THE DEGRADING OF THE PEOPLE 23 



In the winter of 1066 Edward the Confessor died. 

 Within twelve months Norman William was settled on 

 the throne, busily distributing the southern 

 1 half of England among his followers, whilst 



Normans and a f ew years later he was dealing in similar 

 fashion with the North. The land titles of 

 the Anglo-Saxon eorls, thegns, bishops and other 

 estate-holders were cancelled and new grants were 

 made. These new grants can be divided into two 

 classes. To such of his Norman followers as were his 

 immediate vassals, or prelates whose influence he valued, 

 William made extensive grants : some men received 

 a score of estates, others half a county, whilst others 

 obtained merely a small plot of land. The greater part 

 of England was divided amongst such men. Then, to 

 certain of the English estate-holders who accepted the 

 Norman rule and swore allegiance to the king, their old 

 estates in their entirety or in part were re-granted, 

 either by the king or by his vassals. All estates were 

 created on feudal conditions. Every landholder was to 

 be the vassal of the king or of someone who held an 

 estate directly or indirectly of the king ; there was to be 

 ' no land without a lord.' Moreover, the land was held 

 subject to good behaviour and a definite obligation to 

 provide a certain number of fighting men. Although 

 the tenure was a new tenure, and its leading features 

 spread through the arrangements made between all 

 sections of landholding society, William seems to have 

 intended that in the relations between the peasant 

 farmers and their immediate landlords, no new obliga- 

 tions were to be created ; the actual cultivators of the 

 land were not to be disturbed in their holdings or 

 position. He was shrewd enough to see that the wealth 

 and strength of the country depended on a contented 



