Lordship : the Umfravilles and Vescis

Control over the territory of the medieval parish of Alwinton was split between two lordships, dividing roughly equally between an upland tract to the west, which formed part of the liberty of Redesdale, held by the Umfravilles, and a block of townships in the wider valley to the east, which formed part of the barony of Alnwick held by another major seigneurial lineage, the Vescis. In many respects, however, this division was only a paper one since the vills in the eastern part of the parish were all held by the Umfravilles as the chief feudal tenants of the Vescis (a process known as subinfeudation).

The Umfravilles in turn either granted the vills to individual manorial lords or retained direct control of all or part of the townships as ‘demesne’ manors.