CH. v] The Tenants and their Land. 1272 — 1306. 6'i^ 



The second main class consisted of the tenements that rendered 

 week-work during the winter, spring, and summer. This class may 

 be divided into two groups. First, the tenements rendering the 

 heavier week-work, i.e. two days' work weekly from September 29 to 

 August I, with the exception of four holiday weeks ; and three days' 

 work weekly from August i to September 29^ These tenements 

 were, as a rule, five acres in area, and were held by what was called 

 " five-acre tenure." One tenement, charged with exceptionally heavy 

 services, included 10 acresl The second group consisted of tenements 

 rendering lighter week-work — one day weekly from September 29 to 

 June 29, with four holiday weeks ; one or in some cases two days' 

 work weekly from June 29 to August i, and two — in some cases 

 three — days' work weekly from August i to September 29. These 

 tenements had an area of two and-a-half acres. 



A classification of tenants roughly parallel to that of the 

 tenements gives the following groups : Sokemen, occupants of 

 tenements of the first class ; customary tenants of five-acre holdings, 

 customary tenants of two-and-a-half-acre holdings, occupants of 

 tenements of the second class^. 



The free tenants performed few labour services, and these services 

 seem to have been charged upon the individual tenants, rather than 

 upon their holdings. When the barley, the principal crop, was being 

 sown, and there was an unusual demand for plow-teams, the teams of 

 the free tenants as well as those of the customary tenants and of the 

 sokemen were called upon for a day's boon work. On this occasion 

 the lord provided food for the plowmen. Between 1272 and 1306 

 the teams of the free tenants seem actually to have performed the 

 work. But their service was mdlins pretii, and when, as in 1376, this 

 kind of service was no longer demanded, the free tenants would not 

 pay a money equivalent for the work that they were no longer called 

 upon to do^ 



^ Winter works extended from September 29 to June 29, a period of 39 weeks. As either 

 70 or 35 works of this kind were usually charged upon a tenement (see table, pp. 60, 61) 

 there would seem to have been four holiday weeks during this season. These were probably 

 two weeks at Christmas, one week at Easter, and one week at Whitsuntide (cf. Cunningham, 

 Grozvth of Eng. Ind., 3rd edition, 1. 585, also i. 583). Summer works extended over the 

 five weeks from June 29 to Aug. i, autumn works over the eight weeks from Aug. i to 

 Sept. 29. Min. Acc'ts, 935/11. 



2 No. 20, p. 60. 



^ For a somewhat similar though more elaborate classification dating from the thirteenth 

 century, see Vinogradoff, op. cit., 186. For classes of sokemen, see below, p. 83 fif. 



^ 'Et de ii. precariis ad ordeum de exitu custumariorum de sokemennis...pretium precariae 

 iiii^. Et de ii. precariis nullius pretii de exitu liberorum tenentium...De quibus in venditione 

 ...ii. De residuo nihil quia licet non faciant nihil dominae dabunt.' Appendix IX. Ixiv. 



