The Demesne. 1376 — ^Z. 51 



the area generally chosen to support the reeveship ; and fifteen acres, 

 charged at the same rate, to support the ofifice of messor. Many of 

 the tenements thus burdened were divided among several. ^different 

 tenants, free as well as bond. The person who acted as officer was 

 sometimes one of the tenants of the elected tenements and sometimes 

 not. He was usually but perhaps not invariably a serf His stipend 

 consisted of the money charged upon the tenements^ 



Though the number of demesne officers resident in the manor had 

 diminished, the itinerant officers — the steward and accountants — 

 seem to have visited the manor with about the same frequency 

 as before I 



One of the most striking changes that had occurred in the 

 economy of the court-yard was the leasing of some of the demesne 

 buildings to tenants, and even to bondmen of the manor. The hall 

 and many of the other buildings were still in the lord's hands, but in 

 1376-77 the sheep-house and fold^, the chambers east and west of 

 the gate^ the cart-house^ grange^, and stotts' stable^ were let, either 

 for terms of years, or from year to year. In 1377-78, however, 

 GunnyJd stocked the demesne with some two hundred sheepl The 

 sheep- house had then fallen', the fold and the chamber west of 

 the gate' were occupied by the demesne sheep, and the chamber 

 east of the gate'* and the cart-house* were no longer farmed, as 

 Gunnyld had ordered that no beasts should be kept in the court-yard 

 except those belonging to the countess. 



The pasture and fruit of the garden, the herbage of the pound- 

 yard and kitchen yard, the orchard, and a close called Cornescroft 

 were also farmed*. 



But the changes already noted were but the natural results of 

 a far more important change in the method of manorial administration 

 — the leasing of the arable land®. Formerly, as has been seen, the 

 produce of the arable demesne was the lord's chief source of income ; 

 the demesne was cultivated largely by the labour services of the 

 customary tenants, though plowmen and carters were hired I But by 

 1376 the number of tenants owing labour rents was far less than 

 at the beginning of the century, for much of the land held by this 

 tenure had fallen into the lord's hands, either upon the death of the 

 tenant without heir or because he had waived his holding. Thus out 



^ Appendix IX. li., Ivii. ^ Appendix IX. Ivii., Iviii. 



' Appendix IX. 1. * Appendix IX. li. 



' Appendix IX. lix. ** Appendix IX. xlix. 

 ' See above, p. 26 ff. 



4—2 



