第36章

Thedisruptionofpoliticalunityatthetimeofthegreatcivilwar，andthesystematicresumptionofroyalrightsbyHenryII，musthaveledtoasettlementwhichimpairedthesocialstandingofthevillaininthesenseoffeudallaw。TheimmediateconnexionbetweenthelowerclassandtheroyalpowercouldnotbekeptupduringthetroubledreignofStephen，whenEnglandallbutlapsedintothepoliticaldismembermentoftheneighbouringcontinentalstates。GovernmentandlawwererestoredbyHenryII，buthehadtosetalimittohissphereofactioninorderthatwithinthatspherehemightactefficiently。Theverygrowthofthegreatsystemofroyalwritsnecessitatedthedrawingasharplinebetweenthepeopleadmittedtousethemandthoseexcludedfromthisbenefit。Onepartoftherevolutioneffectedbythedevelopmentofroyaljurisdictionisverynoticeableinourdocuments：thestrugglebetweenkingandmagnatesastotherightofjudgingfreeholdershasleftmanytraces，ofwhichthehistoryofthe’brevequodvocaturpraecipe’isperhapsthemostremarkable。Butthevictoriousprogressofroyaljurisdictioninregardtofreeholderswascounter-balancedbyanallbutcompletesurrenderofitinregardtovillains。Thecelebratedtit。29ofWilliamtheConqueror’slawsprovidingthatthecultivatorsofthelandarenottobesubjectedtonewexactions，hadlostitssenseinthereignofHenryII，andsosoonasitwassettledthatoneclassoftenantswastobeprotected，whileanotherwastobeunprotectedintheking’scourt，thelawyerssetthemselvesthinkingovertheproblemofadefiniteandplaindivisionofclasses。Theirworkinthisdirectionbearsallthemarksofafreshdeparture。Theyarewaveringbetweentheformalandthematerialtest：insteadofsettingupatoncetheconvenientdoctrinethatvillainageisprovedbystock，andthatinregardtoserviceandtenurethequestionisdecidedbytheircertaintyoruncertainty，theytryforalongtimetoshapeconclusiverulesastothekindofservicesandincidentswhichimplyvillainage，andforatimedistinctionbetweenrurallabourandrentbecomesespeciallyimportant。

Onthewhole，Ithinkthatananalysisofthelegalandmanorialevidencebelongingtothefeudalageleadsforciblytotheconclusionthatthegeneralclassificationofsocietyunderthetwoheadsoffreeholdersandvillainsisanartificialandalateone。Anumberofimportantgroupsappearbetweenthetwo)

andifwetrytoreducethemtosomeunity，wemaysaythatathirdclassisformedbycustomaryfreeholders。Anotherwayofstatingthesamethingwouldbetosay，thatthefeudalnotionofafreeholdfromwhichthemodernnotionhasdevelopedmustbesupplementedfromthepointofviewofthehistorianbyamoreancientformwhichishidden，asitwere，insidetheclassdistinctionofvillainage。Bythesideofthefreeholderrecognisedbylaterlawtherestandsthevillainasacustomaryfreeholderwhohaslostlegalprotection。Idonotthinkthattheproblemsresultingfromtheambiguouspositionofthefeudalvillaincanbesolvedbetterthanonthesuppositionofthis’thirdestate。’

Chandler，CourtRollsofGreatCressingham，p。14：’20solididetotoHomagioquiarecusaveruntprepararefenumdomini。DebitumponaturinrespectumusqueproximamcuriametintereascrutaturleDomesday。’Amanorialextentisevidentlymeant。Comp。

DomesdayofSt。Paul’s。

ElyInq。，CottonMSS。，Claudius，C。xi。60，a：’Anelipemen，Anelipewymanetcoterellusmanenssuperterramepiscopivelterramalicuiuscustumariorumsuorummetetunamsellioneminautumpnoexconsuetudinequevocaturluuebene。’Cp。42，a，’quilibetanlepimanetanlepiwymanetquiibetundersetlemetetdimidiamacrambladi，’etc。，andRamsey，Cart。i50——Ihavenotbeenabletofindasatisfactoryetymologicalexplanationof，anelipeman，；butheseemsasmalltenant，andsometimessettledonthelandofavillain。

Ofcourseinlatertimesthetestappliedindrawingthelinebetweenfreeholdandbasertenurewasmuchratherthemodeofconveyancethananythingelse。Thecommutationintomoneyrentoflabourservicesduefromatenement，heldbycopyofcourtroll，(acommutationwhichinsomecaseswasnoteffectedbeforethefifteenthcentury)，didnotconvertthetenementintofreehold；

haditdoneso，therewouldhavebeennocopyholdtenureatthepresentday。ButIamherespeakingofthethirteenthcenturywhenthis，conveyancingtest，couldnotbereadilyapplied，whentheself-sameceremonymightberegardedeitherasthefeoffmentbysubinfeudationofafreeholdtenantortheadmittanceofacustomarytenant，therebeingneithercharterontheonehandnorentryonacourtrollontheotherhand。Thusthenatureoftheservicesduefromthetenementhadtobeconsidered，and，atleastingeneral，atenementwhichmerelypaidamoneyrentwasdeemedfreehold。

VillainageinEngland byPaulVinogradoffSecondEssay：TheManorandtheVillageCommunityChapter1

TheOpenFieldSystemandtheHoldingsMyfirstessayhasbeendevotedtothepeasantryoffeudalEnglandinitssocialcharacter。