l6o EARLY BREADSALL CHARTERS. 



befal that the said Sampson in time to come, decease or exchange 

 this life without heirs begotten of his espoused wife, the said 

 moiety with all appurtenances herein mentioned shall remain to 

 Hugo brother of the said Sampson & his heirs, holding the same 

 of me and my heirs to himself & his heirs by the aforesaid service 

 for ever. And I and my heirs all the aforesaid as is aforesaid, 

 to the aforesaid two brothers and their heirs wiih all the appur- 

 tenances we will warrant against all people for ever. In 

 testimony of which I have strengthened the present charter with 

 the protection of my seal, these being witnesses : — 



" Lord Robert de Es«eborn, Lord Jordan de Snilterton Lord 

 Thomas of Rdensor Lord Serlo de Munioye, Thomas 

 ' Juvene ' of Derby, William son of Joseph de Breadsal, 

 Geoffry ' Monacho,' Henry de Chaddesden, Thomas son of 

 Hernis, Roger de Ledesbury of Morley, Nicholas Wolf of 

 Morley, Hugo de Morley, Richard de Dun Rector of the 

 church of Breydeshal, Master John de Weston clerk, 

 Henry de Braylesford, Peter de Bakepuz, and others." 



This document reveals to us four classes of tenure and tenants. 



I St. Of free men, absolutely free, rendering to the lord of 

 the fee homage and service merely. Of these there were 

 six. 



2nd. Of men less free; the immovable occupants of the soil : 

 the glebce ascripticii. Of these there were twelve. 



3rd. Of a class with some occupation not altogether agricul- 

 tural, yet holding lands by services and customs, but not 

 written down with the soil. Of these there were nine. 

 Amongst them we find a rook, a miller, a millmaker, a 

 foldman, a tanner, and a butcher, with tliree others, whose 

 occupation is undefined. 



4th. The slaves, the " servi.'' Happily of these there were 

 but four, viz. : " Faber," Gravin, and the two Cothalls. 



Henry de Bracton, the great English lawyer of the time of 

 Henry HL, lived exactly when this document was executed. 

 From his work, " De Legibus," we learn correctly the status of 



