第7章

Thenonenotablecasemeetsoureyeinwhichtheownershipofland，ofarableland，seemstobeattributedtoavillagecommunity。InGoldington，avillageinBedfordshire，Walternowholdsahide；thereislandforoneteamandmeadowforhalfateam。\'Themenofthevillheldthislandincommonandcouldsellit。\'(38*)ApparentlythemenofthevillwereAElfwinSac，amanoftheBishopofLincolnwhoheldhalfateam-landand\'coulddowhathelikedwithit，\'ninesokemenwhoheldthreeteam-landsbetweenthem，threeothersokemenwhoheldthreeteam-lands，andAElfmaer，amanofAsgilwhoheldthreeteam-lands。(39*)Howitcameaboutthatthesemen，besidesholdinglandinseveralty，heldatractincommon，wearelefttoguess。Norcanwesaywhethersuchacasewasusualorunusual。VeryofteninLittleDomesdaywemeetanentrywhichtellshowxfreemenheldyacresandhadzteams；forexample，how15freemenheld40acresandhad2teams。(40*)Ingeneralwemaywellsupposethateachofthemheldhisstripsinseveralty，butwedarenotsaythatsuchaphraseneverpointstoco-ownership。

Thenastosuchpartofthelandasisnotarable：——Eveninthefreevillageafewenclosedmeadowswillprobablybefound；

butthepasturegroundliesopenfor\'thecattleofthevill。\'Atthedateofthesurvey，thoughseveralNormanlordshaveestatesinonevill，thecommonformulausedinconnexionwitheachestateis，not\'thereispastureforthecattleofthismanor，orofthisland，\'but\'thereispastureforthecattleofthevill。\'

Occasionallywereadof\'commonpastureinacontextwhichshowsthatthepastureiscommonnottoseveralmanoriallordsbuttothevilleinsofonelord。(41*)InthehundredofColenessinSuffolkthereisapasturewhichiscommontoallthemenofthehundred。(42*)But，asmightbeexpected，wehearlittleofthemodeinwhichpasturerightswereallottedorregulated。Suchrightswereprobablytreatedasappurtenancesofthearableland：——

\'ThecanonsofWalthamclaimasmuchwoodasbelongstoonehide。\'(43*)Iftherightsofuserareknown，noonecaresaboutthebareownershipofpasturelandorwoodland：——itisallonewhetherwesaythatEarlEdwinisentitledtoonethirdofacertainwoodortoeverythirdoakthatgrowstherein。(44*)

Sometimestheownershipofamillisdividedintosomanysharesthatwearetemptedtothinkthatthismillhasbeenerectedatthecostofthevill。InSuffolkafreemanholdsalittlemaneriumwhichiscomposedof24acresofland，11/2

acresofmeadowand\'afourthpartofthemillineverythirdyear。\'(45*)：——hetakeshisturnwithhisneighboursintheenjoymentoftherevenueofthemill。Wemayevenbeledtosuspectthattheparishchurcheshavesometimesbeentreatedasbelongingtothemenofthevillwhohavesubscribedtoerectortoendowthem。InSuffolkatwelfthpartofachurchbelongstoapettymaneriumwhichcontains30acresandiscultivatedbytwobordierswithasingleteam。(46*)Whenaparishchurchgetsitsvirgatebythe\'charityoftheneighbours，\'(47*)whenninefreemengiveittwentyacresforthegoodoftheirsouls，(48*)wemayseeinthissometraceofcommunalaction。

Incidentallywemaynoticethatthesystemofvirgateholdingsseemsquitecompatiblewithanabsenceofseignorialcontrol。Inthefreevillage，forexampleinOrwell，weshalloftenfindthatonemanhastwice，thriceorfourtimesasmuchasanotherman：——thesameisthecaseinthemanorializedvillagesofMiddlesex，whereavilleinmayhaveasmuchasahideoraslittleasahalf-virgate；butalltheholdingswillbear，atleastintheory，somesimplerelationtoeachother。ThusinOrwellthevirgatesaredividedintothirdsandquarters，andinseveralinstancesamanhasfourthirdsofavirgate。InEssexandEastAnglia，thoughwemayfindmanyirregularandmanyverysmallholdings，tenementsof60，45，40，30，20，15acresarefarcommonerthantheywouldbewereitnotthataunitof120acreswillveryeasilybreakintosuchpieces。DomesdayBooktakesnonoticeoffamilylawandits\'venderepotuit\'merelyexcludestheinterferenceofthelordanddoesnotimplythatamanisatlibertytodisappointhisexpectantheirs。Verypossiblytherehasbeenamongthesmallfolkbutlittlegivingorsellingofland。

Norisalawwhichgivesthedeadman\'slandtoallhissonsasco-heirsasufficientforcetodestroythesystemofhidesandvirgateswhenonceitisestablishedbysomeoriginalallotment。

Inthehigherranksofsocietyweseelargegroupsofthegnsholdinglandincommon，holdingastheNormanssay\'inparage。\'

Wecanhardlydoubtthattheyareco-heirsholdinganinheritancethathasnotbeenphysicallypartitioned。(49*)Sometimesitissaidofasinglemanthatheholdsinparage。(50*)Thisgivesusavaluablehint。Holdinginparageimpliesthatoneofthe\'pares，\'oneoftheparceners——asageneralrulehewouldbetheeldestofthem——isanswerabletokingandlordfortheservicesduefromtheland，whilehisfellowsareboundonlytohim；theymusthelphimtodischargedutiesforwhichheisprimarilyresponsible。(51*)Thisseemstheimportofsuchpassagesasthefollowing——\'Fivethegnsheldtwobovates；oneofthemwasthesenior[theelder，andwemayalmostsaythelord]oftheothers\'(52*)——\'Eightthegnsheldthismanor；oneofthemAlli，amanofKingEdward，wasthesenioroftheothers\'(53*)——\'Godricandhisbrothersheldthreecarucates；

twoofthemservedthethird\'(54*)——\'ChetelandTurverwerebrothersandafterthedeathoftheirfathertheydividedtheland，butsothatChetelindoingtheking\'sserviceshouldhavehelpfromTurverhisbrother\'(55*)——\'Siwate，Alnod，FenchelandAschildividedthelandoftheirfatherequally，andtheyheldinsuchwisethatiftherewereneedforattendanceintheking\'shostandSiwatecouldgo，hisbrothersweretoaidhim[withmoneyandprovisions]；andonthenextoccasionanotherbrotherwastogoandSiwateliketherestwastohelphim；andsoondownthelist；butSiwatewastheking\'sman。\'(56*)Nodoubtsimilararrangementsweremadebyco-heirsoflowlierstation。(57*)Theintegrityofthetenementismaintainedthoughseveralmenhaveaninterestinit。Inrelationtothelordandthestateoneofthemrepresentshisfellows。Whenthesharesbecomeverysmall，someoftheclaimantsmightbeboughtoutbytheothers。(58*)

But，toreturntothevillage，wemustoncemorenoticethattheCanonsofStPaul\'shavelettheirmanorofWillesdentothevilleins。(59*)Thisleadsustospeculateastotheincidenceandcollectionofthosegreatprovenderrentsofwhichwereadwhenroyalmanorsaredescribed。InKingEdward\'sdayaroyalmanorisoftenchargedwiththewholeorsomealiquotshareofa\'onenight\'sfarm，\'thatisoneday\'svictualfortheking\'shousehold。Definiteamountsofbread，cheese，malt，meat，beer，honey，woolhavetobesupplied；thus，forexample，Cheltenhammustfurnishthreethousandloavesfortheking\'sdogsandKing\'sBartonmustdothelike。(60*)ThentooEdwardthesheriffreceivesastheprofitsoftheshrievaltyofWiltshire，130pigs，32bacons，certainquantitiesofwheat，malt，oats，andhoney，400chicken，1600eggs，100cheeses，100lambs，52fleeces。(61*)

Betweenthekingandthemenofthemanor，nodoubttherestandsafarmer，eitherthesherifforsomeotherperson，whoisboundtosupplytheduequantityofprovender；buttosaythatthisissodoesnotsolvetheproblemthatisbeforeus。Wehavestilltoaskhowthisduequantityisobtainedfromthemenofthevillage。Itisaquantitywhichcanbeexpressedbyroundfigures；itis3000dog-cakes，orthelike。Wedonotarriveattheseprettyresultsbyaddinguptherentsduefromindividuals。

Again，justinthecountieswhichareinthehomesoffreedomwehearmuchofsumsofmoneythatarepaidtoalordbywayoffreewilloffering。(62*)InNorfolkandSuffolkthevillagerswillgiveayearlygersuma，inLincolntheywillpayayearlytailla，andthiswillbeaneatroundsum；veryoftenitis20shillings，or40or10。

Inthisparticularweseemtoseeanincreaseofsomethingthatmaybecalledcommunalism，aswegobackwards。Ofcourseinthecartulariesofalateragewemaydiscoverroundsumsofmoneywhich，underthenamesof\'tallage\'or\'aid\'areimposeduponthevillasawhole；butingeneralwemayaccepttherulethattributestobepaidbythevillasawhole，inmoneyorinkind，arenotofrecentorigin。Theyaremoreprominentintheoldestthaninotherdocuments。Asexamples，wemaynoticethe\'cornage\'oftheBoldonBook——onevillrenders20shillings，another30shillingsforcornage；(63*)alsothecontributionsofsheep，poultry，breadandclothwhichthevillsofPeterboroughAbbeybringtothemonksonthefestivaloftheirpatronsaint-onevillsupplyingtenramsandtwentyellsofcloth，anotherfourrams，fiveellsofcloth，tenchickenandthreehundredloaves。(64*)Butthenwehavetonoticethatavillagewhichhastopayaprovenderrentorevenataillaorgersumaisnotaltogetherafreevillage。Itscommunalactioniscalledoutbyseignorialpressure。

Andaswegobackwardsthetownshipseemstolosesuchdefinitenessasisgiventoitbythepolicelawofthethirteenthcentury。(65*)Thiswastobeexpected，forsuchlawimpliesapowerful，centralizedstate，whichsendsitsjusticesroundthecountrytoamercethetownshipsandcompeltheselocalcommunitiestodotheirduties。OnceandonceonlydoesthetownshipappearintheAnglo-Saxondooms。ThisisinalawofEdgar。Ifamanwhoisonajourneybuyscattle，thenonhisreturnhomehemustturnthemontothecommonpasture，\'withthewitnessofthetownship。\'Ifhefailstodoso，thenafterfivenightsthetownsmenaretogiveinformationtotheelderofthehundred，andinthatcasetheyandtheircattle-herdwillbefreeofblame，andthemenwhobroughtthecattleintothetownwillforfeitthem，halftothelordandhalftothehundred。If，ontheotherhand，thetownsmenfailinthedutyofgivinginformation，theirherdwillpayforitwithhisskin。(66*)Thetownshiphasverylittleorganizationofwhichthestatecanmakeuse。Itdoesnotseemeventohavean\'elder\'orhead-man，and，fromthethreatofaflogging，wemaygatherthatitscommonherdsmanwillbeaslave。Purchasesofcattlecannotbemade\'withthewitnessofthetownship\'；thepurchaseroughttoseekouttwoorthreeofthosetwelvestandingwitnesseswhoareappointedforeveryhundred。(67*)Soagain，inthetwelfthcenturyweseethefinderofastraybeastbringingitintothevill；heconductsittothechurch-doorandtellshisstorytothepriest，thereeveandasmanyofthebestmenofthevillascanbegottogether。Thenthereevesendstothefourneighbouringvills，callsinfromeachthepriest，thereeveandthreeorfourmenandrecountsthetaleintheirpresence。Thenonthefollowingdayhegoestothehead-manofthehundredandputsthewholematterbeforehimanddeliversupthebeasttohim，unlessindeedtheplacewhereitwasfoundstrayingwaswithinthedomainofsomelordwhohadsakeandsoke。(68*)Hereagain，theorganizationofthetownshipappearstobeofamostrudimentarykind。Ithasnocourt，unlessitslordhassakeandsoke；ithasnopowertodetainanestrayforsafecustody。Inthisverysimplecaseitrequiresthehelpofothervillsandmusttransitthecausetothehundredcourt。Andsoagain，thoughtheremaybesomereasonforthinkingthatatonetimethemurderfine——thefinepayableiftheslayerofaforeignerwasnotarrested——wasprimarilyeligiblefromthevillinwhichthecorpsewasfound，thehundredbeingbutsubsidiarilyliable，stillthisruleseemstohavebeensoonabandonedandtheburdenofthefine，afinefartooheavyforasinglevill，wascastuponthehundred。(69*)Forallthis，however，thelawknewandmadeuseofthetownship。TheDomesdaycommissionersrequiredthetestimonyofthepriest，thereeveandsixvillaniofeveryvill。

Sosoonasthelawaboutsuittothehundredcourtbecomesatallplain，thesuitisdueratherfromvillsthanfrommen，andtheburdenisdischargedbythelordofthevillorhissteward，or，ifneitherofthemcanattend，thenbythepriest，thereeveandfourofthevill\'sbestmen。(70*)

Howcouldtheserequirementsbemetbyavillwhichhadnolord？ItwouldbeafairremarkthattheexistenceofsuchvillsisnotcontemplatedbytheNormanrulers。ThemenwhowillrepresentthevillbeforetheDomesdaycommissionerswillintheireyesbevillani。Thisassumptionisbecomingtrueenough。

WehaveseenOrwellfullofsokemen；in1086thereisneverasokemaninit；thereisnooneinitwhoisabovetherankofavillein。CountRogerandWalterGiffard，CountAlanandGeoffreydeMandevillecanmakesucharrangementsaboutthesuitofOrwell，thereeveshipofOrwell，astheythinkfit。EverywheretheFrenchmenareconsolidatingtheirmanors，creatingdemesnelandwheretheirEnglishantecessoreshadnone，devisingscientificfrontiers，doingwhatinthemliestomakeeveryvillamanor。Thusisevolvedthatstateofthingswhichcomesbeforeusinthethirteenthcentury。Theworkoftheforeignerswasdonesocompletelythatwecanseebutverylittleoftheinstitutionsthattheysweptaway。

Onthewhole，however，weshalldowellnottoendowthefreetownshipoftheConfessor\'sdaywithmuchorganization。Wemaybecertainthat，atleastasageneralrule，ithadnocourt；wemaydoubtverygravelywhetheritalwayshadanyelder，head-man，orreeve。Oftenitwasasmallandyetaheterogeneousandapoliticallydistractedbody。SomeofitsmembersmightbeattachedtothehouseofGodwin，somehadsworntoliveanddieforthehouseofLeofric。Justbecauseitisfreeithasfew，ifany，communalpaymentstomake。Onlyifitcomesunderasinglelordwillithavetorenderaprovenderrent，ataillaorgersuma。Asasphereforcommunalactionthereremainsonlytheregulationofthearablelands，thewoodsandwaste。Wecannotsayforcertainthatthesegivescopeformuchregulation。Thearablestripsareheldinseveralty；ifbychancesomeofthemareheldincommon，thisinallprobabilityisacaseratherofco-ownershipthanofcommunalownership。Thepasturerightsmaywellberegardedasappurtenancesofthearablestrips。Thepracticeof\'co-aration\'neednotbeenforcedbylaw。themanwhowillnothelphisneighboursmustbecontenttoseehisownlandunploughed。Thecourseofagricultureisfixedandwillnotbeoftenoreasilyaltered。The\'realism\'whichrootseveryrightanddutyinadefinitepatchofsoil，therapidconversionofnewarrangementsintoimmemorialcustoms，thepracticeoftakingturnandturnabout，thepracticeofcastinglots，thesewilldomuchtowardssettlingquestionssuchasourmodernimaginationswouldsolvebymeansofavillagecouncil。Nodoubt，fromtimetotimeanewdepartureismade；newlandisreclaimedfromthewaste，perhapsthepasturerightsarestintedorredistributed，amillisbuiltorachurchisendowed；——butallthisrequiresnoperiodicassemblies，noorganizationthatwedarecalleitherpermanentorlegal。Onceinfiveyearsorsotheremaybesomethingtobedone，anddoneitwillbebyaresolutionofthevillagerswhichisorcallsitselfaunanimousresolution。IftheCambridgeshiretownshipshadbeenland-owningcorporations，eachofthemwouldhavepassedasasingleunitintothehandsofsomeNormanbaron。Butthisdidnothappen。Onthecontrary，theNormanbaronshadtocontentthemselveswithintermixedstrips；

thestripsofAElfgar\'smenwenttoCountRoger，thestripsofEdith\'smenwenttoCountAlan。Wearefarfromdenyingtheexistenceofacommunalsentiment，ofanotionthatsomehoworanotherthemenofthevilltakenasawholeownedthelandsofthevill，butthissentiment，thisnotion，ifstrong，wasvague。

Therewerenoinstitutionsinwhichitcouldrealizeitself，therewasnoformofspeechorthoughtinwhichitcouldfindanaptexpression。Itevadedthegraspoflaw。Atthetouchofjurisprudencethetownshipbecameameregroupofindividuals，eachwithhisseparaterights。(71*)

NOTES：

1。D。B。ii。174：\'HecvillafuitinduobusmaneriisT。R。E。\'

Ibid。i。164：\'Dehis2villisfecitComesW。unummanerium。\'

2。Inquisitio，77-9。

3。Thisresultcomesoutcorrectlyif1H=4V=120A。ForthestateofthisvillT。R。W。seeRound，FeudalEngland，40。

4。HisplotatOrwellissaidtobelongtoHarlton。ThenatHarltonwefindanAchilwithsokemenunderhim，andthoughinD。

B。heisdescribedasaking\'sthegn，thisisnotincompatiblewithhisbeingthemanofHaroldforsomeofhislands。AtBarringtonAchillusDanaushomoHaroldihasaholdingof40

acres。

5。Inquisitio，86。

6。Ibid。68。

7。Ibid。43，44，45，73，76。

8。D。B。i。195。

9。D。B。i。139：\'Deconsuetudine1averaminveniebatcumRexinscyraveniebat，sinon5den。reddebat。\'D。B。i。190，\'[SochemanniinFuleberne]redduntperannum8librasarsasetpensatasetunoquoqueanno12equoset12inguardossiRexinvicecomitatuveniret，sinonveniret12sol。et8den。；T。R。E。

nonreddebantvicecomitinisiaverasetinguardosvel12sol。et8den。etsuperplusinvasitPicot[vicecomes]superRegem。\'

10。Wratworthhascompletelydisappearedfromthemodernmap；itsterritoryseemstobeincludedinthatofthepresentOrwell。SeeRot。Hund。ii。559andLysons，MagnaBritannia，ii。243。AsmallhamletcalledMaltonseemstorepresentit。Whitwellalsoisnolongerthenameofavillage，whilethemodernCotonisnotmentionedinD。B。ThereisnowaWhitwellFarmnearthevillageofCoton，butintheparishofBarton。ThemodernCotondoesnotseemtobetheancientWhitwell，foronSubsidyRollswemayfindWhitwellannexedtoBartonandCotontoGrantchester。

11。ThefiguresinourfirstcolumnrepresentthedivisionofthevillamongtheNormanlords。H。V。A。standforHides，Virgates，Acres。ByC。andB。wesignifytheCarucaeandBovesforwhich\'therewasland。\'

12。Thereissomesmallerrorinthiscase。

13。Asmallconjecturalemendation。

14。TheInq。Com。Cant。says6hides。

15。Anerrorofonehideintheparticulars。Thetworecordsdonotfullyagree。

16。AsmallemendationjustifiedbyInq。Eliensis(Hamilton，p。

110)。

17。AElfgardiedbeforeKingEdward；Freeman，NormanConquest，ed。3，iii。469，placeshisdeathinorabout1062。

18。ThehistoryoftheearldomsduringEdward\'sreignisexceedinglyobscure。SeeFreeman\'selaboratenote：Ibid。，555。InparticularCambridgeshireseemstohavelainnowinoneandnowinanotherearldom。ThusitcomesaboutthatCambridgeshiresokemenarecommendedsometoAElfgar，sometoWaltheof，sometoHarold，sometoGyrth。AElfgar，forexample，hadatonetimebeenearlinEastAnglia。Menwhohadcommendedthemselvestoanearlwould，unlessthey\'withdrewthemselves，\'stillbehismenthoughhehadceasedtobeearloftheircounty。

19。Seeabove，p。137。Observehowfrequentlyourrecordspeaksof\'sochemannihominesAlgari\'andthelike。These。sokemenareAElfgar\'smen；butarenotproperlyhissokemen。

20。Inq。Com。Cant。110。ThisisfromtheInquisitioEliensis。

Comparep。113。

21。Inq。Com。Cant。77-8。

22。Rot。Hund。ii。558。

23。Oneinstancemaysuffice。InSawston(Rot。Hund。ii。575-80)

arethreemanors，A，B，C；Ahasasub-manor。OneThomasDovenelholdsinvilleinageofthelordofA；invilleinageofthelordofB；infreeholdofthelordofB；infreeholdofatenantofthelordofB；infreeholdofatenantofatenantofthelordofB。

24。Rot。Hund。ii。580。

25。Onfouroutofthefivemanorstherentis2s。3d。；onthefifth3s。0d。

26。Inq。Com。Cant。41。

27。D。B。i。137b。

28。D。B。i。141b。

29。Inq。Com。Cant。pp。108-110。AsnamesoftheAbbotofEly\'swehaveGrimmus，sokemeninMeldrethandneighbouringvillageswehaveGrimmus，AlsiCild，Wenesi，Alsi，Leofwinus，AEdricus，Godwinus，Almarus，AluricusfraterGoduuini，AEdriz，AlsiBerd，AlricusGodingessune，Wenestan，AlwinBlondus，Alfuuinus，Aluredus，AlricusBrunesune，Alware，Hunud，Hunwinus，Brizstanus。

ThisdoesnotpointtoapreponderanceofNorseorDanishblood。

30。OwingtothewastedconditionofYorkshire，theinformationthatweobtainoftheT。R。E。ismeagreandperfunctory。Butwhatseemscharacteristicofthiscountyisaholdingoftwoorthreeploughlandswhichwemightfairlycallanembryomanor。

31。SeetheearlyextentsinCart。Rams。iii。Thus(242)atHemingford：\'R。V。tenettresvirgatasetdimidiametsequiturhundredumetcomitatum……R。H。tenetduasvirgatasetsequiturhundredumetcomitatum。\'Elsworth(249)：\'R。filiusT。duasvirgatas。Proalterasequiturcomitatumethundredum；proalterasolvitquinquesolidos。\'Brancaster(261)：\'CnutusavusPetritenebatterramsuamlibereintemporeRegisHenricietsequebaturcomitatumethundredum，etfuitquietusabomniservitio。\'SeealsoVinogradoff，Villainage，441ff。

32。SomethirtyyearsagothewholepoliticalworldofEnglandwasagitatedbycontroversyaboutthe\'compoundhouseholder。\'Washetohaveavote？Thehistorianofthenineteenthcenturywillnottreatthecompoundhouseholdersasformingonehomogeneousclassofmenwhosegeneralstatuscouldbemarkedofffromthatofotherclasses。Nor，itistobehoped，willetymologicalguessesleadhimtobelievethatthecompoundhouseholderheldacompoundhouse。Hewillsaythatalandlord\'compoundedfor\'theratesoftheaforesaidhouseholder。Mutatismutandis，maynotthevilleinhavebeenthecompoundhouseholderoftheeleventhcentury？

33。D。B。ii。204：\'3liberihomines……semperarantcum3

bobus。\'

34。D。B。ii。184b。

35。D。B。ii。192b。

36。D。B。i。211。

37。D。B。i。218b。Comparethe\'dimidiusporcus\'ofii。287。

38。D。B。i。213b；\'Hancterramtenuerunthominesvillaecommuniteretvenderepotuerunt。\'

39。D。B。i。210，212b，213b。

40。D。B。i。214：\'InMeldoneJohannesdeRochesoccupavitiniuste25acrassuperhominesquivillamtenent。\'Thisisavaguephrase。

41。e。g。D。B。i。112b：\'ColsuenhomoEpiscopiConstantiensisaufertabhocmaneriocommunempasturamquaeibiadiacebatT。R。

E。etetiamT。R。W。quinqueannis。\'

42。D。B。ii。339b。

43。D。B。i。I40b。

44。D。B。i。75：\'terciaveroparsvelterciaquercuseratComitisEduini。\'

45。D。B。ii。404b：\'etintercioannoquartaparsmol[endini]。\'

46。D。B。ii。291b。

47。D。B。ii。24b。

48。D。B。ii。438。

49。D。B。i。83：\'sextainiinparagio，\'\'quatuortainiinparagio。\'Ibid。83b：\'novemtainiinparagio。\'Ibid。168b：

\'quinquefratrestenueruntpro5maneriisetpoterantirequovolebantetpareserant。\'

50。D。B。i。96b：\'dim。hidaquamtenebatT。R。E。unustainusinparagio。\'Ibid。40：\'Brictrictenuitdeepiscopoinparagio。\'

51。Butitwaspossibleforseveralmentobeholdinginparageandyetforeachofthemtohaveaseparatemanerium。Thisseemstoimplythattheirholdingswerephysicallyseparateandthateachholdingwasseparatelyliableforgeld，thoughasregardsothermatters，e。g。militaryservice，thedivisionwasignored。

52。D。B。i。291。

53。D。B。i。145b。

54。D。B。i。341。

55。D。B。i。354。

56。D。B。i。375b：\'SiuuateetAlnodetFencheletAschilequaliteretpariliterdiviseruntinterseterrampatrissuiT。

R。E。etitatenueruntutsiOpUsfuitexpeditioneRegisetSiuuatepotuitire，aliifratresiuverunteum。Postistum，ivitalteretSiuuatecumreliquisiuviteum；etsicdeomnibus。

SiuuatetamenfuithomoRegis。\'

57。D。B。i。206：\'sexsochemanniidestAluuolduset5fratreseiushabuerunt4hid。etdim。adgeldum。\'

58。D。B。i。233：\'Hancterramtenuerunt2fratrespro2

maneriis，etposteaemitalterabalteropartemsuametfecitunummaneriumdeduobusT。R。E。\'

59。D。B。i。127b：\'Hocmaneriumtenentvillaniadfirmamcanonicorum。\'

60。D。B。i。162b。

61。D。B。i。69。

62。D。B。ii。118bYarmouth：\'Degersumahas4librasdantburgensesgratisetamicitia。\'

63。ThusD。B。iv。568：\'Duevillereddunt30sol。decornagio。\'

Ib。570：Queryngdonshirereddit76sol。decornagio。\'

64。BlackBookofPeterborough，passim。

65。Hist。Engl。Law，i。550。

66。Edgariv。8。9。

67。Ibid。6。

68。Leg。Edw。Conf。24。

69。Leg。Edw。Conf。15。CompareLeg。Henr。91；Leg。Will。Conq。

i。22；Leg。WillConq。iii。3

70。Leg。Henr。7sect。7。

71。Itispossiblethattheentry(i。204)whichtellshowthesokemenofBroughtonenjoyedthesmallerwitespointstoafreevillagecourt；butwehaveputanotherinterpretationuponthis；

seeabove，p。130。

8。TheFeudalSuperstructureItremainsthatweshouldspeakverybrieflyofthehigherranksofmenandthetenurebywhichtheyheldtheirland。Littleaccurateinformationcanbeextortedfromourrecord。TheupperstoreysoftheoldEnglishedificehavebeendemolishedandanewsuperstructurehasbeenrearedintheirstead。ItisnottheofficeofDomesdayBooktotellusmuchevenofthenewnobility，oftheserviceswhichthecountsandbaronsaretorendertothekinginreturnfortheirhandsomeendowments：——astotheoldnobility，thathasperished。Stilltherearesomequestionsthatweoughttoask。

Thegeneraltheorythatalllandtenure，exceptindeedthetenurebywhichthekingholdslandindemesne，isdependenttenure，seemstobeimplied，notonlybymanyparticularentries，butalsobythewholeschemeofthebook。Everyholderofland，excepttheking，holdsitof(de)somelord，andthereforeeveryacreoflandthatisnotroyaldemesnecanbearrangedunderthenameofsometenantinchief。Evenachurchwillholditsland，ifnotoftheking，thenofsomeotherlord。(1*)Thetermsofthetenurearebutveryrarelydescribed，forDomesdayBookisnofeodary。Justnowandagainatenureinelemosinaisnoticedandinsomeofthesecasesthistermseemsalreadytobearthetechnicalsensethatitwillhaveinlaterdays；thetenantowesaspiritual，butnosecularservice。(2*)Afewinstancesofwhatlaterlawyerswouldcalla\'tenurebydivineservice，\'asdistinctfromatenureinfrank-almoin，maybefound。(3*)Afewwordshereandtherebetraytheexistenceoftenurebyknight\'sserviceandofcastleguard。(4*)IntheservientesRegiswhohavebeenenfeoffedindiverscountieswemayseethepredecessorsofthetenantsbyserjeanty。(5*)Weshallremark，however，theabsenceofthoseabstracttermswhicharetobecomethenamesofthevarioustenures。Wereadofservientes，sochemanni，villani，burgenses，butnotofseriantia，(6*)socagium，villenagium，burgagium。Aswepursueourretrogressivecoursethroughthemiddleages，wedonotfindthatthelawofpersonalconditionbecomesmoreandmoredistinctfromthelawoflandtenure；onthecontrary，thetwobecomelessandlessseparable。

IthassometimesbeensaidthatafeudaltenurewastheonlykindoflandtenurethattheNormanconquerorscouldconceive。Inacertainsensethismaybetrue，butweshouldhavepreferredtosaythatprobablytheycouldnoteasilyconceiveakindoftenurethatwasnotdependent：——everyonewhoholdsland(excepthebetheking)holdsitofsomeoneelse。Theadjective\'feudal\'wasnotintheirvocabulary，andtheiruseofthewordfeudum——

occasionallywemeettheolderfeum(7*)——isexceedinglyobscure。Veryrarelydoesitdenoteatenureoramassofrights；

usually，thoughitmayconnoterightsofacertainorder，itdenotesastretchofland；thuswemayreadofthefeeoftheBishopofBayeux，therebybeingmeanttheterritorywhichthebishopholds。Occasionally，however，wehearofamanholdinglandinfeudo。Oneinstancemaybeenoughtoshowthatsuchaphrasedidnotimplymilitarytenure：——\'WilliamtheChamberlainheldthismanorinfeudooftheQueen[Matilda]atarentof？ayearandafterherdeathhehelditinthesamefashionoftheking。\'(8*)Allsenseofmilitariness，andallsenseofprecariousness，thatthewordhaseverhadinitscontinentalhistory，seemstobedisappearing。Alreadytheprocesshasbegunwhichwillmakeitapplicabletoeverypersonwhohasheritablerightsinland。WilliamtheChamberlainis，wetakeit，alreadyafeefarmer，thatis，arent-payingtenantwithheritablerights。(9*)Astothewordbeneficium，whichfeumorfeudumhasbeensupplanting，weshallhardlyfinditwithitsoldmeaning。

Itseemstobeholdingitsownonlvwithinthesphereofecclesiasticalrights，wherethe\'benefice\'willsurviveuntilourownday。(10*)

Ayetmoreinterestingandequallyforeignwordisnotunfrequentlyused，namely，alodium。TheNormancommissionersdeemedthatalargenumberofEnglishtenantsinKent，Sussex，SurreyandHampshireandsomeinBerkshirehadbeenalodiariioraloariiandhadheldinalodiumorsicutalodium。Theappearanceofthisterminonedistrictandlnoneonlyisfarfromprovingthattherehadbeenanythingpeculiarinthelawofthatdistrict。Itmaywellbeamerechancethattheliberihominesofothercountiesarenotcalledalodiaries。StillinHampshire，wherealod韆r韊sabounded，itwasnoteveryfreemanholdinglandwhohadanalod。(11*)Perhapsweshallberightinthinkingthatthetermpointedtoheritability：——thefreemanwhoholdslandbuthasnoalodhasonlyanestateforlife。Certainlyitdoesnotmeanthatthetenanthasnolord。Thealodiarymayholdhisalod\'of\'hislord\'。(12*)hemayoweserviceto，hislord。(13*)

hemaypayarelief。(14*)hemayhavenopower\'towithdrawhimselfwithhisland\'fromhislord。(15*)TheNormanlawyershadnospeculativeobjectiontotheexistenceofalodiaries；itinnowaycontradictedsuchdoctrineoftenureastheyhadformed。In1086therewerestillalodiariesinBerkshire，(16*)andinroyalchartersofamuchlaterdaythereistalkofthealodiariesofKentasofanexistingclass。(17*)ItisjustpossiblethatWilliam\'scommissionerssawsomedifferencebetweenholdinginfeudoandholdinginalodio。Ifevertheycontrastedthetwowords，theymayhavehintedthatwhilethefeudumhasbeengivenbythelordtotheman，thealodiumhasbeenbroughtbythemantothelord；butwecannotbeverycertainthattheyeveropposedthesetermstoeachother。(18*)SuchsparseevidenceaswecanobtainfromNormandystrengthensourbeliefthatthewide，thealmostinsuperable，gulfthatmoderntheoristshavefoundorhavesetbetween\'alodialownership\'and\'feudaltenure\'wasnotperceptibleintheeleventhcentury。(19*)ItcanbenopartofourtasktotracethehistoryofthesetermsalodiumandfeudumbehindthedateatwhichtheyarebroughtintoEnglandbuthereafterweshallseethathereinEnglandaprocesshadbeenatworkwhich，hadthesetermsbeeninuse，wouldhavebroughtthealodveryneartothefeud，thefeudveryneartothealod。

ItisprobablethatthisprocesshadgonesomewhatfurtherinNormandythaninEngland。ItisprobablethattheNormansknewthatinimposinguponallEnglishlands\'theformulaofdependenttenure\'theyweresimplifyingmatters。Theyseemtothink，andtheymaybeprettyrightinthinking，thateveryEnglishland-holderhadheldhislandunder(sub)somelord；butapparentlytheydonotthinkthateveryEnglishland-holderhadheldhislandof(de)somelord。Notinfrequentlytheyshowthatthisisso。ThusoneSigarholdsapieceofCambridgeshireofGeoffreydeMandeville；heusedtoholditunderAEsgartheStaller。(20*)Wecatchaslightshadeofdifferencebetweenthetwoprepositions；sublaysstressonthelord\'spower，whichmaywellbeofapersonalorjusticiary，ratherthanofaproprietarykind，whiledeimportsatheoryabouttheoriginofthetenure；

itmakesthetenant\'srightslooklikederivativerights：——itissupposedthathegetshislandfromhislord。Andatleastintheeasterncounties——soitmaywellhaveseemedtotheNormans——matterssadlyneededsimplification。Evenelsewhereandwhenalargeestateisatstaketheycannotalwaysgetananswertothequestion\'Ofwhomwasthislandholden？(21*)Stilltheythoughtthatsomeofthegreatestmenintherealmhadheldtheirlands，orsomeoftheirlands，ofthekingorofsomeoneelse。TheformulaswhichareusedthroughoutthedescriptionofHampshireandsomeothercountiesseemtoassumethateveryholderofamanor，atalleventsifalayman，hadhelditoftheking，ifhedidnotholditofanotherlord。Tenureinfeudoagaintheyregardedasnoinnovation。(22*)Theysawtheworkofsubinfeudation：——BrihtmaerheldlandofAzorandAzorofHarold；wemaywellsupposethatHaroldhelditofthekingandthatsomevilleinsheldpartofitofBrihtmaer，andthusweseealreadyafeudalladderwithnolessthanfiverungs。(23*)Theysawthatthethegnsowed\'service\'totheirlords。(24*)Theysawtheheriot；theysometimescalleditarelief。(25*)Wecannotbesurethatthischangeofnamesimportedanychangeinthelaw；

whenaburgessofHereforddiedthekingtookaheriot，butifhecouldnotgettheheriothetookthedeadman\'sland。(26*)Theysawthatincertaincasesanheirhadto\'seek\'hisancestor\'slordifhewishedtoenjoyhisancestor\'sland。(27*)Theysawthatmanyafreemancouldnotgiveorsellhislandwithouthislord\'sconsent。Theysawthatgreatandpowerfulmencouldnotgiveorselltheirlandwithouttheking\'sconsent。(28*)

Theysawsomethingverylikemilitarytenure。NomatterwithwhichwehavetodealisdarkerthantheconstitutionoftheEnglisharmyontheeveofitsdefeat。WemayindeedsafelybelievethatnoEnglishkinghadeverrelinquishedtherighttocalluponallthefreemenofhisrealmtoresistaninvader。Ontheotherhand，itseemsquiteclearthat，asamatteroffact，\'thehost\'wasnolonger\'thenationinarms。\'Thecommonfolkofashirecouldhardlybegottofightoutsidetheirshire，andill-armedtroopsofpeasantswerenowoflittleavail。Theonlyarmyuponwhichthekingcouldhabituallyrelywasasmallforce。

ThecityofOxfordsentbuttwentymenortwentypounds。(29*)

Leicestersenttwelvemen：(30*)Warwicksentten。(31*)InBerkshirethelawwasthat，ifthekingcalledoutthehost，onesoldier(miles)shouldgoforeveryfivehidesandshouldreceivefromeachhidefourshillingsashisstipendfortwomonths\'

service。Ifthemanwhowassummonedmadedefault，heforfeitedallhislandtotheking；buttherewerecasesinwhichhemightsendoneofhismenasasubstitute，andforadefaultcommittedbyhissubstitutehesufferednoforfeiture，butonlyafineoffiftyshillings。(32*)Itisprobablethatasimilar\'five-hiderule\'obtainedthroughoutalargepartofEngland。TheboroughofWiltonwasboundtosendtwentyshillingoroneman\'asforanhonouroffivehides。\'(33*)Whenanarmyorafleetwascalledout，Exeter\'servedtotheamountoffivehides。\'(34*)Allthispointstoasmallforceofwellarmedsoldiers。Forexample，\'thefive-hiderule\'wouldbesatisfiedifWorcestershiresentacontingentof240men。Butnotonlywasthearmysmall；itwasaterritorialarmy；itgrewoutofthesoil。

Atfirstsightthis\'five-hiderule\'mayseemtohaveinitlittlethatisakintoafeudalsystemofknights\'fees。Wemaysupposethatitwillworkthus：——Thehostissummoned；thenumberofhidesineachhundredisknown。Todispatchacompanyofsoldiersproportionedtothenumberofthehides，forexampletwentywarriorsifthehundredcontainsjustonehundredhides，isthebusinessofthehundredcourtandthequestion\'Whomustgo？\'willbeansweredbyelection，rotationorlot。Butitisnotprobablethattheterritorializingprocesswillstophere，andthisforseveralreasons。Anarmythatcannotbemobilizedwithouttheactionofthehundredmootsisnotahandyforce。

Whilethehundredorsaredeliberating，theDanesorWelshmenwillbeburningandslaying。Alsoakingwillnoteasilybecontentwiththeresponsibilityofafluctuatingandindeterminatebodyofhundredors；hewillinsist，ifhecan，thattheremustbesomeonepersonanswerabletohimforeachunitofmilitarypower。A

serviceablesystemwillnothavebeenestablisheduntilthecountryisdividedinto\'five-hideunits，\'untileveryman\'sholdingissuchanunit，oriscomposedofseveralsuchunits，orisanaliquotshareofsuchanunit。Thenagaintheholdingswithwhichtherulewillhavetodealarenothomogeneous；theyarenotallofoneandthesameorder。Itisnotasthoughtoeachplotoflandtherecorrespondedsomeonepersonwhowastheonlypersoninterestedinit；theoccupiersofthesoilhavelordsandagainthoselordshavelords。Thekingwillinsist，ifhecan，thatthelordswhostandhighinthisscalemustanswertohimfortheservicethatisduefromallthelandsoverwhichtheyexerciseadominion，andthenhewillleavethemfreetosettle，asbetweenthemselvesandtheirdependants，theultimateincidenceoftheburden：——thusroomwillbemadefortheplayoffreecontract。Atallevents，when，asisnotunusual，somelordisthelordofawholehundredandofitscourt，thekingwillregardhimaspersonallyliablefortheproductionofthewholecontingentthatisduefromthathundred。Inthiswayasystemwillbeevolvedwhichformanypracticalpurposeswillbeindistinguishablefromthesystemofknights\'fees，andallthiswithoutanyhelpfromthedefinitelyfeudalideathatmilitaryserviceisthereturnwhichthetenantmakestothelordforthegiftoflandthatthelordhasmadetothetenant。

ThatthisprocesshadalreadydonemuchofitsworkwhentheoldEnglisharmyreceiveditslastsummons，wecannotdoubt，thoughitisverypossiblethatthisworkhadbeendonesporadically。Weseethatthelandwasbeingplottedoutintofive-hideunits。InonepassagetheNormanclerkscallsuchunitanhonour，an\'honouroffivehides\'。(35*)Thereisanoldtheorybaseduponlegaltextsthatsuchanhonourqualifiesitslordorownertobeathegn。Ifaceorlprosperssothathehasfivehides\'totheking\'s鷗ware，\'thatis，anestateratedasfivehidesformilitarypurposes，heisworthyofathegn\'swergild。(36*)ThentheAnglo-Saxonchartersshowushowthekingshavebeenendowingtheirthegnswithtractsofterritorywhicharedeemedtocontainjustfiveorsomemultipleoffivehides。(37*)Thethegnwithfivehideswillhavetenantsbelowhim；butnoneofthemneedserveinthehostiftheirlordgoes，asheoughttogo，inperson。Theneachoftheseterritorialunitscontinuestoowethesamequantumofmilitaryservice，thoughthenumberofpersonsinterestedinitbeincreasedordiminished，andthustheultimateincidenceofthedutybecomesthesubject-matterofprivatearrangements。ThatisthepointofastoryfromLincolnshire，whichwehavealreadyrecounted：——A

man\'slanddescendstohisfoursons；theydivideitequallyandagreetotaketurnsindoingthemilitaryservicethatisduefromit；butonlytheeldestofthemistobetheking\'sman。(38*)Thenweseethatthegreatnoblesleadorsendtothewarallthemilitesthatareduefromthelandsoverwhichtheyhaveaseignory。Therearealreadywidelandswhichowemilitaryservice——wecannotputitotherwise——tothebishopofWinchesteraslordofTaunton：theyowe\'attendanceinthehostalongwiththemenofthebishop。\'(39*)ThechurchesofWorcesterandEveshamfelloutaboutcertainlandsatHamton；oneofthedisputedquestionswaswhetherornoHamtonoughttodoitsmilitaryservice\'inthebishop\'shundredofOswaldslaw\'orelsewhere。(40*)Thisquestionwetaketobeoneofgreatimportancetothebishop。LordofthetriplehundredofOswaldslaw，lordofthreehundredhides，heisboundtoputsixtywarriorsintothefieldandheisanxiousthatmenwhooughttobehelpinghimtomakeupthistaleshallnotbeservinginanothercontingent。

ButfromWorcestershireweobtainastillmorepreciouspieceofinformation。Thecustomofthatcountyisthis：——Whenthekingsummonsthehostandhissummonsisdisregardedbyonewhoisalordwithjurisdiction，\'byonewhoissofreeamanthathehassakeandsokeandcangowithhislandwherehepleases，\'

thenallhislandsareintheking\'smercy。Butifthedefaulterbethemanofanotherlordandthelordsendsasubstituteinhisstead，thenhe，thedefaulter，mustpayfortyshillingstohislord——tohislord，nottotheking，forthekinghashadtheservicethatwasdue；butifthelorddoesnotsendasubstitute，thenthefortyshillingswhichthedefaulterpaystothelord，thelordmustpaytotheking。(41*)Afeudalistofthestraitersortmightwellfindfaultwiththisrule。Hemightobjectthatthelordoughttoforfeithisland，notonlyifhehimselffailstoattendthehost，butalsoifhefailstobringwithhimhisduetaleofmilites。Feudalismwasnotperfectedinaday。Stillherewehavetherootofthematter——thelordisboundtobringintothefieldacertainnumberofmilites，perhapsonemanfromeveryfivehides，andifhecannotbringthosewhoareboundtofollowhim，hemustbringothersorpayafine。Hisman，ontheotherhand，isboundtohimandisnotboundtotheking。Thatmanbyshirkinghisdutywillcommitnooffenceagainsttheking。

Thekingisceasingtocareabouttheultimateincidenceofthemilitaryburden，becausehereliesupontheresponsibilityofthemagnates。Howthissystemworkedintheeasterncountieswherethepowerofthemagnateswasfeebler，wecannottell。Itisnotimprobablethatoneoftheforcesthatisattachingthesmallfreeproprietorstothemanorsoftheirlordsisthis\'five-hiderule\'；theyarebeingcompelledtobringtheiracresintofive-hideunits，toclubtogetherunderthesuperintendenceofalordwhowillanswerforthemtotheking，whileastothevilleins，soseldomhavetheyfoughtthattheyareceasingtobe\'fyrd-worthy\'。(42*)Butinthewestwehavealreadywhatinsubstanceareknights\'fees。TheBishopofWorcesterheld300

hidesoverwhichhehadsakeandsokeandallcustoms；hewasboundtoput60militesintothefield；ifhefailedinthisdutyhehadtopay40shillingsforeachdeficientmiles。AtthebeginningofHenryII\'sreignhewaschargedwith60knights\'

fees。(43*)

WearenotdoubtingthattheConquerordefinedtheamountofmilitaryservicethatwastobeduetohimfromeachofhistenantsinchief，norarewesuggestingthathepaidrespecttotheruleaboutthefivehides，butitseemsquestionablewhetherheintroducedanyverynewprinciple。Anewtheoreticelementmaycometothefront，acontractualelement：——thetenantinchiefmustbringuphisknightsbecausethatistheservicethatwasstipulatedforwhenhereceivedhisland。ButwecannotsaythateventhistheorywasunfamiliartotheEnglish。Therulersofthechurcheshadbeengivingor\'loaning\'landstothegns。Insodoingtheyhadnotbeendissipatingthewealthofthesaintswithoutreceivingsome\'valuableconsideration\'forthegiftortheloan(laen)；theylookedtotheirthegnsforthemilitaryservicethattheirlandowedtotheking。Tothispointwemustreturninournextessay；butquiteapartfromdefinitelyfeudalbargainsbetweenthekingandhismagnates，betweenthemagnatesandtheirdependants，adefinitionofthedutyofmilitaryservicewhichconnectsitwiththeownershipofland(andtosuchadefinitionmenwillcomesosoonasthewell-armedfewcandefeattheill-armedmany)willnaturallyproduceastateofthingswhichwillbepatientof，evenifitwillnotengender，apurelyfeudalexplanation。IfoneofthementowhomtheBishopofWorcesterlooksformilitaryservicemakesadefault，thefinethatisduefromhimwillgotothebishop，nottotheking。Whyso？Oneexplanationwillbethatthebishophasoverhimasakeandsokeoftheveryhighestorder，whichcomprehendseventhatfyrd-w韙e，thatfinefortheneglectofmilitaryduty，whichisoneoftheusuallyreservedpleasofthecrown。(44*)Anotherexplanationwillbethatthismanhasbrokenacontractthathemadewiththebishopandthereforeowesamendstothebishop：——

tothebishop，nottotheking，whowasnopartytothecontract。

Sometimestheoneexplanationwillbethetruer，sometimestheother。Sometimesbothwillbetrueenough。Asamatteroffact，webelievethatthesemenoftheBishopofWorcesterortheirpredecessorsintitlehavesolemnlypromisedtodowhateverservicethekingdemandsfromthebishop。(45*)Stillwecanhardlydoubtwhichofthetwoexplanationsistheolder，and，ifweattributetotheNormaninvaders，asperhapswemay，adefiniteapprehensionofthetheorythatknight\'sserviceistheoutcomeoffeudalcompacts，thisstillleavesopentheinquirywhetherthepasthistoryofmilitaryserviceinFranklandhadnotbeenverylikethepasthistoryofmilitaryserviceinEngland。

AlreadyinthedaysofCharlestheGreatthedutyoffightingtheEmperor\'sbattleswasbeingboundupwiththetenureoflandbytheoperationofaruleverysimilartothatofwhichwehavebeenspeaking。Theownerofthree(atalatertimeoffour)

manseswastoserve；menwhoheldbutamanseapieceweretogroupthemselvestogethertosupplysoldiers。Thenatalatertimethefeudaltheoryoffreecontractwasbroughtintoexplainanalreadyexistingstateofthings。(46*)

Closelyconnectedwiththismatterisanotherthornytopic，namely，thestatusofthethegnandtherelationofthethegntohislord。IntheConfessor\'sdaymanymaneriahadbeenheldbythegns；someofthemwerestillholdingtheirlandswhenthesurveywasmadeandwerestillcalledthegns。Theking\'sthegnswerenumerous，butthequeenalsohadthegns，theearlshadthegns，thechurcheshadthegnsandwefindthegnsascribedtomenwhowereneitherearlsnorprelatesbutthemselveswerethegns。(47*)Manyoftheking\'sthegnswereabletogiveorsellthelandsthattheyheld，\'togotowhateverlordtheypleased。\'(48*)Ontheotherhand，manyofthethegnsofthechurchesheldlandswhichtheycouldnot\'withdraw\'fromthechurches；(49*)inotherwords\'thethegn-lands\'ofthechurchcouldnotbeseparatedfromthechurch。(50*)TheConquerorrespectedthebondthattiedthemtothechurch。TheAbbotofElycomplainedtohimthattheforeignershadbeenabstractingthelandsofStEtheldreda。Hisanswerwasthatherdemesnemanorsmustatoncebegivenbacktoher，whileasforthemenwhohaveoccupiedherthegn-lands，theymusteithermaketheirpeacewiththeabbotorsurrendertheirholdings。(51*)ThustheabbotseemstohavehadthebenefitofthatforfeiturewhichhisthegnsincurredbyespousingthecauseofHarold。Weseethereforethattherelationbetweenthegn，lordandlandvariedfromcasetocase。Thelandmighthaveproceededfromthelordandbeheldofthelordbythethegnasaperpetuallyinheritableestate，orasanestategrantedtohimforlife，orgrantedtohimandtwosuccessiveheirs；(52*)ontheotherhand，thelord\'sholdoverthelandmightbeslightandthebondbetweenthegnandlordmightbeamerecommendationwhichthethegncouldatanytimedissolve。Again，therelationbetweenthegnandlordisnolongerconceivedasamenial，\'serviential\'orministerialrelation。TheTainiRegisareoftencontrastedwiththeServientesRegis。(53*)

Theonetraitofthegnshipwhichcomesoutclearlyonthefaceofourrecordisthatthethegnisamanofwar。(54*)Buteventhistraitisobscuredbylanguagewhichseemstoshowthattherehasbeenagreatredistributionofmilitaryservice。ThoughthereisnoLatinwordthatwilltranslatethegnexceptmiles，thoughthesetwotermsarenevercontrastedwitheachother，andthoughtherearethegnsstillexisting，stillofthesetwotermsonebelongstotheold，theothertotheneworderofthings。(55*)

ThusthegnshipisalreadybecomingantiquatedandwearelefttoguessfromolderdoomsandlaterLegeswhatwasitsessenceinthedaysofKingEdward。

Thetaskisdifficultforwecanseethatthisinstitutionhasundergonemanychangesinthecourseofalonghistoryandyetcannottellhowmuchhasremainedunchanged。Webeginbythinkingofthegnshipasarelationbetweentwomen。Thethegnissomebody\'sthegn。Thehouseholdofthegreatman，butmoreespeciallytheking\'shousehold，isthecradleofthegnship。Theking\'sthegnsarehisfreeservants——servantsbutalsocompanions。Inpeacetheyhavedutiestoperformaouthiscourtandabouthisperson；theyarehisbody-guardinwar。Thentheking——andothergreatlordsfollowhisexample——beginstogivelandstohisthegns，andthusthenatureofthethegnshipismodified。Thethegnnolongerlivesinhislord\'scourt；heisawarriorendowedwithland。Thenthethegnshipbecomesmorethanarelationship，itbecomesastatus。Thethegnisa\'twelvehundredman\'；hiswergildandhisoathcontervailthoseofsixceorls。

Thisstatusseemstobehereditary；thethegn\'ssonsare\'dearerborn\'thanarethesonsoftheceorl。(56*)Butwecannottellhowfarthisprincipleiscarried。Wecannoteasilyreconcilethishereditarytransmissionofthegn-rightwiththeoriginalprinciplethatthegnshipisarelationbetweentwomen。Wemayhavethegnswhoarenobody\'sthegns，orelsewemayhavepersonsentitledtothethegnlywergildwhoyetarenotthegns。Whatismore，sincethelawwhichregulatestheinheritanceoflanddoesnotfavourthefirst-born，wemayhavepoorthegnsandlandlessthegns。Yetanotherprinciplecomesintoplay。Adutyoffindingwellarmedwarriorsforthehostisbeingterritorialized；everyfivehidesshouldfindasoldier。Thethegnfromofoldhastoattendthehostwithadequateequipment；themenwhounderthenewsystemhavetoattendthehostwithhorseandheavyarmourareusuallythegns。Thenthemanwhohasfivehides，andwhothereforeoughttoputawarriorintothefield，isathegnorisentitledtobeathegn。Theceorlobtainsthethegnlywergildifhehasanestateratedformilitarypurposesatfivehides。

Anotherversionofthistraditionrequiresoftheceorlwho\'thrivestothegn-right\'fivehidesofhisownland，achurch，akitchen，ahouseintheburh，aspecialofficeintheking\'shall。Tobe\'worthyofthegn-right\'maybeonething，tobeathegn，another。Tobeathegnonemustbesomeone\'sthegn。Theprosperousceorlwillbenothegnuntilhehasputhimselfundersomelord。Butthebondbetweenhimandhislordmaybedissolubleatwillandmayhardlyaffecthisland。Itis，werepeat，verydifficulttodiscoverhowthesevariousprincipleswereworkingtogether。checkingandcontrollingeachotherinthefirsthalfoftheeleventhcentury。Severalinconsistentelementsseemtobeblended。Thereistheelementofhereditarycaste：——

thethegntransmitsthegnlybloodtohisoffspring。Thereistheelementofpersonalrelationship：——heisthethegnofsomelordandowesfealtytothatlord。Thereisthemilitaryelement：——

heisawarriorwhohashorseandheavyarmourandisboundtofightthenation\'sbattles。Connectedwiththislastthereistheproprietaryelement：——eachfivehidesmustsendawarriortothehost；themanwithfivehidesisentitledtobecome，perhapshemaybecompelledtobecomeathegn，awarrior。(57*)

Onthewhole，wegatherfromDomesdayBookthatthemilitaryelementissubduingtheothers。Thethegnisthemanwhoforonereasonoranotherisawarrior。Foronereasonoranother，wesay；fortheclassofthegnsisbynomeanshomogeneous。Ontheotherhand，weseethethegnsofthechurches，whohavebeenendowedbytheprelatesinorderthattheymaydothemilitaryserviceduefromtheecclesiasticallands。Manyoftheprelateshavethegns，andforthecreationofthegn-landsbythechurchesitwouldnotbeeasytofindanyexplanationsavethatwhichwehavealreadyfoundintheterritorializationofmilitaryservice。

Thethegnmightpaysomeannual\'recognition\'tothechurch，hemightsendhislabourerstohelphislordforadayortwoatharvesttime；butwemaybesurethathewasnotrack-rentedandthat，ifmilitaryservicebeleftoutofaccount，thechurchwasaloserbyendowinghim。Herethelandproceedsfromthelordtothethegn；thethegncannotgiveorsellit；theholderofthatlandcanhavenolordbutthechurch；ifheforfeitstheland，heforfeitsittothechurch。But，ontheotherhand，weseenumerousking\'sthegnswhoareable\'togotowhatlordtheyplease。\'Wemayseeinthemlandedproprietorswhobytheplayof\'thefive-hiderule\'havebecomeboundtoserveaswarriors。Wemaybefairlycertainthattheyhavenotbeenendowedbytheking，otherwisetheywouldnotenjoytheliberty，thatmarvellousliberty，ofleavinghim，ofputtingthemselvesundertheprotectionandthebannerofsomeearlorsomeprelate。Notthateverythegnwill(ifwemayborrowphrasesfromalaterage)

possessafull\'thegn\'sfee\'orowetheserviceofawholewarrior。Largegroupsofthegnswemayseewhoobviouslyarebrothersorcousinsenjoyinginundividedsharestheinheritanceofsomedeadancestor。Theymaytakeitinturnstogotothewar；thekingmayholdtheeldestofthemresponsibleforalltheservice；buteachofthemwillbecalledathegn，willbeentitledtoathegnlywergildandswearathegnlyoath。Still，onthewhole，thethegnofDomesdayBookisawarrior，andheholds——thoughperhapsalongwithhiscoparceners——landthatisboundtosupplyawarrior。

Inthemainallthegnsseemtohavethesamelegalstatus，thoughtheymaynotbeallofequalrank。Allofthemseemtohavethewergildoftwelvehundredshillings。AlawofCnut，afterdescribingtheheriotoftheearl，distinguishestwoclassesofthegns；thereis\'theking\'sthegnwhoisnighesttohim\'andwhoseheriotincludesfourhorsesand50mancusesofgold，and\'themiddlethegn\'or\'lessthegn\'fromwhomhegetsbutonehorseandonesetofarmsor？。(58*)ThislawshouldwethinkbereadinconnexionwiththerulethatisrecordedbyDomesdayBookasprevailingintheshiresofDerbyandNottingham：——thethegnwhohadfewerthansevenmanorspaidareliefof3markstothesheriff，whilehewhohadsevenandupwardspaid？totheking。(59*)Arudelineisdrawnbetweenthericherandthepoorerthegnsoftheking。Theformerdealimmediatelywiththekingandpaytheirreliefsdirectlytohim；

thelatterareunderthesheriffandtheirreliefsarecomprisedinhisfarm。Thusthewealthythegns，likethebaronesmaioresoflaterdays，are\'nigherto\'thekingthanarethe\'less-thegns\'

orthosebaronesminoreswhoinacertainsensearetheirsuccessors。

Thekings，theearlsandthechurcheshaveofcoursemanydemesnemanors。Oftheecclesiasticalestatesweshallspeakinournextessay，fortheycanbebestexaminedinthelightthatiscastuponthembytheAnglo-Saxoncharters。Herewewillmerelyobservethatsomeofthechurcheshavenotonlylarge，butwellcompactedterritories。TheabbeyofStEtheldreda，forexample，besideshavingoutlyingmanors，holdsthetwohundredswhichmakeuptheisleofEly；herpropertyinCambridgeshireisvaluedat？18。(60*)Theearlsalsoarerichindemesnemanorsandsoistheking。

KingWilliamismuchricherthanKingEdwardwas。TheConquerorhasbeencharyinappointingearlsandconsequentlyhehasinhishand，notonlytheroyalmanors，butalsoagreatmanycomitalmanors，tosaynothingofsomeotherestateswhich，foronereasonoranother，hehaskepttohimself。Edwardhadbeenrich，butwhencomparedwithhisearlshehadnotbeenextravagantlyrich。InSomersetshire，forexample，thereweretwelveroyalmanorswhichmayhavebroughtinarevenueof？00

orthereabouts，whIletherewerefifteencomitalmanorswhichwereworthnearly？00。(61*)Theroyaldemesnehadbeenascatteredterritory；thekinghadsomethinginmostshires，butwasfarricherinsomethaninothers。Itwasnotsomuchinthenumberofhismanorsasintheirsizeandvaluethatheexcelledtherichestofhissubjects。Somehoworanotherhehadacquiredmanyofthosevillswhichweretobethesmallerboroughsandthemarkettownsoflaterdays。Wemaywellsupposethatfromofoldthevillsthatakingwouldwishtogetandtokeepwouldbetheflourishingvills，butagainwecannotdoubtthatmanyavillhasprosperedbecauseitwastheking\'s。

AmongthemanorswhichWilliamholdsinthesouth-westadIstinctionisdrawnbytheExeterDomesday。ThemanorswhichtheConfessorheldare\'TheKing\'sDemesnewhichbelongstothekingdom，\'whilethosewhichwereheldbythehouseofGodwinarethe\'ComitalManors。\'(62*)SoinEastAngliacertainmanorsaredistinguishedaspertainingorhavingpertainedtothekingdomorkingship，theregnumorregio。(63*)Thisdoesnotseemtohaveimpliedthattheywereinalienablyannexedtothecrown，forKingEdwardhadgivensomeofthemaway。NeitherwhenitspeaksofthetimeofWilliam，norwhenitspeaksofthetimeofEdward，doesourrecorddrawanyclearlinebetweenthosemanorswhichthekingholdsaskingandthosewhichheholdsinhisprivatecapacity，thoughitmayjusthintthatcertainancientestatesoughtnottobealienated。Thedegreeinwhichthevariousmanorsofthecrownstoodoutsidethenationalsystemoffinance，justiceandpolicewecannotaccuratelyascertain。Some，butbynomeansall，paynogeld。Ofsomeitissaidthattheyhaveneverpaidgeld。PerhapsintheseingeldablemanorswemayseethosewhichconstitutedtheroyaldemesneoftheWestSaxonkingsatsomeremotedate。Oftheking\'svillofGomshallinSurreyitiswritten：\'thevilleinsofthisvillwerefreefromalltheaffairsofthesheriff。\'(64*)asthoughitwerenogeneraltruththatwitharoyalmanorthesheriffhadnothingtodo。

Aswiththeestatesoftheking，sowiththeestatesoftheearls，wefinditimpossibletodistinguishbetweenprivatepropertyandofficialproperty。Certainmanorsareregardedasthe\'manorsoftheshire\'(mansionesdecomitatu(65*))；certainvillsare\'comitalvills。\'(66*)theybelongto\'theconsulate。\'(67*)Hereditaryrighttemperedbyoutlawrywasfastbecomingthetitlebywhichtheearldomswereholden。ThepositionofthehouseofLeofricinMerciawasfarfrombeingasstrongasthepositionofthehouseofRolfinNormandy，andyetwemaybesurethatKingHaroldwouldnothavebeenabletotreatthesonsofAElfgarasremovableofficers。ButoneofthebestmarkedfeaturesofDomesdayBook，afeaturedisplayedonpageafterpage，theenormouswealthofthehouseofGodwin，seemsonlyexplicablebythesuppositionthattheearlshipsandtheolderealdormanshipshadcarriedwiththematitletotheenjoymentofwidelands。Thatenormouswealthhadbeenacquiredwithinamarvellouslyshorttime。Godwinwasanewman：nothingcertainisknownofhisancestry。Hisdaughter\'smarriagewiththekingwillaccountforsomething；Harold\'smarriagewiththedaughterofAElfgarwillaccountforsomethings，forinstance，formanorswhichHaroldheldinthemiddleofAElfgar\'scountry；(68*)andagreatdealofsimplerapacityislaidtothechargeofHaroldbyjurorswhosetestimonyisnottobelightlyrejected；(69*)butthegreaterpartofthelandascribedtoGodwin，hiswidowandhissons，seemstoconsistofcomitalesvillae。

Thewealthoftheearlsisamatterofgreatimportance。Ifwesubtracttheestatesoftheking，theestatesoftheearls，andtheestatesofthechurches——and，asweshallseehereafter，thechurcheshadobtainedthebulkoftheirwealthdirectlyfromthekings，——ifwesubtractagainthelandswhichtheking，theearls，thechurcheshavegrantedtotheirthegns，theEnglandof1065willnotappeartousalandofverygreatlandowners，andwemayobtainavaluablehintastooneoftheoriginsoffeudalism。Avastamountoflandisorhasrecentlybeenheldbyoffice-holders，bytheholdersofthekingship，theearlships，ortheealdormanships。Weseemtoseetheirproprietaryrightsarisinginthesphereofpubliclaw，growingoutofgovernmentalrights，whichhoweverthemselvesareconceivedasbeinginsomesortproprietary。ManyapassageinDomesdayBookwillsuggesttousthatarighttotaketributeandarighttotaketheprofitsofjusticehavehelpedtogivethekingandtheearlstheirmanorsandtheirseignories。Eveninhisowndemesnemanorsthekingisapttoappearratherasatributetakerthanasalandowner。Manorsofveryunequalsizeandvaluehavehadtosupplyhimwithequalquantitiesofvictuals；eachhastogive\'anight\'sfarm\'onceayear。Thenfromthecountiesatlargehehastakenatribute；fromOxfordshire，forexample，？0forahawk，20shillingsforasumpterhorse，？3fordogsand6sestersofhoney；(70*)fromWorcestershire？0oraNorwayhawk，20shillingsforasumpterhorse；(71*)fromWarwickshire？3for\'thedog\'scustom，\'20shillingsforasumpterhorse，？0

forahawkand24sestersofhoney。(72*)Thefarmofthecountythatthesheriffpaysismadeupoutofobscureolditemsofthissort。Manymenwhoarenottheking\'stenantsmustassisthiminhishunting，musthelpintheerectionofhisdeer-hays。(73*)

Thentherearetheaveraandtheinwardsthatareexactedbythekingorhissherifffromsokemenwhoarenottheking\'smen。Thesheriffalsoisentitledtoprovenderrents；outof\'therevenueswhichbelongtotheshrievalty\'ofWiltshire，EdwardofSalisburygetspigs，wheat，barley，oats，honey，poultry，eggs，cheeses，lambsandfleeces；andbesidesthisheseemstohave\'reveland\'

whichbelongstohimassheriff。(74*)Thenweseecuriouspaymentsinmoneyandrendersinkindmadetosomeroyalorsomecomitalmanorbytheholdersofothermanors。InDevonshire，CharltonwhichbelongstotheBishopofCoutances，HonitonwhichbelongstotheCountofMortain，SmaurigewhichbelongstoRalphdePomerai，MemburywhichbelongstoWilliamChevre，RoverigewhichbelongstoStMaryofRouen，eachofthesemanorsusedtopaytwentypenceayeartotheroyalmanorofAxminster。(75*)InSomersetshiretherearemanorswhichhaveowedconsuetudines，massesofironandsheepandlambstotheroyalmanorsofSouthPerrottandCury，orthecomitalmanorsofCrewkerneandDulverton。(76*)Thenagain，wefindthatpasturerightsareconnectedwithjusticiaryrights：——GodwinhadamanorinHampshiretowhichbelongedthethirdpennyofsixhundreds，andinallthewoodsofthosesixhundredshehadfreepastureandpannage；(77*)thethirdpennyofthreehundredsinDevonshireandthethirdanimalsofthemoorlandpastureswereannexedtothemanorofMolland。(78*)Manythingsseemstoindicatethatthedistinctionbetweenprivaterightsandgovernmentalpowershasbeenbutfaintlyperceivedinthepast。

IfnowwelookatthatEnglishstatewhichistheoutcomeofapurelyEnglishhistory，weseethatithasalreadytakenapyramidalorconicalshape。Itisasocietyoflordsandmen。Atitsbasearethecultivatorsofthesoil，atitsapexistheking。Thisconeisasyetbutlow。EvenattheendofWilliam\'sreignthepeasantseldomhadmorethantwolordsbetweenhimandtheking，butalreadyintheConfessor\'sreignhemightwellhavethree。(79*)Alsotheconeisobtuse：theangleofitsapexwillgrowacuterunderNormanrulers。Wecanindeedobtainnoaccuratestatistics，butthenumberoflandholderswhowereKingEdward\'smenmusthavebeenmuchlargerthanthetaleoftheNormantenantsinchief。InthegeographicaldistributionofthelargeestatesunderWilliamthereisbutlittlemoreregularitythantherewasunderhispredecessor。InCheshireandinShropshiretheConquerorformedtwogreatfiefsforHughofAvranchesandRogerofMontgomery，wellcompactedfiefs，thelikeofwhichEnglandhadnotyetseen。ButtheunitswhichWilliamfoundinexistenceandwhichhedistributedamonghisfollowerswereforthemorepartdiscreteunits，andseldomdidtheNormanbaronacquireashishonouranywidestretchofcontinuousterritory。

Stillagreatchangetookplaceinthesubstanceofthecone，or，ifthatsubstanceismadeupoflordsandmenandacres，theninthenatureof，orrathertherelationbetween，theforceswhichheldtheatomstogether。Everychangemikesforsymmetrysimplicity，consolidation。Someofthesechangeswillseemtouspredestined。TospeculateastowhatwouldhavehappenedhadHaroldrepelledtheinvaderwouldbevain，andcertainlywehavenoreasonforbelievingthatinthatcasetheformulaofdependenttenurewouldeverhavegotholdofeveryacreofEnglishlandandeveryrightinEnglishland。Thelawof\'landloans\'(Lehnrecht)wouldhardlyhavebecomeouronlylandlaw，hadnotaconquerorenjoyedanunboundedpower，orapowerboundedonlybysomereverenceforthechurches，ofdecidingbywhatmenandonwhattermseveryroodofEnglandshouldbeholden。Haditnotbeenforthis，weshouldsurelyhavehadsomefrancalleutoopposetothefief，someEigentoopposetotheLehn。ButifEnglandwasnottobeforeverapreytorebellionsandcivilwars，thepowerofthelordsovertheirmenmusthavebeen——notindeedincreased，but——territorialized；thelibertyof\'goingwithone\'slandtowhateverlordonechose\'musthavebeencurtailed。Asyetthecentralforceembodiedinthekingshipwastoofeebletodealdirectlywitheveryoneofitssubjects，togovernthemandprotectthem。Theintermediationofthelordswasnecessary；thestatecouldnotbutbepyramidal；and，whilethiswasso，thefreedomthatmenhadofforsakingonelordforanother，offorsakingeventhekingfortheambitiousearl，wasafreedomthatwasakintoanarchy。Suchalibertymusthaveitswingsclipt；freecontractmustbetaughttoknowitsplace；thelord\'sholdovertheman\'slandmustbecomepermanent。Thischange，ifitmakesatfirstforamoredefinitefeudalism，or(tousewordsmorestrictly)ifitsubstitutesfeudalismforvassalism，makesalsoforthestabilityofthestate，fortheincreaseofthestate\'spowerovertheindividual，andintheendforthedisappearanceoffeudalism。ThefreeholderofthethirteenthcenturyismuchmorelikethesubjectofamodernstatethanwasthefreemanoftheConfessor\'sdaywhocouldplacehimselfandhislandunderthepowerandwarrantyofwhateverlordhechose。Lordshipinbecominglandlordshipbeginstoloseitsmostdangerouselement；itisceasingtobeareligion，itisbecominga\'real\'right，amatterforprivatelaw。Again，wemayguess，ifweplease，thatbutfortheNormanConquestthemassoftheEnglishpeasantrywouldneverhavefallensolowasfallitdid。The\'sokemen\'wouldhardlyhavebeenturnedinto\'villeins，\'the\'villeins\'wouldhardlyhavebecome\'serfs。\'AndyetthevilleinsoftheConfessor\'stimewereinaperilousposition。Alreadytheywereoccupyinglandswhichfortwomostimportantpurposeswerereckonedthelandsoftheirlord，landforwhichtheirlordsgelded，landsforwhichtheirlordsfought。EveninanEnglishEnglandthetimemighthavecomewhenthestate，refusingtolookbehindtheirlords，wouldhavelefttheprotectionoftheirrightstoaHofrecht，to\'thecustomofthemanor。\'

Itis，werepeatit，vaintospeculateaboutsuchmatters，forweknowtoolittleoftherelativestrengthofthevariousforcesthatwereatwork，andanaccident，awar，afamine，mayatanymomentdecidethefate，eventhelegalfate，ofagreatclass。AndaboveallthereistheunanswerablequestionwhetherHaroldoranynearsuccessorofhiswouldorcouldhavedonewhatWilliamdidsosoonasthesurveywasaccomplished，whenheprovedthat，afterall，thepyramidwasnopyramidandthateveryparticleofitwasinimmediatecontactwithhim，and\'therecametohimalltheland-sittingmenwhowereworthaughtfromoverallEngland，whosesoevermentheywere，andtheybowedthemselvestohim，andbecamethisman\'smen。\'(80*)