THE STATUS OF PEASANTRY IN PORTLAND. 8 1 



md in a place where a considerable section of the original 

 population had remained and become slowly merged into one 

 with the Teutonic colony, almost free from Norman admixture, 

 such a system would be likely to remain in full force until a late 

 date (though Vinogradoff gives us to understand it is unprofit- 

 able work looking after survivals). 



The rule of succession amongst certain Celts shows us the 

 high regard in which woman was held, the Anglo-Saxon tribes 

 as a rule also holding woman in high esteem. 



The Jute-Frisian colonies, judging from Kent, appear to have 

 been on the whole favoured during the later Danish invasions, 

 explainable on the ground of having sprung from common stock. 

 These colonies were most likely free settlers, and were perhaps 

 on the same footing as the Danes with regard to wergeld. 

 William the Conqueror might perhaps have shown certain favour 

 to these places on the like ground of common descent, the 

 Norman duchy having been founded by Rollo, the Scandinavian 

 rover ; but more likely it would be the fact of such places having 

 easy communication with the Continent and engaging in 

 commercial undertakings profitable to the king. 



When the holdings were small, and yet the people were highly 

 taxed, it seems safe to infer that they were free from base 

 agricultural service, and that the overlord must have derived his 

 profits from the more highly appraised trading pursuits, from all 

 of which we venture to deduce that (a) Portland was an outlying 

 port of consequence, its inhabitants being almost, if not quite, 

 free from base agricultural service, its single villain and ninety 

 bordarii being merely representative terms for owners of ground 

 of a certain size (these owners having a right even to the herbage 

 in some parts where the soil belonged to the Lord or Lady of 

 the Manor) ; (V} that, as there is the strongest evidence of a 

 Jutish or Jute-Frisian settlement, the inhabitants may have been 

 placed on an equal footing with the Danes as regards wergeld ; 

 and (c] that William the Norman must have shown marked 

 favour to the island retaining it as a royal manor, perhaps from 

 the descent of this Scandinavian colony having been the same or 



