A HISTORIAN and Coggeshall enthusiast has become Lord of the Manor.

Michael Horne, 71, of Bridge Street, Coggeshall, has purchased the title from the Du Cane family for several thousand pounds.

The Lord of the Manor titles, including Little Coggeshall, Great Coggeshall and Great Braxted, have been in the Du Cane family since 1720 and Mr Horne is thrilled he has got his hands on one of them.

He said: "I'm a historian and I'm writing a book on Lords of the Manor and now I am one. I'm also writing about the Du Cane family, they were very powerful people.

"I can get a coat of arms too, it's all a bit of a joke but as a historian it makes sense to me, I couldn't resist."

Mr Horne was a literature professor in Cameroon and then a Shakespeare professor in Japan for 20 years before moving to Coggeshall in 2002.

Mr Horne, who was born in Chelmsford, said: "When I came back from Japan I found it hard to get work so I did a lot of history work for the National Trust in Coggeshall.

"I decided to do local history because Coggeshall is full of it. I take people around showing them the history and do ghost walks in the winter."

Mr Horne will also be giving a talk to commemorate the 400th birthday of John Owen, a church leader and theologian on Friday at 8pm.

Tickets can be purchased in advance or on the night at Christ Church, Coggeshall. For more information call 01376 561424.