A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Lancaster ; but on the other hand, a large part of the king's land had been 

 alienated ; so that by about 1237 those who held of the king himself, and of 

 the honours of Lancaster, Peverel, and Tickhill, numbered about seventy. 8 In 

 addition, there were numerous tenants holding by money payments ; the 

 great religious houses in Nottinghamshire, such as Lenton, Rufford, and Blyth, 

 were beginning to be amply endowed ; and there were six serjeanties held by 

 various services. The most common of these was the provision of one horse 

 (valued at 5^. 4^.), one sack (worth %d.), and one man for the king's army in 

 Wales. The serjeanty of Ratcliffe and Kynaston was held by the service of 

 carrying the king's goshawk ; that of Cuckney by shoeing the king's horse 

 whenever he came to Mansfield ; and that of Mansfield Woodhouse by 

 blowing a horn and chasing wolves in Sherwood Forest. 9 



The same increase in the number of tenants in chief, showing a greater 

 distribution of land, may be gathered from the details given in the Notting- 

 hamshire section of the Feudal Aids. In 1284, in two wapentakes only out 

 of the six, there were thirty-two tenants in chief and between forty and fifty 

 mediate tenants 10 ; in 13023 there were about a hundred and fifteen holders 

 in chief and about seventy mesne tenants, holding altogether about one hundred 

 and thirty-nine fees in five and a half wapentakes, 11 and in 1346 there were 

 a hundred and seventy-six fees and about a hundred and seventy-five holders. 1 * 

 The subdivision of fees also points to an increasing number of landowners : in 

 the Testa de Nevill such fragments as one-fourth, one-fifth, and one-tenth of a 

 fee are common. 



This increase among the large landowners was not necessarily due to the 

 natural growth of population, which accounts for the increase among their 

 tenants during the same period. General or complete evidence for this increase 

 is unhappily wanting as far as Nottinghamshire is concerned during the I2th 

 and i 3th centuries ; but the evidence of cartularies and extents seems to show 

 that it was considerable, particularly among the freer classes. Thus, at Colling- 

 ham in 1073, there were 37 socmen, 8 villeins, and 20 bordars ; ls while in 

 the reign of Henry I there were 50 socmen and 20 villeins ; and at the 

 same time at Fiskerton there were 20 socmen and 43 inferior tenants (villeins, 

 half villeins, cottars, and bordars), 14 while in Domesday 14 villeins and no 

 socmen at all are mentioned. 16 At a later date extents exist such as 

 those of Carlton-in-Lindrick 16 and Orston, 17 in the reign of Henry III, in 

 which the number of tenants is not mentioned ; but where the land in socage is 

 so large a part of the whole as to suggest a considerable increase in land held 

 freely. As time went on, however, the term 'socman' or 'socager' tended to 

 disappear : probably the class represented by the term became merged either in 

 the free tenants or the nati-ui ; most likely the former, to judge from the 

 surveys of various estates. 



Of these surveys, about fifty-two cover the century from 1230 to 1330. 

 In seven of these cases free tenants are mentioned in places where not even socmen 

 are to be found in Domesday. In ten other cases the number of free 

 tenants is mentioned, and shows an absolute increase over the free tenants 



8 Testa de Nevlllfor Notts, and Derb. (ed. J. R. Yeatman), 418-20. " Ibid. 428-31. 



10 Feud. Aids, iv, 91-4. " Ibid. 94-103. 



11 Feud. Aids, iv, 1 1 1-24. Dam. Bk. Notts, fol. 284 (7.C.H. Notts, i, 258). 

 14 Chron. Petroburgense (Camd. Soc.), 166. " Dam. Bk. fol. 2883 (V.C.H. Notts, i, 274). 



14 Inq. p.m. 28 Hen. Ill, C, file 2, no. 16. " Ibid. 26 Hen. Ill, C, file i, no. 1 1. 



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