The Mayor of Stoborough: A Prescriptive Borough Right and a Living Court Leet Power of the Lord

Among the ancient liberties of England, few possess a constitutional legacy as unusual or as prestigious as the Liberty and Manor of Stoborough. For centuries, Stoborough exercised the right—almost unheard of in rural manors—to appoint its own Mayor, chosen not by popular election or royal writ, but by the Lord’s Jury of the Court Leet. This extraordinary power, rooted in medieval liberty law, continues today as a surviving private jurisdiction of the manor, preserved by prescription and confirmed by the uninterrupted operation of the Lord’s rights.

In English constitutional history, a Mayor is a civic officer normally associated with formally incorporated boroughs—towns that received royal charters granting the right to self-govern. The office of Mayor was so prestigious and so closely associated with royal authority that only the Crown could create it, and only an incorporated borough could exercise it. Very few places in England ever possessed a mayoralty at all.

Yet Stoborough is one of the remarkable exceptions.

Although not a modern town and not incorporated by a charter of municipal creation, Stoborough historically operated as a borough by prescription—a place recognized as having borough rights simply because it always exercised them, long before written records or royal confirmations were required. Under English law, if a place has held borough-level rights since “time immemorial” (before 1189), the courts presume those rights are lawful and perpetual.

Stoborough appears in the Domesday Book (1086) under Count Robert of Mortain, long predating the 1189 threshold, and it maintained a Court Leet, appointed its own civic officers, selected a Mayor, and exercised local jurisdiction for centuries. These rights were never extinguished, never revoked, and never abandoned—and by the doctrine of prescription, they remain valid today.

The Court Leet was the constitutional engine of this autonomy. Unlike ordinary manors, Stoborough’s Court Leet possessed borough-level functions: policing local offenses, presenting nuisances, appointing officers, enforcing community standards, and selecting civic leaders. The Court Leet Jury—twelve sworn men—served not only as the fact-finders of the court, but as the electoral body empowered to choose the Mayor of Stoborough, an officer who served as the head of the liberty’s internal governance.

That the Mayor was appointed through the Lord’s own court is of deep significance. This means the appointment derived directly from the manorial jurisdiction, not from statute, municipal corporation, or Crown charter. In other words, Stoborough’s mayoralty existed because the Kings and Queens of England consistently recognized, permitted, and protected the ancient liberty rights of the manor.

When Elizabeth I granted Stoborough to Sir William Pitt in 1591, she confirmed the liberty jurisdiction—including the right to hold a Court Leet—which preserved the mechanisms by which the Mayor and other officers were appointed. Subsequent monarchs, including the early Hanoverians and the Pitt family’s successors, continued to acknowledge Stoborough as a liberty with surviving franchises.

This is why Stoborough’s mayoralty is so rare: it was a non-corporate mayoralty, arising out of private jurisdiction and immemorial practice rather than municipal incorporation. Very few such examples are known to have survived into the modern age.

Most remarkable of all is that the Lord of Stoborough still holds these rights today.
Because the Court Leet was never abolished, never extinguished by statute, and never merged into a municipal authority, the Lord retains:

• The right to convene the Court Leet

• The right to summon the Jury

• The right to appoint or confirm Bailiffs, Constables, Ale-tasters, Viewers, Foresters, and Officers of the Liberty

• And, uniquely, the right to appoint a ceremonial Mayor, continuing the prescriptive borough custom of the manor

Under English law, the Court Leet survives as a valid private jurisdiction wherever it has historically existed and remains capable of functioning. The Lord of Stoborough—holding the seignory, the Liberty, and the customary jurisdiction—therefore stands as the inheritor of this extraordinary civic authority.

In modern England, where nearly all historic local powers have been absorbed by councils, counties, or Parliament, the Liberty of Stoborough remains a rare and precious survival: a place where feudal jurisdiction, liberty rights, and borough customs continue as living heritage. The ability for a private lordship to appoint a Mayor, through a Court Leet Jury, is not merely unusual—it is one of the most special powers found anywhere in the English constitutional landscape.

Few manors in England can claim this. Fewer still can show royal acknowledgment across multiple reigns. But Stoborough can.
It remains today what it has been for nearly a thousand years:
a Liberty, a prescriptive Borough, a Court Leet jurisdiction, and a manor whose Lord still holds the right to appoint its civic officers—including the Mayor of Stoborough.

Honorary Mayors of Stoborough – Official Information Page

2024 Honorary Mayors of the Ancient Manor & Liberty of Stoborough

The Lordship proudly announces the newly appointed Honorary Lord Mayors of Stoborough, designated by the historic Manorial Court Leet of the Ancient Liberty:

1. Sir Datuk Seri Professor Sean Rozario, KStJ (Justice)

2. Datuk Seri Dr. P. Thirunal Karasu, JP, BBM, PBM

3. Tan Sri Datuk Bharat K. Ajmera, DSM, BKT, PBB

4. Prof. Dr. John Kersey (Edmond John Kersey de Polanie-Patrikios)

5. Prof. Dr. Fauzi Hasan, PhD

These distinguished individuals have been recognized for their integrity, leadership, and contributions to heritage, culture, and public service.

Become an Honorary Mayor of Stoborough

A Registered Ceremonial Title of the Manorial Court Leet

The Manor and Liberty of Stoborough, established in 1086 AD, offers a limited number of Honorary Lord Mayor designations for charitable purposes and heritage preservation.

Through a donation, supporters may receive the ceremonial distinction of:

“The Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Stoborough”

(A registered, ceremonial manorial title—Mayor for a Day or for the Year)

What You Receive

Each approved recipient will receive:

✔ An Official Signed & Sealed Mayor Certificate

Beautifully designed, frame-worthy, declaring your election by the Feudal Court Leet as a Right Worshipful Lord Mayor.

✔ Listing on the Official Stoborough Website

With your permission, your name will appear among the ceremonial mayors.

✔ Right to Appoint an Honorary Game Warden

You may nominate another person to serve as your Honorary Gamekeeper for a Day, recorded publicly.

✔ Use of the Style & Title

You may list:
“Worshipful Mayor of Stoborough – Lordship of Ancient Wessex”
on personal biographies, résumés, and ceremonial profiles.

✔ Support for Heritage & Charity

Proceeds assist charitable causes—children, schools, local organizations, and preservation of historic manorial traditions.

✔ A Unique Cultural Honor

Recognized in the same spirit as honorary mayor titles auctioned in cities across the UK, USA, and Europe for over 150 years.

Eligibility & Application

Applicants must submit a good-faith résumé to ensure suitability and alignment with the ethical standards of the manor.
If an applicant is not approved, a full refund is issued.

Donation / Registration Fee: $400

Email: info@stoborough.com
Payments are made to International Board of Standards (IBS), with proceeds supporting heritage causes.

Historical Note: Honorary Mayors in Tradition

Honorary mayor titles have been widely used across the world as fundraising tools for education, charity, and community projects. Examples range from:

• U.S. city auctions

• Charity fundraisers in Ireland & the UK

• Scholarship drives

• Local business association campaigns

• Community “mayor for a day” programs

Hundreds of other towns and cities have sold Honorary Mayor or Mayor for a Day for $5,000 to over $40,000 at charity events.

The Stoborough title follows this tradition while rooted in one of England’s oldest manorial liberties, with a court leet and mayor historically appointed by the Lord’s Jury. Today, most titles are conferred to those who have provided extraordinary service to humanity and promoted interfaith harmony.

Ceremonial Duties & Forms of Address

Honorary Mayors are encouraged to embody dignity, good character, and service.
The correct formal styles include:

• “The Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Stoborough” (ceremonial title)

• Addressed as: “My Lord Mayor”

• Deputy Lord Mayor: “My Deputy Lord Mayor”

• Consorts:

  • Lady Mayoress (female consort)

  • Lord Mayor’s Consort (male)

The Lord Mayor may wear traditional regalia during ceremonial moments, including:
robes, chain of office, badge, white gloves, and—when appropriate—a tricorn/bicorn hat.

Preserve History • Support Charity • Honor Wessex Heritage

Becoming a ceremonial Mayor of Stoborough allows you to:

• Celebrate ancestral ties to Wessex, Dorset, or England

• Support heritage preservation

• Participate in an ancient manorial tradition stretching back to the Domesday Book

• Receive a distinguished honor recognized across cultural and educational communities

• Give a memorable gift to a loved one

Become Part of Stoborough’s Living History.

Email info@stoborough.com to register.