FROM SERFDOM TO FREEDOM. 85 



cultivation and general order into large estates. The lord of the 

 manor occupied a part of the estate for his own demesne and divided 

 the rest among his villeins or serfs, who in return were obliged to 

 render services to him. It is not necessary for my purpose to enter 

 into any long description or discussion of the different relations exist- 

 ing between different tenants and their overlord, or the differences 

 existing under Saxon or Xorman rule. The general relation of lord 

 of the manor and his tenants or villeins or serfs is the main point to 

 be observed. The villeins or serfs of the manor cultivated the lord's 

 home farm or demesne, filled his barn, cut his wood, and did all his 

 work. " These services were the labor rent by which they held their 

 lands." Some of these tenants, the villeins, were obliged to work on 

 the lord's demesne at harvest only and to help plow and sow, while the 

 others, the serfs, to speak in general terms, were obliged to help on the 

 home farm or in the castle the year round. 



In course of time the use of a certain parcel of land by the tenant 

 and a right to pasturage and so forth on the one hand, and the amount 

 and kind of service required on the other, became definitely regulated 

 by custom; and instead of the use of the land being a mere indul- 

 gence given to the tenant to be taken away from him on any whim of 

 his lord, it became a definite right in the land which must be re- 

 spected and could be joleaded at law. 



" The number of teams," and so forth, " the services that a lord 

 could claim, at first mere matter of oral tradition, came to be entered 

 on the court roll of the manor, a copy of which became the title deed 

 of the villein." So after a Avhile instead of " villein " he became a 

 " copyholder." 



As time went on it grew to be customary, instead of rendering 

 services for the use of the land held by copyhold, to pay a money rent. 

 In other words, the system of leasing the little farms came into use, 

 and from that came the tenant farmer. This left the other laborers 

 about the lord's demesne or his castle as before. While the class of 

 villeins, who did only occasional services, although definite as to 

 amount and time, gradually commuted these services into money pay- 

 ments, and became farmers, the other serfs still remained on the 

 manor, liable to do their work when and where it was customary. 

 This rise of the wealthier tenants made a new class between the large 

 proprietors, the lords of the manor, and the tenants or serfs still bound 

 by custom to Avork for their lords. But the same process which freed 

 the farmer from personal service in time became the chief way of 

 freeing the serf also. Until this came about the serf or laborer, 

 whatever other rights he might have, and he was not a slave, was 

 born to his holding and his lord. He could choose neither master nor 

 place of work. " He paid head money for license to remove from 



