SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY 



appears to have gradually displaced other kinds of tenure since the time of 

 the pestilence. A few are for forty years, but most are for ten or six years, 

 and it is noteworthy that the six-year leases are those last granted. The land 

 so leased is not mainly demesne land. It belongs largely to villein tenements 

 that have fallen into the lord's hands, and the process of consolidation already 

 described had taken place even earlier at Mildenhall. The land held by 

 John Kelsynd on a ten years' lease includes for example ' 3 acres of Frere's, 

 Hayward's, and Willway's tenements in Bradinhawfield, i acre of Holmes' 

 tenement in Suttonfield, 5 acres of Zabulo's tenement in one piece at Lamb- 

 wash,' and the rent of the whole 22J acres is 31J. id., or nearly is. 5^'. an 

 acre, an extremely high rent for land not stated to be meadow or pasture." 



The lord's power to insist on this new economic rent must have been a 

 more serious grievance than his persistence in claiming the old servile rents, 

 but the real social danger arose from the juxtaposition of the two situations 

 which made either seem more intolerable. The revolutionary doctrine 

 looked both ways. It repudiated the labour rents, and fixed a maximum for 

 money rents. Four years after the rising the fifteen villeins on the manor of 

 Littlehaw in Thurston were still acting up to these principles with the sup- 

 port of the clergy in their parish, who had helped them to form an association 

 for the purpose, the collections for which amounted to the large sum of ^6 a 

 year. In the strength of this actual support they had persisted in withdraw- 

 ing their services, claiming to be free from all except the rent of 4^. an acre. 

 The services due from a holder of 24 acres included three hens, fifteen eggs, 

 two days' ploughing, four half-days' mowing, two half-days' hoeing, six days' 

 reaping, and one day's carrying. He must pay a fine on entry, on the mar- 

 riage of son or daughter, and a heriot was claimed on his death. In spite of 

 citations from Domesday the villeins lost their case, and were fined jCs-^' 



This exceedingly interesting case naturally prompts the inquiry as to 

 how far the rising of 1381 was due to deliberate propaganda or based on pre- 

 concerted plans. The references of some of those who took part in it to a 

 ' Great Society,' implies an attempt at some large form of organization, and 

 though this was probably of a vague and temporary character arising out of 

 the stress of the crisis and not outlasting it, it could scarcely have come into 

 existence at all unless some foothold had been supplied here and there by 

 local organization. And in view of the part in the rising taken by the 

 clergy, it is difficult to reject the idea that in some cases such a local foot- 

 hold was furnished by the parish gilds. 



The history of the gild goes, of course, much further back than the 

 beginning of the 14th century, but at that period it enters on an entirely 

 new phase, and more especially after the middle of the century gilds began 

 to multiply at a rapid rate both in town and country. By the middle of the 

 1 5th century there can have been few populous parishes in Suffolk with- 

 out one. 



The returns made to the royal inquiry of 1389 have been very im- 

 perfectly preserved, but those relating to Suffolk are exceptionally numerous, 



" Add. Rolls. 531 16. 



" Powell, The Rising in East Angfia, 64.-5 5 '^^- ^" article on ' The Sandling' in Suff. Arch. Inst, x, 61-2, 

 by Mr. Redstone, who gives several interesting cases of the exaction of merchet and heriot in the 15th cent. 

 In 29 Hen. IV Matilda Bond is charged with destroying two plates, one kettle, and other utensils which the 

 bailiff had seized for non-performance of service of ploughing. 



I 657 83 



