第6章

Letusobservethefirstquestionthatthecommissionersaretoaskofthejurors。Whatisthenameofthemansio？Everypieceofgeldablelandisconnectedwithsomemansio，atwhichitgelds。Letusobservehowthecommissionersandthejurorsproceedinadistrictwherethevillaeandthemansionesormaneriaarebutrarelycoincident。ThejurorsoftheArmingfordhundredofCambridgeshirearespeakingoftheircountryvillbyvill。TheycometothevillofAbington。(99*)Abington，theysay，wasratedatfivehides。Ofthesefivehidesthekinghasahalf-hide；thisliesinLitlington。EarlRogerhasonevirgate；

thisliesinhismanorofShingay。Picotthesheriffhasahalf-virgate；thisliesandhasalwayslaininMorden。InwhatsenseimportanttothecommissionersortheirmastercanabundleofstripsscatteredaboutinthefieldsofAbingtonbesaidtolieinLitlington，inShingay，orinMorden？Weanswerthatitgeldsthere。

Hencetheimportanceofthehall。Itistheplacewheregeldisdemandedandpaid。Amanorwithoutahallisathingtobecarefullynoted，otherwisesomegeldmaybelost。(100*)Aman\'slandhasdescendedtohisthreesons：if\'thereisonlyonehall，\'butonedemandforgeldneedbemade；if\'eachhashishall，\'theremustbethreeseparatedemands。Whenwearetoldthattwobrothersheldlandandthateachhadhishouse(domus)

thoughtheydweltinonecourt(curia)，aniceproblemisbeingputbeforeus：——Twohalls，oronehall——Twomanorsoronemanor？(101*)

ThepettymaneriaofSuffolk，whatcantheybebutholdingswhichgeldbythemselves？Theholdersofthemarenotgreatmen，theyhavenotenantsorjusttwoorthreebordiers；sometimestheycannot\'withdraw\'theirlandsfromtheirlords。Butstilltheypaytheirowntaxesattheirownhouses。

Insupposingthatforceshavebeenatworkwhichtendtomakethelordresponsibleforthetaxesofhismen，wearenotwithoutawarrantintheancientdooms。\'Ifaking\'sthegnoralordofland(landrica)neglectstopaytheRomepenny，lethimforfeittenhalf-marks，halftoChrist，halftotheking。Ifa“townsman“

withholdsthepenny，letthelordofthelandpaythepennyandtakeanoxfromtheman，andifthelordneglectstodothis，thenletChristandthekingreceivethefullb髏of12

ores。\'(102*)Therightofdoingjusticeisalsothedutyofdoingjustice。Itisnaturalthatthelordwithsokeshouldbecomeatax-gatherer，andhewillgladlyguaranteethetaxesiftherebyhecanpreventtheking\'sofficersfromenteringhisprecinctandmeddlingwithhisjusticiables。Atnotimehasthestatefounditeasytocollecttaxesfromthepoor；overandoveragainithasbeengladtoavailitselfofthelandlord\'sintermediation。(103*)

Ourtheorythatwhilethelordisdirectlyandprimarilyresponsibleforthegeldofhisvilleins，heisbutsubsidiarilyresponsibleforthegeldofthoseofhissokemenor\'freemen\'

whoaredeemedtobelongtohismanor，isfoundedinpartonwhatwetaketohavebeenthewordingofKingWilliam\'swrit，(104*)inpartontheformtakenbythereturnsmadethereto。Thewritdrawsamarkedlinebetweenthevilleinandthesokeman。Thekingwishestoknowhowmuchlandeachsokeman，eachliberhomo，holds；hedoesnotcarethatanydistinctionshouldbedrawnbetweenthelord\'sdemesnelandsandthelandsofthevilleins。

And，onthewhole，hiscommandsareobeyed。AtypicalentryinthesurveyofEastAngliawillfirstdescribeinonemassthelandheldbythelordandhisvilleins，willtellushowmanycarucatesthislandisratedat，howmanyteamsthereareonthedemesne，andhowmanythemenhave，thenitwillenumeratesheepandpigsandgoats，andthen，asitwereinanappendix，itwilladdthatsomanysokemenbelongtothismanorandthatbetweenthemtheyholdsomanycarucatesoracres。(105*)InSuffolkeventhenamesofthesehumbletenantsaresometimesrecorded。(106*)

Andthen，wehaveseen(107*)thatthereissomedoubtastowhetherornothesemenareorarenottobereckonedaspartofthemanorforallpurposes。Wehavetosaythatthemanor\'withthefreemen，\'or\'withoutthefreemen\'，isworthsomuch。

Afterall，weareonlysupposingthatthefashioninwhichthedanegeldwasputinchargeresembledinsomeofitsmainoutlinesthefashioninwhichaverysimilartaxwasputinchargeunderRichardI。In1194，theland-taxthatwasleviedforthepaymentoftheking\'sransomseemstohavebeenassessedaccordingtothehidagestatedinDomesdayBook。(108*)Thenin1198anewassessmentwasmade。Wearetoldthatthekingordainedthateverybaronshouldwiththesheriff\'saiddistrainhismentopaythetaxcastuponthem，andthatif，owingtothebaron\'sdefault，distresseswerenotmade，thentheamountduefromthebaron\'smenshouldbeseizedfromthebaron\'sowndemesneandheshouldbelefttorecouphimselfasbesthecould。(109*)NowitisaliabilityofthissortthatweareventuringtocarrybackintotheConfessor\'sday。Thelordisresponsibletothestateasprincipal，andindeedassole，debtorforsomuchofthegeldasisduefromhisdemesnelandandfromthelandofhisvillani，whileasregardsanylandsof\'freemen\'

orsokemenwhichareattachedtohismanor，hisliabilityisnotprimarynorabsolute；heisboundtotakemeasurestomakethesemenpaytheirtaxes；ifhefailsinthisduty，thentheirtaxeswillbecomeduefromhisdemesne。(110*)

WhenwereadthatinNottinghamshirethereliefofthethegnwhohadsixmanorsorlesswasthreemarks，whilehiswhohadmorethansixmanorswaseightpounds，(111*)thismayseemtohintthatsomeinferiorlimitwassettothesizeofthemanor。

Ifso，itwasdrawnataverylowpointinthescaleoftenements。Possiblysomegeneralrulehadcompelledallmenwhoheldlessthanabovateorhalf-virgateto\'add\'themselvestothemanorofsomelord。ButtheNottinghamshireruleisrudeandarbitrary。Hewhohassevenhousesagainstwhichgeldischargedisabigman。Ontheotherhand，itisprobablethattheNormanlordsbroughtwiththemsomenotion，andnotaverymodestnotion，ofwhatareasonablysufficientmaneriumshouldbe。Thekinghasinsomecasesrewardedthembyapromiseoftenortwentymanorswithoutspecifyingverycarefullywhatthosemanorsaretobelike。HehaspromisedCountEustaceahundredmanors。(112*)Thuswewouldexplainanotuncommonclassofentries：——\'fourteenfreemencommendedtoWulfsigeweredeliveredtoRainaldtomakeup(adperficiendum)thismanorofCarlington。\'(113*)——inBerninghamafreemanheld20acresoflandandthiswasdeliveredtoWalterGiffardtomakeupLetheringsett。\'(114*)——\'Peterclaimsthelandwhichbelongedtoseventeenfreemenashavingbeendeliveredtohimtomakeupthismanor。\'(115*)——\'ThislandwasdeliveredtoPetertomakeupsome，buthismendonotknowwhat，manor。\'(116*)Thesmall\'freemen\'oftheeasthavebeen\'addedto\'manorstowhichtheydidnotbelonginKingEdward\'sday。AfewofthefreemenofSuffolkstill\'remainintheking\'shand\'readytobedeliveredouttocompletethemanorsoftheirconquerors。(117*)HeretoowemayperhapsfindtheexplanationoftheentrywhichsaysthatHughdePortheldWallop\'forhalfamanor。\'(118*)Thekinghaspromisedhimadozenorscoreofmanors；andthisestateatWallopworthbutfifteenshillingsayear，reallynogentlemanwouldtakeitforamanor。

SuchthenisthebestexplanationthatwecanofferofthemaneriumofDomesdayBook。Aboutdetailswemaybewrong，butthatthistermhasatechnicalmeaningwhichisconnectedwiththelevyofthedanegeldwecannotdoubt。Itlosesthatmeaningincourseoftimebecausethedanegeldgiveswaybeforenewerformsoftaxation。Itneveragainacquiresatechnicalmeaninguntilthelatedayswhenretrospectivelawyersfindtheessenceofamanorinitscourt。(119*)

NOTES：

1。D。B。ii，21，26，37b，59b。

2。D。B。i。21。

3。D。B。i。45。

4。D。B。i。6b。

5。D。B。i。27。

6。D。B。i，163。

7。SointheExeterrecordD。B。iv。390：\'Tenuerunt3tegnipro4mansionibus，etRobertushabetillaspro1mansione。\'

8。D。B。i。169b。Similarinterlineationsini。98。

9。D。B。i。148；onf。149isasimilarcase。

10。D。B。i。45b。

11。D。B。i。280b。

12。InseveralpassagesinD。B。thewordseemstobemanerius。

13。D。B。ii。96b：\'Huicmanerioiacebant3liberihomines，unustenuitdim，hidametpotuitabiresinelicentiadominiipsiusmansions。\'

14。D。B。i。149，Wicombe。

15。D。B。ii。38b，Hersam。

16。D。B。i。174，b。Poiwic。

17。D。B。i。268，Gretford。

18。D。B。ii。350b。

19。D。B。ii。263：\'sedfueruntinaulaS。Edmundi。\'

20。D。B。i。337b。

21。D。B。ii。408b：\'cumsocaetsacasuperdominiumhallaetantum。\'

22。D。B。i。45，Wicheham，Werste。

23。D。B。i。20，Waliland。

24。D。B。i。11b，Acres。

25。D。B。i。26b，Eldretune。

26。D。B。i。27，Percinges。

27。D。B。i。284b，AEttune。

28。D。B。ii。29b，30b。

29。D。B。i。307b，Burghedurum；308，Ternusc。

30。D。B。i。63：\'Ipsequoquetransportavithallametaliasdomosetpecuniaminaliomanerio。\'

31。D。B。i。338b：\'AdhuiusmaneriiaulampertinentCatenaietUsun4car。terraeadgeldum。Terraad8carucas。Ibiindominio2carucaeet20villaniet15sochemanniet10bordariihabentes9carucas。Ibi360acreprati。Adeundemmaneriumiacethecsoca：——

InLinberge4car。terraeetc。\'

32。ThroughoutYorkshirethephraseiscommon，\'Totummaneriumx。

leu。long。ety。leu。lat。\'

33。D。B。i。128。

34。D。B。i。128b。

35。D。B。i。127。

36。D。B。i。128b。

37。D。B。i。180。

38。ComparethecasesinSeebohm，VillageCommunity，267。

39。D。B。i。163。

40。Ifwemistakenot，theOsleuuordeoftherecordisAshleworth，which，thoughsomemilestothenorthofGloucester，eitherstillis，orbutlatelywas，adetachedpieceoftheBerkeleyhundred。

41。D。B。i。163。

42。D。B。i。163b：\'HancterramdeditreginaRogeriodeBusleietgeldabatpro4hidisinTedechesberie。\'

43。D。B。i。87b；iv。161。

44。Eyton，Somerset，ii。34。

45。D。B。i。101b；iv。107。

46。D。B。i。41。

47。D。B。i。230。

48。D。B。i。338-9。

49。D。B。i。220，Tingdene。

50。D。B。ii。15b，17b。

51。D。B。ii。385b。

52。Theformbereuitaisexceedinglycommon，butmust，wethink，beduetoamistake；chasbeenreadast。

53。D。B。i。38b，Edlinges。Someofthe\'wicks\'seemtohavebeendairyfarms。D。B。i。58b：\'etwikade10pensiscaseorum。\'

OntheGlastonburyestateswefindpersonscalledwikarii，eachofwhomhasawika。GlastonburyRentalia，39：\'ThomasdeWikatenet5acraset50ovesmatriceset12vaccas……PhilippusdeWikatenetunumferlingumet50ovesmatriceset12vaccas。\'

Ibid。44：\'A。B。tenetunumferlingumet50ovesmatriceset12

vaccaspro1sol。prowika。\'Ibid。48：\'RicardusdeWikatenet5

acraset50ovesmatriceset12vaccas。AlanusdeWikaeodemmodo。\'Ibid。p。51。

54。D。B。i。350：\'InOsgotebietTauelebi2bo[vatae]inlandet1bo[vata]socahuiusmanerii。\'D。B。i。338b：\'HiboldestonestbereuuitanonsocaetinGrangehamsunt2car[ucatae]inlandetinSpringetorpdim。car[ucata]estinland。Reliquaomnisestsoca。\'

55。Whentherefore，asisoftenthecase，wefindthattheoccupantsof\'thesokearenotsokemenbutvilleins，thisseemstopointtoarecentdepressionofthepeasantry。

56。D。B。ii。330b：\'Inillomanerio……sunt35liberihomines……Tuncvalueruntliberihomines4libras。Maneriumcumliberishominibusvaletmodo24libras。\'

57。D。B。ii。358b：\'Hocmaneriumexceptisliberistuncvaluit30solidos。\'

58。D。B。ii。289b。

59。D。B。ii。285b。

60。D。B。iv。397；i。93b，Ichetoca。

61。D。B。iv。411；94b，Tocheswilla。

62。D。B。iv。398；i。93b，Pilloc。

63。D。B。iv。341；i。96，Sordemanneford。

64。D。B。iv。355；i。116b，Labera。

65。D。B。iv。367；i。112b。Oplomia。

66。D。B。iv。338；i。95b，Aisseforda。

67。D。B。iv。395；i。93。TerraColgrini。

68。D。B。iv。394；i。93，Rima。

69。D。B。iv。338；i。95b，Aisseforda。

70。AsthetermmaneriumisoftenrepresentedbythemereletterMorm。wewillrefertosomecasesinwhichitiswritteninfull。D。B。ii。295b：\'40acrasprounomanerio\'；Ibid。311b：

\'Ineademvillaest1liberhomode40acrisettenetpromanerio。\'

71。ThequestionwhethertheacreagestatedintheSuffolksurveyisrealorrateablecannotbebrieflydebated。Wehopetoreturntoit。

72。D。B。ii。322b，323。

73。D。B。ii。323。

74。D。B。ii。288。

75。D。B。ii。309。

76。D。B。ii。297b。

77。D。B。ii。377。

78。D。B。ii。333。

79。D。B。ii。423。

80。D。B。ii。316：\'InAldeburctenuitUluricussochemannusEdriciT。R。E。80acraspromanerio。\'Ibid。353：\'NordberiamtenuitEduinuspresbytersochemannusAbbatis30acraspromanerio。\'

81。Wehavetakenourexamplesofsmallmanorsfromtheeastandthesouth-westbecauseLittleDomesdayandtheExeterDomesdaygivedetailswhicharenottobehadelsewhere。ButinstancesmaybefoundinmanyotherpartsofEngland。ThusinSussex，i。24，twofreemenheldastwomanorslandratedatahideandsufficientforoneteam；itisnowtilledbyfourvilleins。IntheIsleofWight，D。B。i。39b，fivefreemenheldasfivemanorslandsufficientfortwoteams；itisnowtilledbyfourvilleins。InGloucestershire，D。B。i。170，isamanorworthtenshillingswithtwoserfsuponit；alsoamanorratedatonevirgate。InDerbyshire，i。274b，landsufficientforfourteamsandratedasfourcarucatehadformedeightmanors。InNottinghamshire，D。B。i。285b，landsufficientforateamandahalfandvaluedattenshillingshadformedfivemanorsforfivethegns，eachofwhomhadhishall。

82。D。B。ii。380：\'InThistledonatenet1liberhomoUlmaruscommendatusS。Eldrede60acraspromanerioet5liberihominessubse。\'

83。D。B。i。127b：\'WellesdonetenentcanoniciS。Pauli……Hocmaneriumtenantvillaniadfirmamcanonicorum。Indominionilhabetur。\'

84。D。B。235b：Billesdone，\'Indominionilfuitnecest。\'Ibid。

166b，Glouc。：\'IsdemWillelmus[deOw]tenetAlvredestone。BonditenuitT。R。E。Ibi3hidaegeldantes。Nilibiestindominio，sed5villaniet3bordariihabent3carucas。\'\'IsdemWillelmustenetOdelavestone。BrictrifiliusAlgaritenuit。Ibinilindominionisi5villanicum5carucis。\'D。B。iv396：\'Rogeriushabet1mansionemquaevocaturP……etredditgildumprodimidiavirgata；hancpotestarare1carruca。HanctenetAnschetillusdeRogerio。IbihabetAnschetillus4bordariosquitenenttotamillamterramethabentibi1carrucamet1agrumprati，etreddit10solidos。\'

85。D。B。ii。31。

86。D。B。ii。59b。

87。IleavethissentenceasitstoodbeforeMrRoundhadpublishedinhisFeudalEnglandtheresultsofhisbrilliantresearches。Ofthe\'five-hideunit\'Ialreadyknewagooddeal；

ofthe\'six-carucateunit\'Iknewnothing。

88。Round，DomesdayStudies，i。109。

89。D。B。i。35：\'InDritehamtenetRicardusfiliusGisleberti]1

hidametdimidiam。AElmartenuitdeRegeE。prounomanerio……IneadeumDritehanmest1hidaetdimidiaquamtenuitAluricdeRegeE。prounomanerio，etposteadeditillamterramuxorisuaeetfiliaeedaecclesiamdeCertesy，sicutihominesdehundredotestantur。Ricardus[filiuscalumniatur。Noniacetullimanerio，necpromaneriotenet，setGisleberti]liberatafuiteietmodo3

hidaegeldantprounahidaetdimidia。\'Tosayofthesecondofthesetwoplotsthatitneitherisamanornotyetbelongstoamanor，istosaythatitisshirkingthegeld。D。B。i。48：

\'WalerannustenetDene……Istateranonadiacetullisuomanerio。\'Heresuo=Waleranni。Waleranseemstobeholdinglandwithoutgoodtitle。

90。D。B。i。163b，Clifort。D。B。i。58b：\'InWintehamtenetHubertusdeAbbate5hidas，deterravillanorumfuerunt4，etgeldaveruntcumhidismanerii。\'

91。Thewordwarameansdefence；itcomesfromarootwhichhasgivenus，wary，warrant，warn，guarantee，weir，etc。SeeVinogradoff，Villainage，243。

92。D。B。i。212。

93。D。B。i。340，366，368。IsnotthelastpartofthewordA-S。notu，(business，office)？

94。D。B。i。132b：\'HocmaneriumtenuitHeraldusComesetiacuitetiacetinHiz[Hitchin，Herts]sedwarahujusmaneriiiacuitinBedefordscireT。R。E。inhundredodeManeheue。，D。B。i。190，\'HaecterraestbereuuichainNeuport[Essex]setwaraejusiacetinGrantebrige。\'WheninthesurveyofOxfordshire，i。160，itissaid，\'Ibi1hidadewarlandindominio，\'thetaxedlandiscontrastedwiththeinland，whichinthiscountyhasgoneuntaxed。

95。D。B。i。28。

96。SeethecasesofthemonksofBuryandthecanonsofS。

Petroc，above，p。82。

97。D。B。i。4b：\'Deterrahuiusmaneriiten[uit]unushomoarchiepiscopidimid。solinetcumhis6solinsgeldabatT。R。E。

quamvisnonpertineretmanerionisidescotoquialiberaterraerat。\'Thescotuminthiscontextseemstobeortoincludethegeld。CompareD。B。i。61b：\'HaecterraiacetetappreciataestinGratentunquodestinOxenfordscireettamendatscotuminBerchescire。\'D。B。ii。11：\'InColecestrahabetepiscopus14

domoset4acrasnonreddentesconsuetudinempraeterscotumnisiepiscopo。\'

98。Seeabove，p。115。

99。Hamilton，Inquisitio，60。

100。Above，p。142。

101。D。B。i。35b。

102。NorthumbrianPriests\'Law，58，59(Schmid，p。369)。

103。AnActof1869(32-3Vic。c。41)allowedtheownersofcertainsmallhousestoagreetopaytherateswhichundertheordinarylawwouldbecomeduefromtheoccupiers，andauthorizedthevestriestoallowsuchownersacommissionof25percent。

Seealsotheinstructiverecitalin59Geo。III。c。12，sec。19：——

Thesmalloccupiersareevadingthepoors\'rate，andtheownersexacthigherrentsthantheywouldotherwiseget，onthegroundthattheoccupierscannotbeeffectuallyassessed。

104。Seeabove，p。47。

105。E。g。D。B。ii。389b，\'ClarumtenuitAluricuspromanerio24

car。terraeT。R。E。Tunc40villani……Tunc12carucaeindominio。Tunc36carucaehominum……Huicmaneriosemperadiacent5sochemanicumomniconsuetudine1car。terraeetdim。Semper1

carucaetdimidia。\'

106。E。g。D。B。ii。339：\'Ineademvilla14Liberihominescommendati，GodricusfaberetEdricusetUlnotusetOsulfusetUluricusetStanmarusetLeuietusetWihtricusetBlachemanusetMansunaetLeuinusetUlmarusetUlfahetaLterUlfahetLeofstanusde40acrisethabent2carucasetvalent10solidos。\'

107。Above，p。148。

108。RollsoftheKing\'sCourt，Ric。I(PipeRoll。Soc。)，p。

xxiv。Butapparentlytherehadbeenconsiderablerearrangementsinsomeofthecounties。

109。Hoveden，iv。46。Theimportantwordsarethese：\'Statutumetiamfuitquodquilibetbarocumvicecomitefaceretdistrictionessuperhominessuos；etsiperdefectumbaronumdistrictionesfactaenonfuissent，capereturdedominicobaronumquodsuperhominessuosrestaretreddendum，etipsibaronesadhominessuosindecaperent。\'Thebaron\'shomineswetaketobefreeholder；hewouldbeabsolutelyliableforthetaxcastuponhisvilleinage。Astothetaxof1198seeEng。Hist，Rev，iii。

501，701；iv。105，108。

110。InDial。deScac。ii。14，theauthortellsusthatuntilrecentlyifabaronwhoowedmoneytothecrownwasinsolvent，thegoodsofhisknightscouldbeseized。Theideaofsubsidiaryliabilityisnottoosubtleforthetime。

111。Above，p。140。

112。D。B。ii。9：\'setComesEustachius1exillis[hidis]tenetquenonestdesuisc。[100]mansionibus。\'

113。D。B。ii。233b。

114。D。B。ii。242b。

115。D。B。ii。258。

116。D。B。ii。258。

117。D。B。ii。447。

118。D。B。i。45b。

119。Twoobjectionstoourtheorymaybemetbyanote。(1)Somemanorsarefreeofgeld，andthereforetomakeourdefinitioncorrectweoughttosaythatamanorisatenementwhicheitherpaysitsgeldatasingleplaceorwhichwoulddosowereitnotfreedfromthetaxbysomespecialprivilege。Amaneriumdoesnotceasetobeamaneriumbybeingfreedfromgeld。(2)Inlaterdayswemaywellfindamanorholdenofanothermanor，sothataplotoflandmaybewithintwomanors。IfthisusageofthetermcanbetracedbackintoDomesdayBookourdoctrineisingreatjeopardy。Butwehavenoticednopassagewhichclearlyandunabiguouslysaysthatatractoflandwasatoneandthesametimebothamaneriumandalsoapartofanothermanerium。TothiswemustaddthatofthedistributionofmaneriaT。R。E。weonlyobtaincasualandveryimperfecttidings。IfT。R。W。afreemanhasbeen\'addedto\'amanerium，thecommissionershavenodeepinterestintheinquirywhetherT。R。E。histenementwasitselfanindependentmanerium。Agreatsimplificationhasbeeneffectedandthenumberofmaneriahasbeenlargelyreduced。

7。ManorandVillAfterwhathasnowbeensaid，itisneedlesstorepeatthatinDomesdayBookthemaneriumandthevillaareutterlydifferentthings。(1*)Inagivencasethetwomaycoincide，andthroughoutagreattractofEnglandsuchcaseswerecommonandwemayevensaythattheywerenormal。Butintheeastthiswasnotso。Wemayeasilyfindavillagewhichtakenasawholehasbeenutterlyfreefromseignorialdomination。OrwellinCambridgeshirewillbeagoodexample。(2*)

InKingEdward\'sdaythisvillofOrwellwasratedat4

hides：probablyitwassomewhatunderratedforatthedateofthesurveyitwasdeemedcapableoffindinglandfornearly6teams。

ThefollowingtablewillshowwhoheldthefourhidesbeforetheConquest：——

H。V。A。

Twosokemen，menofEdiththeFair2/3

Asokeman，manofAbpStigand11/3

Asokeman，manofRobertWimarc\'sson11/3

Asokeman，manoftheKing2/3

Asokeman，manofEarlAElfgar11/3

Asokeman，manofEarlWaltheof3

Asokeman，manoftheKing1/3

Sigar，amanofAEsgartheStaller11/3

Turbert，amanofEdiththeFair31/45

Achil，amanofEarlHarold1

AsokemanoftheKing1

St。MaryofChatteris1/3

St。MaryofChatteris1/4

40

0(3*)

Itwillbeseenthateightofthemostexaltedpersonsintheland，theking，thearchbishop，threeearls，tworoyalmarshalsorstallers，andthatmysteriousladyknownasEdiththeFair，tosaynothingofthechurchofChatteris，hadacertaininterestinthislittleCambridgeshirevillage。Butthenhowslightaninterestitwas！Everyoneofthetenantswasfreeto\'withdrawhimself，\'\'togiveorsellhisland。\'Nowwecannotsaythatallofthemwerepeasants。AchilthemanofHaroldseemstohavehadotherlandsintheneighbouringvillagesofHarltonandBarrington。(4*)ItisprobablethatTurbert，Edith\'sman，hadanothervirgateatKingston：(5*)hewasoneofthejurorsofthehundredinwhichOrwelllay。(6*)SigarthemanofAEsgarwasanotherjuror，andheldlandatThriplow，Foxton，HaslingfieldandShepreth；heseemstohavebeenhislord\'ssteward。(7*)Butwemaybefairlycertainthattheunnamedsokementilledtheirownsoil，thoughperhapstheyhadhelpfromafewcottagers。Andtheycannothavebeenconstantlyemployedincultivatingthedemesnelandsoftheirlords。Theymustgosomedistancetofindanysuchdemesnelands。TheWetherleyhundred，inwhichOrwelllies，isfullofthesokemenofthesegreatfolk：Waltheof，forexample，has3meninComberton，4inBarton，3inGrantchester，1inWratworth：buthehasnodemesneland，andifhehadit，hecouldnotgetittilledbythesescatteredtenants。TheFairEdithhashalfahideinHaslingfieldandwearetoldthatthisbelongstothemanorofSwavesey。NowatSwaveseyEdithhasaconsiderablemanor，(8*)butitcannothavegotmuchinthewayoflabouroutofatenantwholivedatHaslingfield，forthetwovillagesarealongtenmilesapart。Astotheking\'ssokemen，theironlyrecordedservicesaretheaveraandtheinward。Theformerseemstobeacarryingservicedoneatthesheriff\'sbiddingandtobeonlyexigiblewhenthekingcomesintotheshire，whileinwardseemstobethedutyofformingabodyguardforthekingwhileheisintheshire：——ifinanyyearthekingdidnotcome，asmallsumofmoneywastakeninstead。(9*)

LestitshouldbethoughtthatinpickingoutthevillageofOrwellwehavestudiouslysoughtararecase，wewillheresetoutinatabularformwhatwecanlearnofthestateofthehundredinwhichOrwelllies。TheWetherleyhundredcontainedtwelvevills：itwasalandoftruevillageswhichuntilverylatelyhadwideopenfields。(10*)IntheConfessor\'sdaythelandsinitwereallottedthus：——

Cambridgeshire。WetherleyHundred(11*)

1。COMBERTON。Avillof6hides。

H。V。A。C。

B。

1。SevensokemenoftheKing110

Asokeman，manofEarlWaltheof|4

Asokeman，manofAbpStigand|30

2。AmanofEarlWaltheof1151

3。Asokeman，manoftheKing10

Asokeman，manofAbpStigand1152

Asokeman，manofEarlWaltheof115

4。TheKing2205

5315(12*)12

II。BARTON。Avillof7hides。

1。Twosokemen，menofEarlWaltheof1115

Asokeman，manofEarlWaltheof315(13*)5

Asokeman，manofEarlWaltheof10

2。Juhael，theKing\'shunter1001

3。Asokeman，manofEdiththeFair20

4。Twenty-threesokemenoftheKing3006

70012

III。GRANTCHESTER。Avillof7hides。(14*)

1。Fivesokemen，menoftheKing301

2。Twosokemen，menoftheKing2106

Asokeman，manofAEsgartheStaller20

3。Asokeman，manofEarlAElfgar30

Threesokemen，menofEarl4

Waltheof200

4。Godman，amanofEdiththeFair1151

5。Juhael，theKing\'shunter10

4

6。Wulfric，theKing\'sman15

3

70012

7

IV。HASLINGFIELD。Avillof20hides。

1。TheKing7108

2。Fivesokemen，menoftheKing300

Asokeman，manofAEsgarthe4

Staller130

3。Ealdred，amanofEdiththeFair10151

4

4。EdiththeFair，belongingtoSwavesey20

4

5。Sigar，amanofAEsgartheStaller5006

6。TwosokemenoftheKing1132

7。Merewin，amanofEdiththeFair120

200022

V。HARLTON。Avillof5hides。

H。V。A。C。B。

1。Achil，aKing\'sthegnandunderhimfivesokemenofwhomfourwerehismenwhilethefifthwasthemanofErnulf4006

2。Godman，amanofAEsgartheStaller1001

5007

VI。BARRINGTON。Avillof10hides。

1。EadricP鷕，aKing\'sthegn30

Fifteensokemen，menoftheKing4115

Foursokemen，menofEarlAElfgar2015

Threesokemen，menofAEsgarthe11

Staller100

EadricP鷕，holdingoftheChurchofChatteris15

2。TheChurchofChatteris2004

3。Ethsi，holdingofRobertWimarc\'sson20

3

4。AchiltheDane，amanofEarlHarold40

6

5。Asokeman，manoftheKing15

2

1100(15*)17

3

VII。SHEPRETH。Avillof5hides。

1。Foursokemen，menoftheKing1/20152

2

Asokeman，manofEarlAElfgar2。TheChurchofChatteris11151

4

3。Sigar，amanofAEsgartheStaller1001

4。Heming，amanoftheKing115

4

5。TheChurchofEly15

2

5005

4

VIII。ORWELL。Avillof4hides。

1。Twosokemen，menofEdiththeFair20

Asokeman，manofAbpStigand110

Asokeman，manofRobert1

4

Wimarc\'sson110

Asokeman，manoftheKing20

Asokeman，manofEarlAElfgar110

2。Asokeman，manofEarlWaltheof301

Asokeman，manoftheKing10

3。Sigar，amanofAEsgartheStaller110

4

4。Turbert，amanofEdiththeFair3121/21

4

5。Achil，amanofEarlHarold10

2

6。Asokeman，manoftheKing10

3

7。TheChurchofChatteris10

1

8。TheChurchofChatteris71/2

1/2

4005

21/2

IX。WRATWORTH。Avillof4hides。

1。Asokeman，manofEdiththeFair310

Asokeman，manofAbpStigand30

Asokeman，manofEarlAElfgar1103

Asokeman，manofRobertWimarc\'sson10

Asokeman，manoftheKing20

2。Asokeman，manofEarlWaltheof220

Asokeman，manofRobertWimarc\'sson101

3。Asokeman，manofEdiththeFair110

4

4。Asokeman，manoftheKing10

3

5。Twosokemen，menoftheKing20

4

4005

3

X。WHITWELL。Avillof4hides。

H。V。A。C。B。

1。Asokeman，manofEarlAElfgar120

Asokeman，manofRobertWimarc\'sson1014

Asokeman，manoftheKing20

2。Asokeman，manofAbpStigand15

Asokeman，manofEdiththeFair104

[Asokeman]15

3。Sixsokemen，menoftheKing110

Asokeman，manofRobertWimarc\'sson2020

Asokeman，manofEarlAElfgar10

4。Godwin，amanofEdiththeFair2010

_________________

40050

XI。WIMPOLE。Avillof4hides。

1。EdiththeFair221530

2。EarlGyrth111520

__________________

40050

XII。ARRINGTON。Avillof4hides。

1。AElfric，aKing\'sthegn1110

Asokeman，manofEarlWaltheof100

Asokeman，manoftheAbbotofEly10080

Asokeman，manofRobertWimarc\'sson20

2。AmanofEdiththeFair204

_____________________

400(16*)84

Nowifbya\'manor\'wemeanthatourhistoricaleconomistsusuallymeanwhentheyusethatterm，wemustprotestthatbeforetheNormanConquesttherewereveryfewmanorsintheWetherleyhundred。Innocasewasthewholeofavillagecoincidentwithamanor，withalord\'sestate。ThekinghadconsiderablemanorsinCombertonandHaslingfield。SigarhadamanoratHaslingfield；

thechurchofChatterishadamanoratBarringtonbesidessomelandatShepreth；WimpolewasdividedbetweenEdithandEarlGyrth；HarltonbetweenAchilandGodman。ButinBarton，Grantchester，Shepreth，Orwell，Wratworth，WhitwellandArringtonweseenothingmanorial，unlessweholdourselvesfreetousethattermofalittletenementwhichtoallappearancemighteasilybecultivatedbythelabourofonehousehold，atalleventswithoccasionalhelpsuppliedbyafewcottagers。IndeeditisdifficulttosaywhatprofitsomeofthegreatpeoplewhosenameswehavementionedwerederivingfromthoseoftheirmenwhodweltintheWetherleyhundred。WetaketheMercianearlforexample。(17*)OneofthesokemenofGrantchester，fourofthesokemenofBarrington，oneofthesokemenofShepreth，oneofthesokemenofOrwell，oneofthesokemenofWratworth，twoofthesokemenofWhitwellwereAElfgar\'smen。ThatAElfgargotalittlemoneyoralittleprovenderoutofthemisprobable，thattheydidsomecarryingserviceforhimispossibleandperhapstheyaidedhimatharvesttimeonsomemanorofhisinanotherpartofthecounty；butthattheywerenotthetillersofhislandseemsclear。(18*)

Whatismore，ouranalysisofthisWetherleyhundredenablesustodrivehometheremarkthatveryoftenasokemanwasnotthesokemanofhislordor，inotherwords，thathewasnotunderseignorialjustice。(19*)AElfgarhadtensokemenscatteredaboutinsixvillages。Didheholdacourtforthem？Wethinknot。Didtheygotothecourtofsomedistantmanor？Wethinknot。ThecourttheyattendedwastheWetherleyhundred-moot。OneofthesokemeninArringtonwasinasomewhatexceptionalposition——

exceptional，thatis，inthishundred。NotonlywashethemanoftheAbbotofEly，buthissokebelongedtotheAbbot；andifhesoldhistenement，andthishecoulddowithouttheAbbot\'sconsent，thesokeoverhislandwould\'remain\'totheAbbot。(20*)

Hewasnotonlyhislord\'smanbuthislord\'sjusticiableandprobablyattendedsomecourtoutsidethehundred。ButforthemorepartthesemenofWetherleywerenotthejusticiablesoftheirlords。ItwasaveryfreehundredwhentheNormanscamethere：muchtoofreeforthenation\'swelfarewemaythink，forthesesokemencouldgowiththeirlandtowhatlordtheypleased。

AlsobeitnotedinpassingthatthechurcheshavelittleinWetherley。

In1086therehadbeenachange。Thesokemenhaddisappeared。

TheNormanlordshadmadedemesnelandwheretheirEnglishantecessorespossessednone。CountRogerhadinstitutedaseignorialcourtatOrwell。Hehadborrowedthreesokemen\'toholdhispleas\'fromPicotthesheriffandhadrefusedtogivethemupagain。(21*)Apparentlytheyhadsunktothelevelofvillani。TwocenturiesafterwardsweseethehundredofWetherleyoncemore。Thereisvilleinageenoughinit。ThevilleinatOrwell，forexample，holdsonly10acresbutworksforhislordon152daysintheyear，besidesboon-days。(22*)AndyetweshouldgofarastrayifweimposedupontheseCambridgeshirevillagesthatneatmanorialsystemwhichweseeatitsneatestandstrongestintheabbatialcartularies。Thevillagesdonotbecomemanors。Themanorsaresmall。Themanorsareintermixedintheopenfields。Thereareoftenfreeholdersinthevillagewhoarenotthetenantsofanylordwhohasamanorthere。Avilleinwillholdtwotenementsoftwolords。Thevilleinofonelordwillbethefreeholderofanother。The\'manorialsystem\'hasbeenforceduponthevillages，butitfitsthembadly。(23*)

InthethirteenthcenturythecommonfieldofaCambridgeshirevillagewasoftenaverymazeofproprietaryrights，andyetthevillagewasanagrarianwhole。Letustake，forexample，DuxfordasitstoodinthereignofEdwardI。(24*)

Wesee39villeintenementseachofwhichhasfourteenacresinthefields。Thesetenementsaredividedbetweenfivedifferentmanors。Fourofourtypical\'townsmen\'holdofHenrydeLacy，whoholdsofSimondeFurneaux，whoholdsoftheCountofBritanny，whoholdsoftheking。TwoholdofRalphofDuxford，whoholdsofBasiliawifeofBaldwynofStGeorge，whoholdsofWilliamMortimer，whoholdsofSimondeFurneaux，whoholdsoftheCountofBritanny，whoholdsoftheking。EightholdoftheTemplars，whoholdofRogerdeColville，whoholdsoftheEarlofAlbemarle，whoholdsoftheking。NineholdofWilliamleGoyz，whoholdsofHenryofBoxworth，whoholdsofRicharddeFreville，whoholdsoftheking。SixteenholdofJohnd\'Abernon，whoholdsoftheEarlMarshal，whoholdsoftheking。Threeofthegreatest\'honours\'inEnglandarerepresented。Threemonasteriesandtwoparochialchurcheshavestripsinthefields。Andyettherearenormaltenementscutaccordingtoonepattern，tenementsoffourteenacrestheholdersofwhich，thoughtheirotherservicesmaydiffer，payforthemorepartanequalrent。(25*)Thevillageseemstosaythatitmustbeone，thoughthelordswouldmakeitmany。AndthenwelookbacktotheConfessor\'sdayandweseethatagoodpartofDuxfordwasheldbysokemen。(26*)

Perhapsweshallbeguiltyofneedlessrepetition；butwhatiswritteninDomesdayBookaboutmaneriaisadmirablydesignedforthedeceptionofmodernreaderswhoseheadsarefullof\'themanorialsystem。\'ThereforeletuslookattwoHertfordshirevillages。InoneofthemthereisamaneriumwhichRalphBassetholdsofRobertofOuilly。(27*)Ithasbeenratedat4，butisnowratedat2hides。Thereislandfor4teams。Indemesneare2

teams；and31/2villaniwith2sokemenof1hideand5bordariihave2teams。Thereare1cottagerand1serfandamillof10

shillingsandmeadowfor3teams。Itisnowworth？；inKingEdward\'sdayitwasworth？。Nowhere，wesay，isaprettylittlemanorofthecommonkind。Letusthenexploreitspasthistory。\'Fivesokemenheldthismanor。\'Yes，wesay，beforetheConquestthismanorwasheldinphysicallyundividedsharesbyfivelords。Theirsharesweresmallandtheywerehumblepeople；

butstilltheyhadamanor。Butletusreadfurther。\'TwoofthemwerethemenofBrihtricandheld11/2hides；othertwowerethemenofOsulfthesonofFraneandheld11/2hides；andthefifthwasthemanofEadmerAtuleandheldahide。\'WewillatoncefinishthestoryandseehowRobertofOuillycamebythismanor。

\'NooneofthesefivesokemenbelongedtohisantecessorWigot；

everyoneofthemmightsellhisland。Oneofthembought(i。e。

redeemed)hislandfornineouncesofgoldfromKingWilliam，sothemenofthehundredsay，andafterwardsturnedforprotectiontoWigot。\'SoRobert\'stitletothismanorisnoneofthebest。

ButarewesurethatbeforetheConquesttherewasanythingthatweshouldcallamanor？Thesefivesokemenwhohaveunequalshares，whohavethreedifferentlords，whoholdinallbut4

team-lands，whoselandisworthbut？，donotlooklikeasetofco-parcenerstowhoma\'manor\'hasdescended。WhenRobertofOuillyhasgothismanorthereareuponit2sokemen，3villeins，5bordarii，acottagerandaserf。Itwasnotasplendidmanorforfivelords。

Weturnoverafewpages。HardouinofEschalershasamanorratedat51/2hides。(28*)Itcontainslandfor8teams。Inwithdemesneare2hidesless20acres，and3teams；11villanithepriestand5bordariihave5teams。Thereare4cottagersand6

serfs。Itisworth？；intheConfessor\'sdayitwasworth？0。

Whoheldthismanorinthepast？Ninesokemenheldit。Ratheralargepartyofjointlords，wesay；butstill，familieswillgrow。Howbeit，wemustfinishthesentence：——\'Ofthese，one，Siredbyname，wasthemanofEarlHaroldandheld1hideand3

virgatesforamanor；another，Alfred，amanofEarlAElfgar，held11/2hidesforamanor；andtheothersevenweresokemenofKingEdwardandheld2hidesand1virgateandtheysuppliedthesheriffwith9penceayearor21/4averae(carryingservices)。\'

No，wehavenotbeenreadingofthejointholdersofa\'manor\'；

wehavebeenreadingofpeasantproprietors。Twoofthemweresubstantialfolk；eachofthetwoheldamaneriumatwhichgeldwaspaid；theothersevengeldedatoneoftheking\'smaneriaundertheviewofhisbailiffs。Maneriatherehavebeeneverywhere；but\'manors\'weseeinthemaking。Hardouinhasmadeoneunderoureyes。

Weheartheobjectionthat，beitneversohumble，amanorisamanor。Butisthattruismquitetrue？Ifallthatwewantfortheconstitutionofamanorisaproprietorofsomelandwhohasarighttoexactfromsomeotherman，ortwoorthreeothermen，thewholeorsomepartofthelabourthatisnecessaryforthetillageofhissoil，wemayindeedseemanorseverywhereandatalltimes。Evenifweintroduceamorecharacteristicallymedievalelementanddemandthatthetillersshallbeneithermenialservantsnorlabourershiredformoney，butmenwhomaketheirlivingbycultivatingfortheirownbehoofsmallplotswhichtheproprietorallowsthemtooccupy，stillweshallhavetheutmostdifficultyifwewouldgobehindmanorialism。Butsupposeforamomentthatwehaveavillagethelandofwhichisbeingheldbyninesokemen，eachofwhomhasahideorhalf-hidescatteredaboutintheopenfields，andeachofwhomcontrolsthelabourofacoupleofserfs，shallwenotbemisleadingthepublicandourselvesifwespeakofninemanorsorevenofnine\'embryomanors\'？Atanyrateitisclearenoughthatiftheseestatesofthesokemenare\'embryomanors，\'thentheseembryosweredepositedinthecommonfields。Inthatcasethecommonfields，thehidesandyardlandsofthevillagearenotthecreaturesofmanorialism。

Wehaveseenfreevillages；wehaveseenafreehundred。WemighthavefoundyetfreerhundredshadwegonetoSuffolk。WehavechosenCambridgeshirebecauseCambridgeshirecannotbecalledaDanishcounty，exceptinasenseinwhich，notwithstandingthewastedconditionofYorkshire，aboutonehalfoftheEnglishnationlivedinDanishcounties。WhenmendivideupEnglandbetweenthethreelaws，theyplaceCambridgeshireundertheDanelaw；buttothatlawtheysubjectaboutonehalfoftheinhabitantsofEngland。TheremayhavebeenmanymenofScandinavianraceinCambridgeshire；butwefindhundredsnotwapentakes，hidesnotcarucates，whileamongthenamesofvillagestherearefewindeedwhichbetrayaScandinavianorigin。

TheWetherleyhundredwasnotmanymilesawayfromtheclassicfieldsofHitchin。(29*)

ButintruthwemustbecarefulhowweuseourDane。

YorkshirewasaDanishcountyinasenseinwhichCambridgeshirewasnotDanish；itwasalandoftrithingsandwapentakes，alandwithouthides，wheremanyavillagetestifiedbyitsnametoaScandinaviansettlement。AndyettoallappearanceitwasintheConfessor\'sdayalandwherethemanorsstoodthick。(30*)ThenwehavethatwonderfulcontrastbetweenYorkshireandLincolnshirewhichEllissummedupinthesefigures：——

SochemanniVillaniBordariiLincolnshire11，5037，7234，024

Yorkshire4475，0791，819

PerhapsthiscontrastwouldhavebeenlessviolentifYorkshirehadnotbeendevastated：butviolentitisandmustbe。

Itwillprovoketheremarkthatthe\'faults\'(ifanyfaultstherebe)inatrulyeconomicstratificationofmankindarenotlikelytooccurjustattheboundariesoftheshires，whereassolongaseachcountyhasacourtfromwhichthereisnoappealtoanycentraltribunal，wemayexpecttofindthatlineswhichhavetheirorigininfiscalpracticewillbesharplinesandwillcoincidewiththemetesandboundsofjurisdictionaldistricts。

Norshoulditescaperemarkthatthenamesbywhichagranddistinctionisexpressedareintheiroriginveryloosetermsandetymologicallyill-fittedtothepurposethattheyareserving。

InEnglishthevillanusisthet鷑esmanor，asweshouldsay，thevillager。Andyettoallseemingthesokemanisessentiallyavillager。Whatismore，thelandwherethesokemenand\'freemen\'

livedwasalandoftruevillages，ofbigvillages，oflimitless\'openfields，\'whereasthehamletedwestwasservile。Thenagainsokemanisaveryoddterm。Ifitsignifiedthatthemantowhomitisappliedwasalwaysthejusticiableofthelordtowhomhewascommended，wecouldunderstandit。Evenifthismanwerealwaysthejusticiableofacourtthathadpassedintoprivatehands，wecouldstillunderstandit。Butapparentlythereareplentyofsokemenwhosesoke\'is\'or\'lies\'inthosehundredcourtsthathavenolordbuttheking。Thebestguessthatwecanmakeastothemannerinwhichtheyhaveacquiredtheirnameisthatinanagewhichisbeingpersuadedthatsome\'service\'mustbedonebyeveryonewhoholdsland，suitofcourtappearsastheonlyservicethatisdonebyallthesemen。Theymayoweotherservices；buttheyallowesuitofcourt。Ifsowemayseetheirlegalsuccessorsinthosefreeholdersofthetwelfthcenturywhoare\'acquitting\'theirlordsandtheirvillagesbydoingsuitatthenationalcourts。(31*)Butwhenanewforcecomesintoplay(andthetributetothepiratewasanewandapowerfulforce)

newlinesofdemarcationmustbedrawn，newclassesofmenmustbeformedandwordswillbeborrowedforthepurposewithlittlecareforetymologicalniceties。Onelargeandwidely-spreadclassmayfindanameforitselfinadistrictwheretheordinary\'townsmen\'orvillagersarenolongertreatedastaxpayersresponsibletothestate，whilesomepracticepeculiartoasmallpartofthecountrymayconferthenameof\'sokemen\'onthosetillersofthesoilwhoareratedtothegeld。Wearenotarguingthatthisdistinction，evenwhenitfirstemerged，impliednothingthatconcernedtheeconomicpositionofthevilleinandthesokeman。Themostdependentpeasantswouldnaturallybethepeoplewhocouldnotbedirectlychargedwiththegeld，andthepeasantswhocouldnotpaythegeldwouldnaturallybecomedependentonthosewhowouldpayitforthem；stillwearenotentitledtoassumethatthefiscalschemeaccuratelymirroredtheeconomicfacts，orthatthevaryingpracticeofdifferentmootsanddifferentcollectorsmaynothavestampedasthevilleinsofoneshirethosewhowouldhavebeenthesokemenofanother。(32*)

Bethisasitmay，anytheoryofEnglishhistorymustfacethefree，thelordless，villageandmustaccountforitasforoneofthenormalphenomenawhichexistedintheyearofgrace1066。HowcommonitwasweshallneverknowuntilthematerialcontainedinDomesdayBookhasbeengeographicallyrearrangedbycounties，hundredsandvills。Butwhethercommonornot，itwasnormal，justasnormalasthevillagewhichwascompletelysubjecttoseignorialpower。Wehavebeforeusvillageswhich，takenaswholes，havenolords。Whatismore，itseemsobviousenoughthat，unlesstherehasbeensomegreatcatastropheinthepast，someinsurrectionofthepeasantsorthelike，thevillageofOrwellandothervillagesmightbenamedbythedozen——hasneverhadalord。Suchlordshipsasexistinitareplainlynottherelicsofadominionwhichhasbeensplitupamongdiverspersonsbytheactionofgiftsandinheritances。ThesokemenorOrwellhaveworshippedeveryrisingsun。Onehascommendedhimselftotheill-fatedHarold，anothertotheill-fatedWaltheof，athirdhaschosentheMercianAElfgar，afourthhasplacedhimselfundertheaspiringArchbishop；yetallarefreeto\'withdraw。\'Wehavehereaveryfreevillageindeed，foritsmembersenjoyafreedomofwhichnofreeholderofthethirteenthcenturywouldevendream，andinacertainsensewehavehereafreevillagecommunity。Howmuchcommunalismisthere？Ofthismostdifficultquestiononlyafewwordswillnowbesaid，forourguessesaboutremoteageswewillyetawhilereserve。

Inthefirstplace，wecannotdoubtthatthe\'openfieldsystem\'ofagricultureprevailsaswellinthefreevillagesasinthosethatareunderthecontrolofalord。Thesokeman\'shideorvirgateisnoring-fenced\'close\'butiscomposedofmanyscatteredstrips。Again，wecanhardlydoubtthatthepracticeof\'co-aration\'prevailed。Thesokemanhadseldombeastsenoughtomakeupateam。Itiswellknownthatthewholeschemeofland-measurementswhichrunsthroughDomesdayBookisbaseduponthetheorythatlandisploughedbyteamsofeightoxen。Itisperhapspossiblethatsmallerteamsweresometimesemployed；butwhenwereadthatacertainman\'alwaysploughedwiththreeoxen，\'(33*)orused\'toploughwithtwooxenbutnowploughswithhalfateam，\'(34*)or\'usedtoploughwithateambutnowploughswithtwooxen，\'(35*)wearereading，notofsmallteams，butofthenumberofoxenthatthemaninquestioncontributedtowardstheteamofeightthatwasmadeupbyhimandhisneighbours。

WhenofapieceoflandinBedfordshireitissaidthat\'oneoxploughsthere，\'thismeansthatthelandinquestionsuppliesbutoneoxinateamofeight；(36*)andhereandnotinanymonstrousbirthdowefindtheexplanationof\'terraestdimidiobovietibiestsemibos\'：(37*)——thereisasixteenthpartofateamlandanditstenantalongwithsomeothermanprovidesanox。Theremayhavebeenlightploughsaswellasheavyploughs，buttheheavyploughmusthavebeenextremelycommon，sincetheterm\'ploughteam\'(caruca)seemsinvariablytomeanateamofeight。