where the owners of a fief directly from the Crown are called a Seigneur according to present law.
A Fief of Fiefdom – is a feudal area of land for which residents once paid fees or
rendered services to the Lord Baron or Seigneur in return for the right to use the land in commerce. The Free Fief
Blondel is in two parishes or counties of Torteval and St. Peter of the Wood. The Fief sits on the Eastern part of
the island and includes areas in the North, Central and South East Sections of the Island including: beach, woods,
buildings, common areas, sacred lands, and other commercial buildings and farm land along with potentially
including small islands offshore of the fiefs beach and foreshore.
Historically, fiefs and small baronnies of land, were granted as a form of
over-lordship, giving the Free-Lord or Seigneurs the rights over the people and property on that land under the
ancient Northman/Norman feudal system.
Style of Seigneur - As per the The Feudal Dues (Guernsey) Law, 1980
Style of Seigneur of a fief etc. Section 4. The foregoing provisions of this Law shall be without prejudice –
(a) to the right of any person to use, in the case of a male person, the style of Seigneur and, in the case of a
female person, the style of Dame, of a fief,
(b) to the feudal relationship between Her Majesty and any person holding an interest in a private fief on or at
any time after the commencement of this Law, or to the feudal relationship between any person holding an interest
in any fief and any person holding an interest in a dependency of that fief, and
(c) to the right or obligation of any person by virtue of that person holding an interest in any fief which is not
a right to which those provisions apply or any obligation correlative thereto.
www.guernseylegalresources.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=71301&p=0
Most of the legal rights formerly enjoyed by the Seigneurs of fiefs having been
abolished by law in 1966 but international law and custom still pertains to the rights of beaches, airwaves,
underground, common areas, foreshore, and other rights such as hunting and fishing.
A fief owner does register the title in an act of legal title conveyance with Her
Majesty's Receiver General much like the transfer of land rights, mineral rights or water rights and the fief
buyer pays special consideration of Treizième & Congé fees to the CROWN for the transfer and rights. The Fief
holder can be styled Seigneur (or Dame) du Fief de la .....
Generally speaking, the title is not normally used except in formal settings. A fief,
in legal theory, is held directly from the Crown. However, this fief does not owe homage or any other services but
does maintain rights to conduct customs and formalities such as creating
honorific Fief Officers and Courts or possibly representing the Fief in any unclaimed area of law such
as foreshore, airwaves, water rights, hunting and fishing rights etc.
The International Court of Justice Addresses many issues of Normandy, The English
Crown, and ownership of the Channel Island Fiefs in various cases.
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