The King's Manor - formally 'The City of London's King's Manor of the Town and Borough of Southwark' - is an institution of the City of London which is not a Livery Company as it is territorially rather than trade based, being the organisation of the Juror freemen of the Court Leet. The Manor covers the area from the western-side of Borough High Street, Southwark, to the borders of Newington and Lambeth. The manor originally lay in Surrey.[1][2]
The City of London acquired the 'borough of Southwark' from the Crown in 1327, nicknamed the 'Guildable Manor' since 1377. In 1550 the City purchased from Edward VI's government the manors to the south of this on the west and the east of the high street.[3] The City's royal charter of 1550 makes difficult reading because the three manors being described are referred to as 'The Town and Borough of Southwark' (Guildable), 'Our Lordship and Manor of Southwark' (King's) and 'Our Manor and Borough of Southwark' (Great Liberty), all three together are termed 'The Borough and Town of Southwark and all of its parishes and precincts aforesaid' (all text in Latin).[4][5] Today the City officers refer to the three manors as the 'Town and Borough of Southwark', as stated on the Courts Leet summons, on which none of the nicknames appear.[6]