The Rural Population of England. 175 



Having considered the probable meaning of the term, and 

 the way in which it is used in Domesday Book, let us consider 

 the geographical argument, the one which led Lappenberg to 

 so fruitful results in the case of the "free men." In what 

 counties of England do we find socmen ? and is there anything 

 that distinguishes these counties from other parts of England? 



1. With very trifling exceptions, the socmen are found 

 exclusively to the north and east of Watling Street. 



2. They are most numerous in Lincolnshire, and next to 

 this in the counties adjoining — Nottinghamshire, Leicester- 

 shire and Norfolk. In the counties next to these they are in 

 much smaller numbers. That is, they may be said to spread 

 out from Lincolnshire south and west, over the other counties 

 of the Danalagu. 



8. In Lincolnshire, and in a less degree, in the adjoining 

 counties, we find that the sochen, or detached places under the 

 jurisdiction of the lord of the manor, are very numerous. 



We might expect from this that the socmen would be found 

 exclusively in these sochen ; but, 



4. Although these sochen almost always contain socmen, 

 they do not always contain these ; and on the other hand soc- 

 men are found in the manors themselves. This I shaU 

 attempt to explain presently ; so far as it goes, it is a fact of 

 some importance that socmen prevail in these sochen, even if 

 they are not found in them universally and exclusively. 



The facts here given lead of themselves to the theory which 

 seems to me probable. Just as the liheri homines are found in 

 the counties occupied by the Danes of Guthorm, so the coun- 

 ties in which the sochemanni most abound are precisely those 

 in which the later settlements of Danes were principally made ; 

 we find the socmen most numerous exactly where we know 

 that these Danes were most numerous. I can hardly resist the 

 conclusion that the socmen were the descendants of these 

 Danes. When they conquered the country, they did not dis- 

 turb the organized village communities of the English, but — 



