Villainage in England: Essays in English Mediaeval History

836

Hereford Rolls (Bodleian), 12: 'Compertum per libere tenentes quod custumarii falso presentant … ideo custumarii in misericordia.' Rot. Hundr. ii. 469: 'Quatuor homines et prepositus presentabant defaltas predictis liberis hominibus et ipsi liberi presentabant ballivis.'

837

Seld. Soc. ii. 44.

838

Introduction to Seld. Soc. ii. p. lxx.

839

Seld. Soc. ii. 67.

840

Ibid. 164.

841

See as to all this Mr. Maitland's Introduction to the Selden volume (ii), pp. lxix, lxx.

842

Introd. to Selden Soc. ii. p. lxi, and following. Comp. Coram Rege, 27 Henry III, 2: 'Dicunt quod non est aliquis liber homo in eodem manerio nisi Willelmus filius Radulfi qui respondet infra corpus comitatus.'

843

Y.B. 21-22 Edw. I, 526 (Rolls Series).

844

Comp. Mr. Maitland in his often-quoted Introduction, p. lxxi.

845

Introduction to Seld. Soc. ii. p. lxvi.

846

Archaeologia, vol. 47, p. 27, and following.

847

Rot. Hundr., Cartulary of Ramsey, i.

848

Gomme, Village Community, 162, etc.

849

Cart. of Malmesbury (Rolls Ser.), ii. 221.

850

A very good case in point is presented by Hitchin, because the boundaries and the jurisdiction of the manor comprise a great number of villages and hamlets which managed their open fields quite independently of the central township of Hitchin, and could not but do so, as they lay quite apart and a good way from it, as may be seen on the Ordnance Map. And still the manor comprises 'the township of Hitchin and the hamlet of Walsworth, the lesser manors of the Rectory of Hitchin, of Moremead, otherwise Charlton, and of the Priory of the Biggin, being comprehended within the boundaries of the said manor of Hitchin, which also extends into the hamlets of Langley and Preston in the said parish of Hitchin, and into the parishes of Ickleford, Ipolitts, Kimpton, Kingswalden, and Offley.' (Seebohm, Village Community, 443, 444.) As Mr. Seebohm tells me, the contrast between the central portion, that of the township, managed in one open field system, and the outlying parts, is probably reflected in the curious denominations of the manor as Portman and Foreign. It is well known how frequently our surveys mention hamlets; in many cases these annexes of townships are so widely scattered, that it would be impossible to suppose one open field system for them.

851

Seld. Soc. ii. 68, 90.

852

Ibid. 162, 166.

853

Introd. to Seld. Soc. ii. p. xxxix.

854

'Cest action est mixte en favour de franchise car rarement se sustreit nul del fief de son seiniur, s'il ne soy claime frank' (p. 165).

855

P. 168.

856

P. 212: 'Si le defendant puisse monstrer frank cep de ses Anncestres en la conception ou en la nativity ou puis, y' ert le defendant tenable pur frank a touts jours tout y soyent present pere et mere frere et cosins et tout son parenter que soy coynossent estre serfs al actor, et tesmoignent le defendant estre serf. Le autre notability est, que nient pluis ne fait long tenure de villeinage franchome serf que long tenure de frank fieu ne fait home serf frank, car franchise ne soy defait jammes par prescription de temps.' P. 166: 'Servage est un subjection issuant de cy grand antiquite, que nul frank ceppe ne purra estre trouve par human remembrance.' Cf. Britton, i. 196.

857

P. 167: 'ou si son seignior luy eject de son fief, et luy done sustenance (corr. ne luy done sustenance).' 294: 'Abusion est que home puisse challenger celuy pur son naife a que il ne trova unque sustenance, de sicome serf nest my serf forsque tant come il est en gard, et de sicome nul ne poet challenger son serf pur serf tout soit il en sa garde s'il retrouve (corr. ne trouve) sustenance a son serf que luy vault mees et terre en son fief, ou il purra gaigner sa sustenance, ou autrement luy retient en son service.' Cf. 169.

858

Cf. p. 155.

859

P. 166.

860

P. 294.

861

Ib. p. 294. 'Abusion est que serfs sont frank pledges ou pledges de frank home.' Cf. 110.

862

P. 169. 'Nota que villeins ne sont my serfs car serfs sont dits de garder sicom est dit.' 295: 'Abusion est a tenir villeins serfs, et ceste abusion merust grand destruction de poor people, grand poverty, et grand peche.'

863

P. 291: 'Abusion est que lon dit que villenage neste my frank tenement … car villein et serf ne sont my en (corr. un) voice, ne en (corr. un) signification, eins poet chascun frank home tenir villenage a luy et a ses heires fesant le servage et le charge del fiew.'

864

P. 170: 'Ascuns receverent fiefs assoubs de chescun obligation sicome per service faire ou en pure almoigne, ascuns a tenir par homage, et en service al defense del Realme, et ascuns par villeins customes d'arrer, over charrier, sarclir, franchir, seier, tasser, batre ou tilt autres manners de services, et ascun foits sans reprise de manger; et dont plusors fines sont troves levees en le tresore que font mencion de ceux services et viles customes faire, aussi bien come autres de pluis curtoise services, et dount tout soit que tiels gents ne eient point de chartres, ne monuments sils soient nequident engettes ou disturbes de lour possessions a tort, droit les succort per l'assize de novel disseisine attenir en le state come devant per cy que ils puissent averrer que ils scavoient lour certaintie de services et doveraignes per an come ceux que auncestres avant eux furent astrers de pluis longe temps per case que les disseisors nen furent seigniors.'

865

169: 'Villeins sont cultivers de fief demorants en villages uplande, car de Vile est dit Villeins, de Burgh Bourghois, et de Cite Cittizens, et de Villeins est mencion fait en le Chartre de Franchise, ou est dit, que villein ne soit mie cy grivement amercie que sa gaigneur ne soit a luy salve, car de serf ne fait il my mention pur ceo que ils ount rien propre que perdrent. Et de Villeins sont lour gaignures appelle Villenages.'

866

167. On the other hand it is mentioned, that serfs cannot be devised because they are astriers and annexed to the free tenement of the lord.

867

171: 'Et de ceo soy entremist Seint Edward en son temps d'enquirer de toutes les … que luy fesoit a tiel gaignors oustre lour droit et en fist grande vengeance. Et puis pargents que meins doulent pecheir que faire ne duissent sont plusiours ceux villeins par tortious distresses chasses a faire a lour seignours le service de Rechat de sank, et plusors autre customes voluntaries pur mener les en servage a lour poiar, dont lour remedie per le ne injuste vexes per les negligence des Royes' (the end of the sentence is evidently omitted or 'is falling into disuse' must have been meant).—p. 305: 'abusion est que le briefe de ne injuste vexes va issint en decline.'

868

It ought to be mentioned that the hundreds to which suit is due belonged to the Church of Ely.

869

Rot Hundr. ii. 82: 'Walterus de Pedecorthin est dominus (de Ingwethin), in qua est una virgata terre et facit sectam ad hundredum bis in anno, set non ad parva hundreda nec ad comitatum, nesciunt quo warranto.' ii. 201: 'Decena de Larncynge solebat facere sectam ad dictum hundredum de Bretford set de consensu W. de Breuse dicta decena divisa fuit in duas partes. Ita quod una pars secta ad curiam domini de Brawatere et alia medietas ad dictum hundredum de Bretford ad dampnum domini dicti hundredi 5 solidorum per annum:' ii. 195: '8 homines de homagio Johannis le Butiler in Stones et Boxham qui debent facere sectam ad predictum hundredum subtraxerunt sectam suam ad duo hundreda generalia per annum et unus predictorum hominum retraxit sectam suam per totum annum debitam.'

870

R.H. ii. 597. Cf. 469, 470.

871

Exch. Q.R. Misc. Books A. 29, f. 64, b: 'Nota—predictus Ricardus (de Loges) dicit se non habere Warentum aliquem nisi per antiquam tenuram sine carta.... Idem Ricardus habet visum franci plegii unde vocat ad warantum le Domesday (!) … Idem Ricardus tenet quicquid tenet in Soume de comite Cestrie, ut idem Ricardus dicit, per seruicium ducendi comitem Cestrie usque curiam Regis per medietatem foreste predicte de Kanoke, obviando ei ad pontem de Rocford ad mandatum comitis et idem comes dabit unam sagittam barbatam dicto Ricardo et capiat in foresta unam feram si voluerit eundo et aliam redeundo si voluerit, et in redeundo obviabit ei ad pontem de Repelwas ad mandatum comitis et dabit ei aliam sagittam.' Cf. Rot. Hundr. ii. 689: '[Libere tenentes] Johanna Galard tenet in eadem dimidiam virgatam terrae de dono Willelmi fratris sui et reddit eidem per annum 6 d. et idem Willelmus tenet de hereditate per defensum antecessorum suorum qui dictam dimidiam virgatam terrae habuerunt de dono Regis cujus nomen ignoramus.' Thomas Wyteman tenet in eadem I virgatam terrae de Philippo de Lenettale, et est de confirmacione Regis, ut dicta dimidia virgata terrae prescripta. I have already quoted this passage in the note on the hundredors. I give it as corrected according to the MS. in the Record Office. In the printed version of the Hundred Rolls it has lost its meaning.

872

R.H. ii. 477, 478. 'Libere tenentes. Robertus de Aula tenet in predicta villa duas virgatas terre de Abbate de Ramesaye de antiquo conquestu et supradictas septem virgatas similiter de antiquo et facit sectam curie bis per annum et si brevis domini Regis ibi sit faciet sectam de tribus septimanis.... Robertus Mariot tenet 5 virgatas terre de Roberto de Aula de feodo Episcopi Elyensis de antiquo feffamento.'

873

Rot. Hundr. ii. 656, 660. Cf. as to the meaning of antiqua tenura, etc. Rot. Hundr. i. 79, 354.

874

Exch. Q.R. Misc. Books, No. 29, f. 7: 'Idem Edmundus habet libere tenentes subscriptos. Ricardus de Hulle tenet unum mesuagium et 8 acras terre pro 14 solidis et secta ad curiam suam ibidem de tribus septimanis in tres septimanas (about ten similar holdings) et sciendum quod omnes predicti debent sectam predictam et tenent per fidelitatem et nullum faciunt homagium.'

875

Bracton, f. 33 b. Madox, Formulare Anglicanum.

876

Coram Rege, Pascha 6 Edw. I, f. 6, 6: 'Et requisitus si aliquid scit dicere quare predictum mesuagium quod est infra predictum manerium esse non debeat de condicione antiqui dominici Regis, utpote per feoffamentum domini Regis vel antecessorum suorum,' etc. Cf. Placit. Abbrev. 150 (quoted p. 113, n. 4).

877

Besides the extracts from the Stoneleigh Register quoted on p. 113, n. 1, and p. 198, n. 1, I may be allowed to call attention to f. 76: 'Item nullus adiudicabitur tenens terre nisi quia curia tenens acceptatur per fidelitatem et alias consuetudines licet tenens extra curiam aliquem feoffaverit per cartam vel sine carta.' Maitland, Manorial Rolls of King's Ripton (Selden Soc. ii). p. 122: 'Capiatur in manum domini quarta pars unius rode prati jacens in Smalemade quam Rogerus Greyling vendidit Nicholao le Neuman sine licencia curie.' Cf. as to the references to the Court-roll in case of doubt and contention. Augmentation Off. Court Rolls, Ripton Regis, xxiii, N. 94, f. 10: 'Et quod iuncta est secum vocat rotulos ad Warantum. Et predicta Mathildis dicit quod uxor eius non est iuncta et ponit se super rotulos.' Now the importance of the Roll is derived from the authority of the Court of which it records the proceedings.

878

Rot. Hundr. i. p. 104: 'Sokemanni domini Regis de Soka de Piclinton tenere solebant 3 carucatas terre et unam bovatam in Brunneby de antecessoribus Radulfi de Lacely et ipso Radulfo. De quibus hospitalarii habent unam bovatam de dono antecessorum dicti Radulfi.... Item prior de Elreton 4 bovatas … que sunt de tenura sokemannorum.' These are free men under Soke, but there is not much to distinguish them from people on ancient demesne soil. Cf. Maddox, Exch. 428, c: 'Liberi sokemanni de Askebi et Tinton reddunt compotum de 20 marcis et I palefridi ut Henricus de Nevill eos juste deducat de tenementis quae tenent in eisdem villis, nec ab eis exigat consuetudines vel servitia quae facere non solebant tempore Henrici Regis patris Regis,' etc.