Notices in Domesday Book. 251 



"Of the land of this Manor Two Englishmen hold 6 hides and I 

 virgate of land. One of them holds by military tenure at the command 

 of the Kingr, and was a nephew of Bishop Herman. And Alward holds 

 three hides which Ulward in the time of King Edward bought of Bishop 

 Herman but only for his own life, so that they should afterwards revert 

 to the Bishop's manor because they were part of the demense of the 

 Bishop. These Thanes have there 4 carucates with 2 serfs and 9 bordars. 

 They are worth £7. What the Peikst of this manor holds is worth 

 forty shillings. 



" Of the land of this same manor Eiinulf de Hesding holds 3 hides 

 and one virgate of land of the King. The Bishop however claims them, 

 because he who h&ld them in the time of King Edward could not be 

 separated from the Bishop."* 



The results of an examination of these entries seem to me on several 

 accounts to he very interesting-. 



First of all, we are told that there were in all sovae forty carucates, 

 or plough-lands; that is, I suppose, about 1600 acres of land under 

 the plough. Considering the large extent of wood ' at these times, 

 this reckoning shows an excellent state of things as regards the 

 farming, and proves that Bishops did not make had landlords, or at 

 all events that they managed to get good lessees and tenants. The 

 average extent of land under the plough in Wiltshire was about one 

 fifth ; — on the supposition that we are only dealing with what is 

 now included in Potterne, the above reckoning would return one 

 third as arable land. This among other things leads me to think 

 that the 1500 acres of Poulshot were reckoned with Potterne, and 

 this would give about one fourth as arable, a large proportion even 



• " Wilts Domesday," pp. 21, 22. Of the land held by Alward, one of the " Two Englishmen " 

 ■we have this further account, at p. 132, under the head of Lands of the King's Thanes : — " Alward 

 holds 3 hides in Poternk. In the time of King Edward it pa'd geld with the Manor of the 

 Bishop. The land is 3 carucates. One is in demesne .- and there are 3 villans and 4 bordars with 

 2 carucates. The wood (?) is 4 furlongs long and 2 furlongs broad. The estate is worth 70 shillings. 

 Bishop O.-mund claims it." — And at p. 74 we find a detailed account of the lost holding : " Ernulf 

 de Hesding holds 3 hides and 1 virgate of land in Potf.rne which paid geld with Poteme, the manor 

 of the Bishop of Sarura, in the time ol King Edward. Bishop Osmund claims this land. Algar 

 who held this land in the time of King Edward could not be separated from the Church. Robert 

 holds it of Ernulf. The land is 2 carucates, and they are in demesne, and one villan has there 

 a half carucate, and there are 6 serfs, and 3 bordars. There is a mill, paying 7 shillings and 6 pence 

 and 14 acres of meadow. The wood (!) is 3 furlongs long, and one fuilong broad. It was worth 

 £4 ; it is now worth £5." 



•This will appear from the names that still remain: thus 'atZ-ley (=:AYood- 

 leigh), and ji'i^-more f =great wood), are from the old Celtic coed (in the Cornish 

 dialect cuit) which means tcood. Poulshot, was originally " Paules-Ao/^ " the 

 latter portion of the word meaning voood. 



