theyareexemptedfromthejurisdictionofthesheriff，12*anddonotserveonjuriesandassizesbeforetheking’sjustices；13*theyarefreefromtollinallmarketsandcustom-houses。14*Last，butnotleast，theydonotgettaxedwiththecountryatlarge，andforthisreasontheyhaveoriginallynorepresentativesinparliamentwhenparliamentformsitself。Ontheotherhand，theyareliabletobetallagedbythekingwithoutconsentofparliament，byvirtueofhisprivaterightasopposedtohispoliticalright。15*Thislastprivilegegaverisetoaveryabnormalstateofthings，whenancientdemesnelandhadpassedfromthecrowntoasubject。Therulewas，thatthenewlordcouldnottallagehistenantsunlessinconsequenceofaroyalwrit，andthenonlyatthesametimeandinthesameproportionasthekingtallagedthedemesnesremaininginhishand。16*Thiswasanimportantlimitationofthelord’spower，andaconsequenceofthewishtoguardagainstencroachmentsandarbitraryacts。Butitwasatthesametimeacuriousperversionofsovereignty：——thepersonlivingonlandofthisdescriptioncouldnotbetaxedwiththecounty，17*andifhewastaxedwiththedemesnes，hislordreceivedthetax，andnotthesovereign。Ineednotsaythatallthisgotrightedintime，buttheanomalousconditiondescribeddidexistoriginally。
Therearetracesofadifferentviewbywhichthepowerofimposingtallagewouldhavebeenvestedexclusivelyintheking，evenwhenthemanortobetaxedwasonethathadpassedoutofhishand。18*Butthegeneralruleuptothefourteenthcenturywasundoubtedlytorelinquishtheproceedstotheholderofthemanor。Suchtreatmentiseminentlycharacteristicoftheconceptionwhichliesatthebottomofthewholeinstitutionofancientdemesne。Itisundoubtedlybasedontheprivateprivilegeofroyalty。Allthenumerousexceptionsandexemptionsfrompublicliabilitiesanddutiesflowfromonesource：thekingdoesnotwanthislandandhismentobesubjectedtoanyvexatiousburdenswhichwouldlessentheirpowerofyieldingincome。19*
Oncefencedinbyroyalprivilege，theancientdemesnemanorkeepsupitsprivateimmunity，eventhoughitceasestoberoyal。
Andthisisthesecondfact，withwhichonehastoreckon。Iftheprivilegedvillainageofancientdemesneisfoundedonthesamecausesasvillainagepureandsimple，thedistinguishingelementof’privilege’issuppliedtoitbytheprivateinterestoftheking。Thisseemsobviousenough，butitmustbeinsistedupon，becauseitguardsagainstanyconstructionwhichwouldpickoutoneparticularsetofrights，oroneparticularkindofrelationsascharacteristicoftheinstitution。Legalpracticeandlatertheoryconcernedthemselvesmostlywithpeculiaritiesofprocedure，andwiththeeventualityofasubjectowningthemanor。Butthepeculiarmodesoflitigationappropriatetotheancientdemesnemustnotbedisconnectedfromotherimmunities，andtheownershipofaprivatelordistobeconsideredonlyasengraftedontheoriginalrightoftheking。Withthispreliminarycaution，wemayproceedtoanexaminationofthosefeatureswhichareundoubtedlyentitledtoattractmostattention，namely，thespecialprocedure，whichisputinactionwhenquestionsariseinanywayconnectedwiththesoilofancientdemesne。
Bractonsays，thatinsuchcasestheusualassizesandactionsdonotlie，andthe’littlewritofrightclose’mustbeused’accordingtothecustomofthemanor。’Thewritisa’littleandaclose’one，becauseitisdirectedbythekingtothebailiffsofthemanorandnottothejusticesortothesheriff。20*