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。EliensisHamilton，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。InSawstonRot。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。Thus242atHemingford：\'R。V。tenettresvirgatasetdimidiametsequiturhundredumetcomitatum……R。H。tenetduasvirgatasetsequiturhundredumetcomitatum。\'Elsworth249：\'R。filiusT。duasvirgatas。Proalterasequiturcomitatumethundredum；proalterasolvitquinquesolidos。\'Brancaster261：\'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。Itispossiblethattheentryi。204whichtellshowthesokemenofBroughtonenjoyedthesmallerwitespointstoafreevillagecourt；butwehaveputanotherinterpretationuponthis；
seeabove，p。130。
8。TheFeudalSuperstructureItremainsthatweshouldspeakverybrieflyofthehigherranksofmenandthetenurebywhichtheyheldtheirland。Littleaccurateinformationcanbeextortedfromourrecord。TheupperstoreysoftheoldEnglishedificehavebeendemolishedandanewsuperstructurehasbeenrearedintheirstead。ItisnottheofficeofDomesdayBooktotellusmuchevenofthenewnobility，oftheserviceswhichthecountsandbaronsaretorendertothekinginreturnfortheirhandsomeendowments：——astotheoldnobility，thathasperished。Stilltherearesomequestionsthatweoughttoask。
Thegeneraltheorythatalllandtenure，exceptindeedthetenurebywhichthekingholdslandindemesne，isdependenttenure，seemstobeimplied，notonlybymanyparticularentries，butalsobythewholeschemeofthebook。Everyholderofland，excepttheking，holdsitofdesomelord，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：——everyonewhoholdslandexcepthebethekingholdsitofsomeoneelse。Theadjective\'feudal\'wasnotintheirvocabulary，andtheiruseofthewordfeudum——
occasionallywemeettheolderfeum7*——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-holderhadheldhislandundersubsomelord；butapparentlytheydonotthinkthateveryEnglishland-holderhadheldhislandofdesomelord。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，onesoldiermilesshouldgoforeveryfivehidesandshouldreceivefromeachhidefourshillingsashisstipendfortwomonths\'
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\'forthegiftortheloanlaen；theylookedtotheirthegnsforthemilitaryservicethattheirlandowedtotheking。Tothispointwemustreturninournextessay；butquiteapartfromdefinitelyfeudalbargainsbetweenthekingandhismagnates，betweenthemagnatesandtheirdependants，adefinitionofthedutyofmilitaryservicewhichconnectsitwiththeownershipoflandandtosuchadefinitionmenwillcomesosoonasthewell-armedfewcandefeattheill-armedmanywillnaturallyproduceastateofthingswhichwillbepatientof，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。Theownerofthreeatalatertimeoffour
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。Notthateverythegnwillifwemayborrowphrasesfromalaterage
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\'mansionesdecomitatu65*；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\'Lehnrechtwouldhardlyhavebecomeouronlylandlaw，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，ortousewordsmorestrictlyifitsubstitutesfeudalismforvassalism，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*