The last Lord Field
When people hear that I hold the title Lord, they often assume it's something I've purchased - like one of those novelty "Lord of the Manor" certificates.
I then find myself explaining that the title Baron of Fielden has actually been in my family since 1392 (22 generations).
So, to save time, I've decided to share the background here.
The original 1392 letters patent for the creation of the Baron of Fielden with the seal of Richard II stored in the National Archives.
The Barony of Fielden
Origins
The history of the Barony of Fielden begins in medieval England with the ancient Field, or Fielde, family, whose early history is associated with landholding in the generations following the Norman Conquest.
The ancestors of the Field family established themselves on lands south of Bedford following the redistribution of estates that accompanied the Norman settlement of England. A settlement subsequently developed upon or adjoining these lands and became associated with the name Fielden, which provided the territorial designation subsequently used.
The Grant of 1392
The Barony of Fielden dates its foundation to 1392, during the reign of King Richard II, when Thomas Fielde received the dignity of Baron of Fielden in recognition of loyal service to the Crown.
Richard II had succeeded his grandfather, Edward III, in 1377 and ruled England during a period of political rivalry at home and continuing military and diplomatic involvement on the Continent.
The wider Christian world was also becoming increasingly concerned by the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. These tensions culminated at the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396.
The history of Thomas Fielde associates his advancement with military service rendered to the Crown and the wider crusading cause, later described as service “in defence of the Christian faith.”
Richard II did not personally lead a crusade. Fielde's service instead belonged to the wider military and religious circumstances of Richard's reign and was performed in the service of the Crown.
Due to the lack of a royal blood line the dignity of Baron of Fielden originated as a feudal barony, distinct from the parliamentary peerages that subsequently developed through individual writs of summons to Parliament.
This distinction was important in medieval England. The possession of substantial lands directly or indirectly under the Crown carried military, financial and administrative obligations. Feudal lords could exercise considerable authority within their estates without necessarily possessing the parliamentary status that later became associated with the peerage.
The customary style used by a feudal baron is Lord.
In verbal communication one is referred to as ’My Lord’ or ‘Your Lordship’ and when written it’s ‘The Rt. Hon. The Lord Field’
Baron of Fielden
From Bedfordshire to Sussex
For succeeding generations, the Field family maintained its association with land, agriculture and local administration. Marriage and inheritance gradually altered the geographical focus of the family's estates, moving its centre of interest southwards.
By the Tudor period, the family had established an important connection with Sussex.
In 1528, Lord Thomas Field, 7th Baron of Fielden, married Lady Jane Fiennes, connecting the Field family with the prominent Fiennes family of Sussex and the great house associated with Herstmonceux Castle.
The Fiennes family occupied an important position in late-medieval Sussex. Thomas Fiennes, 8th Baron Dacre, was associated with Herstmonceux and served as Constable of Calais. The Dacre title was a parliamentary barony with a history separate from the territorial Barony of Fielden.
Following the family's establishment in Sussex, the Fields became associated with Bishopstone Manor and estates extending through the lower Ouse Valley between Newhaven and Lewes, encompassing or adjoining the villages of Bishopstone, Piddinghoe and Rodmell.
The original Bedfordshire lands associated with the Fielden name were eventually disposed of. Over succeeding centuries the old settlement was absorbed into the expanding communities around Bedford, while Fielden continued as the territorial designation associated with the family.
The End of the Feudal System
The seventeenth century brought fundamental changes to the legal structure upon which medieval landholding had been based.
Following the Civil Wars, Commonwealth and Restoration, Parliament enacted the Tenures Abolition Act 1660, formally ending many surviving forms of feudal military tenure, including knight-service.
The Act substantially dismantled the medieval relationship between landholding and military obligation.
It did not, however, convert territorial baronies into baronies by writ. A barony by writ was a parliamentary peerage arising from a sovereign's writ of summons and was legally distinct from a territorial barony.
After 1660, the designation Baron of Fielden continued as an hereditary and historical dignity within the Field family, but without the medieval rights of governance and military tenure that had accompanied the old feudal system, and without an automatic entitlement to sit in Parliament.
From Fielde to Field
The seventeenth century also saw the family surname settle into its modern form.
In 1645, Lord Edward Fielde, 12th Baron of Fielden, adopted the simplified spelling Field.
The change occurred during a period in which English surnames were becoming increasingly standardised and older spellings were frequently simplified.
From that generation onwards, the family was generally known as Field, while the historic form Fielde remained associated with its earlier genealogy.
The Modern Succession
1907–1937: The Leslie Tradition
In 1907, Lord Joseph Field, 19th Baron of Fielden, and his wife Louisa welcomed a son, Leslie Charles Field.
The name Leslie subsequently became a family tradition, passing through successive generations of the senior line.
Upon Lord Joseph's death in 1937, Leslie Charles succeeded as the 20th Baron of Fielden.
His succession marked the beginning of an important period in the family's modern history as its interests increasingly moved away from traditional agriculture towards property, construction and housing.
The 1940s: Building a Newhaven Legacy
During the 1940s, Lord Leslie Charles Field substantially expanded the family's involvement in property development.
In and around Newhaven, East Sussex, he embarked upon an extensive programme of housebuilding and property letting. By the end of the decade, he had constructed and let more than 250 homes.
This expansion occurred during a period when Britain faced an acute shortage of good-quality housing, particularly in the years immediately following the Second World War.
The scale of the enterprise made the Field family a significant presence within the Newhaven housing market.
At its height, the family's property interests provided homes for approximately one in every eight residents of Newhaven.
1957: A Marriage Against the Family's Wishes
One of the defining personal episodes in the modern history of the Field family occurred in 1957.
While home on military leave, Leslie Robert Field, eldest son of Lord Leslie Charles Field, met Marie Marks, who was working as a chambermaid at one of the family's hotels.
Their relationship developed with extraordinary speed.
Leslie Charles strongly opposed the relationship because of the considerable difference in their social backgrounds (“it was beneath his status”) and attempted to prevent the marriage.
Leslie Robert nevertheless remained determined to marry Marie.
Only 23 days after they first met, Leslie Robert and Marie were married.
No member of the Field family attended the ceremony.
The consequences were profound. Leslie Robert was disinherited and excluded from the family trust, with his position reportedly capable of being restored if he ended the marriage.
He refused.
The decision resulted in a permanent break with his father's wishes, but the marriage itself endured.
Leslie Robert and Marie remained together for more than sixty years, transforming what had begun as an act of family defiance into one of the most enduring personal stories in the modern history of the Field family.
The 1960s: Affordable Home Ownership
Meanwhile, Lord Leslie Charles Field continued to expand his business interests.
During the 1960s, he developed an innovative approach to affordable home ownership based upon a straightforward principle: families capable of paying rent should, wherever practical, have the opportunity to put comparable expenditure towards acquiring homes of their own.
He developed a co-operative building model through which participants were taught practical construction skills and contributed directly towards the building or renovation of their future homes.
By contributing their own labour, participants helped reduce construction costs. The model enabled homes to be provided without conventional deposits and with access to low-interest mortgage arrangements.
The scheme expanded considerably.
Over approximately seven years it delivered an average of 18 houses each week, supported at its height by a workforce exceeding 300 people.
Alongside his housebuilding interests, Lord Leslie Charles developed a substantial group of commercial enterprises.
At its height, his business portfolio comprised 23 companies, encompassing property development, construction and financial services, including an association with the Peacehaven Building Society.
His career represented a significant transition in the history of the Field family: from the agricultural and landed interests of earlier generations to the property, construction and commercial activities that characterised the family during the twentieth century.
More Than Six Centuries of Field Family History
From Thomas Fielde and the foundation traditionally dated to 1392, through the family's movement from Bedfordshire to Sussex, the upheavals of the Civil War and Restoration, and the transformation of the family's fortunes during the twentieth century, the history of Fielden spans more than six centuries.
The medieval authority once associated with territorial landholding disappeared with the dismantling of the feudal system.
What endured was the Field family, its genealogy and its historic association with the territorial designation of Fielden.
The Barony of Fielden is preserved as an historic hereditary and territorial dignity of the Field family, distinct from a modern parliamentary peerage.
Across successive generations its history has followed the changing character of England itself — from Fielde to Field, from medieval landholding to property and commerce, and from the England of Richard II into the modern age.
Sapientia Donum Dei - Wisdom is the Gift of God
Lord Field received a European Heritage Award nomination for the meticulous restoration of both his English country estate, Walton Hall in Warwickshire, and Pitfour Castle in St Madoes, Perthshire.
1974
Lord Field’s eldest daughter, June, married Polish Count Komorowski, a former WWII intelligence officer, thereby becoming Countess Komorowski.
1988
Lord Leslie Charles Field died while living in tax exile on the Isle of Man. His estate was divided among his children, excluding his estranged eldest son, Leslie Robert Field. Nevertheless, as hereditary succession could only pass to the first-born son, Leslie Robert inherited the title and became the 21st Baron of Fielden.
2017
On Leslie Robert’s death, the title passed to me, Leslie John Field—making me the 22nd Baron of Fielden.
As I have no son, the lineage will end with me. Upon my death, the title will fall extinct, and I will be the last to hold the title of Lord Field.
Thats interesting but wheres the proof?
That’s often where the questions arise—but where’s the proof?
If this were a peerage of noble bloodline, there would likely be extensive records, mentions in court rolls, and greater online coverage. But as a lesser barony, evidence is limited. Beyond the entry in Encyclopaedia Britannica and a handful of official sources, little else exists in the public domain.
This lack of visibility leads many to mistakenly assume my title is one of those purchasable “Lord of the Manor” novelties. Even after explanation, people sometimes dismiss it as such. To clear the confusion, here are the facts:
Purchased title: A “Lord of the Manor” title may be bought and sold, but it carries no legal or noble standing. The holder remains Mr or Mrs in all official matters. Styling oneself “Mr Smith, Lord of the Manor of penworth” is just for fun, and cannot be used on formal identification or documents.
The real thing: A legitimate hereditary title on the other hand whether feudal or by writ, must be declared on all legal documents. In fact, it is unlawful for the holder to use “Mr” in place of the recognised title, and as such, it will appear on all official forms and identification of the holder.
The Legal Criteria for recognition on ID
HM Passport Office and the British Government undertake strict background checks before approving a title for use in official identification. They do not make mistakes.
To qualify for a genuine hereditary title to appear on passports or other legal records, three strict conditions must be met:
Registered Title — The family must hold a registered letters patent or barony by tenure (pre-1660) recorded with the National Archives.
Direct Male Line — The claimant must descend in the male line, typically through first-born sons, with lineage verified via English Heritage.
Peerage Validation — The bloodline must be confirmed within Debrett’s Peerage.
Only when all three are evidenced and authenticated can the British Government formally recognise a hereditary title on legal identification.
Heres mine.
The letters patent
The Courts of Justice Act 1733 replaced Latin and Law French with English. Heres the National Archives English version from 1750 signed by George II.
What are the benefits?
Honestly, there aren’t any.
Most people don’t believe it anyway — they assume I bought the title online and that it’s just made up. To complicate things further, my father was disowned and cut off from the family fortune, so I grew up working-class. I certainly don’t look or sound like what people expect a “Lord” to be, which means I’m constantly explaining the story.
When People find out its real they treat you differently, rarely in a positive way.
Getting a passport takes three times as long, hiring a car turns into a hassle, and airport security is more of a headache. You don’t get any perks at hotels or restaurants either.
In truth, it’s more of a nuisance than a privilege.
I generally keep it low-key. The postman knows because it appears on official documents, and a handful of colleagues are aware — mainly because I’ve worked with them for nearly three decades.
Beyond that, only those who happen to spot it on my ID ever find out. It’s definitely not something I go around boasting about.
And just to note — the Latin on my family crest, Sapientia donum Dei, translates to Wisdom is the gift of God.
