Jay, in researching early settlements in VA I come across references to a “Manor House”. I understand it’s not a reference to a single particular structure as I’ve seen references to a “Manor House” in several communities.
So how does a structure come to be known as a “Manor House”?
A “manor” was usually thousands of acres owned by one family...
The “masor” house wasw usually the family hose...
In Albany, the Livingston Manor covered several sq miles of land...
Just one poor yung man arrived about 1700 and within 20 years had built himmself an empire...
My Irish ancestors arrived as indentured servants about 1720 and worked at the Livinston Manor...
Another one was the Cordlandt Manor which took up a lot of Westchester County...
“Manor house” had a specific meaning in Great Britain — i.e., the house (usually stone, often fortified) of a noble located on his estate. In this country, the gentry/planters often referred to their houses as “manor houses” or “mansion houses.” It came to mean simply a big house located on a tract of land.