234 NAVESTOCK IN OLDEN DAYS ; 



their wives and children would represent a total bordering closely 

 upon 200 persons. There were 15 plough trains, 13 animalia, 2 

 horses, 116 sheep, 24 goats, woods sufficient to feed 934 pigs, and, 

 be it noted, 4 hives of bees. The total rental amounted to ;^i4 

 per annum. 



In reference to the seven liberi homines above spoken of, it is 

 interesting to note that they were probably Danes. Seebohm says : 

 ''In the Domesday Survey for the greater part of England there is 

 no mention of free tenants, whether liberi homines or tenentes. 

 Nor, considering the extreme completeness of the Survey, is it easy 

 to explain their absence or any other hypothesis than that of their 

 non-existence." A glance at the map (in Seebohm's work) will show 

 that throughout those counties of England most completely under 

 Danish influence there were plenty of liberi homines, but nozvhere 

 c/ss. And that they and the sochmanni were distinctly and excep- 

 tionally Danish there is evidence in a passage in the laws of the 

 Confessor." We may therefore assume that the taking away and 

 unjust retention of the property of the Dean and Chapter had been 

 the work of Danish invaders, and thus the peculiar propriety of the 

 Hocktide ceremonies so far as Navestock was concerned. 



An interesting note, occurring in " Liber L," of S. Paul's 

 Ca hedial library, informs us that a certain Ralph de Marci acquired 

 a hide of land from a villein named Liverus, of Nastok S. Paul, 

 had seized half a hide, which was Sevul's, another villein, of the 

 same Manor, and had acted in like sort with the lands of Edwin and 

 Winim, etc. Mr. Round shows in his " Domesday Studies " that 

 this entry refers to aggressions of a very early date, but subsequent 

 to Domesday, say about or before 11 20, the period of Ralph's death. 

 Whether such aggressions were prior or subsequent to that survey, 

 the entry no doubt gives us the names of two of the twelve villeins 

 referred to as settled in Navestock prior to the conquest, viz., 

 Liverus and Sevul. Of Edwin and Winim I hope to speak again 

 later on. 



But note further that Mr. Chisendale Marsh in his translation of 

 the Domesday of Essex expresses his belief that Navestock is 

 further referred to in that survey under the name Astoca. Thus 

 after describing certain possessions of Hamo he proceeds as follows : 



"Astoca is held by the same Radulfus [de Marci] of Hamo. It was held by 

 Gotil or Gotild for a Manor, and for 80 acres in the time of King Edward. Then 

 17 Seebohm, pp. 86, etc. 



