The Office of Seneschal

The title is of Anglo-Norman origin and means a steward or ‘old servant’. In function it resembled the role of the ‘Shire Reeve’ or sheriff. In England it was largely superseded by the latter title.

In Ireland there were no settled shires so the title of Seneschal, in this original sense, lasted longer. The Savages of the Ards were Barons of the Palatine Earldom of Ulster and held the title of Seneschal so often it was almost hereditary. Raymond Savage, (d. 1575), Lord of Lecale and Ardkeen was known by the local Irish as ‘Ferdorogh Mac Seneschal’ meaning the dark-faced son of the sheriff.

The Plantation of Ulster, ie the 17th century colonisation of the North of Ireland by English and Scots, swept away the old title and that of ‘High Sheriff’ became the norm. Seneschals did however continue at a lower civic level. The new plantation landlords were obliged by law to hold manor courts, known as courts-baron, courts-leet and courts-piepowder. The principal officer of these courts was the seneschal.

These manorial courts had very little ‘legal clout’ and really just ruled on local disputes or nuisances - wandering cattle, broken fences, blocked ditches etc. By the early 19th the courts they were just a quaint anachronism – more an opportunity for landlord and tenant to bond. Legal judgements and ‘strong drink’ may have been dispensed with equal joviality. The court-leet met only twice a year.

Manorial titles are not hereditary and are occasionally bought and sold. If you have a spare £50,000 you could buy one and appoint your own seneschal!

Joseph Huband Smith probably got the jobs of seneschal through his brother’s influence. Archdeacon Smith’s flock in Billy included the ‘McNaughten of that Ilk’, the owner of several manors in the Dunluce/Bushmills area. The Earls of Antrim, at nearby Glenarm Castle, probably employed Smith in the same way. Strictly speaking the role was not ‘honorary’; these landlords needed somebody with a legal background to keep them right, so Smith may have charged a small fee. His role would have been to draw up, and send out, any relevant summonses, and perhaps act as clerk-of-court on the day. It would also have been the case that Smith was not the McNaughtens’ or Lord Antrim’s only seneschal; they owned a number of manors and other lawyer acquaintances and local solicitors would have got a ‘share of the action’.

- With thanks to Brian Ellison for this information.