THE DOMESDAY SURVEY 



so contrary to accepted views, that one would not venture to advance it 

 without adducing strong and concurrent evidence in its favour. In the 

 first place, a great reduction is insisted on, we have seen, by Professor 

 Maitland, and the figures available point to that reduction having even 

 exceeded the fifty per cent, which he thought probable. In the second 

 place, if my theory be right, it at once brings this district into line with 

 the other hidated counties, lying to its south and east, by assigning its 

 vills for their old assessment arbitrary sums of five and ten ; for the law 

 of ' the five-hide unit,' enunciated in my Feudal 'England, has received 

 general acceptance. Thirdly, we shall find reason to believe that in 

 other parts of the county also the so-called ploughlands of Domesday 

 had once been units of assessment. 



On crossing the Nen we enter a fresh belt of Hundreds — Guils- 

 borough, Newbottle, Spelho, and Hamfordshoe. Here we can no 

 longer trace so clear a ratio ; but there is a typical assessment, of which 

 I will give some instances. 



Here, I think, we may similarly detect a reduction, not indeed of 

 sixty, but of fifty per cent.^ In Guilsborough Hundred, indeed, two- 

 thirds of the entries in which we can be sure of our figures show us the 

 hides standing to the ploughlands in a ratio of exactly i to 2. A 

 further question, however, arises : Why was the typical number of 

 ploughlands in this district eight, while south of the Nen it was ten .? 



* Less 5 acres. 



^ It is very noteworthy that in the 'geld-roll' the Rutland portion of the county 

 {* Wicceslea ') is reckoned at the nominal amount of i6o hides. On the 1130 Pipe Roll it is 

 reckoned at 80 hides (i6o shillings), a reduction of exactly fifty per cent. 



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