By Rosemary Bailey
This article was published in the December 2014 edition of Soul Search, the Journal of The Sole Society
If so you could buy the Lordship of the Manor of Sewell, a title that was listed in the Doomsday Book! Adjacent to Dunstable, offers for the title in the region of £7,750 are expected. Once purchased the Lord or Lady will be able to use the title on their passport and credit cards.
In the reign of Edward the Confessor, between 1042 and 1066, the title belonged to his wife Queen Edith.
It later passed to the Sewell family who took their name from the manor. The Sewell family held onto the title until the early 16th century when it passed to the Dyves through marriage.
Sir Lewis Dyve was the most prominent in this family and because of his support for King Charles during the English Civil War he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for three years.
The title was eventually sold to the Duke of Bedford who held it until after the Second World War.
Ed: My mum always said I was going to be a ‘proper little madam’, is that the same thing?! Seriously, if anyone is interested, I can provide the phone number of the company selling the title.