y^ The Tenants and their Land. 1400 — 1575. [ch. 



reason for the change may be the difficulty that apparently began to 

 be felt in the third decade of the fifteenth century of finding tenants 

 at the rents formerly charged. Longer terms as well as lower rents 

 might serve to attract tenants. 



Since the perpetual rents were fixed in amount before the rise in 

 prices that began toward the middle of the sixteenth century, the 

 change to tenure at fee farm must ultimately have resulted in great 

 profit to the tenants and loss to the lord. 



In the early fourteenth century rents were determined by custom 

 and not by supply and demand. But in the latter fourteenth century 

 a large amount of land was thrown upon the market and let at com- 

 petition prices. How thorough was the victory of competition over 

 custom in this field is shown not only by the fact that the bailiff let 

 land at less than the customary rents, quia non plus potest dimitti, 

 but much more strikingly by the fact that he took the trouble to 

 state that land was let at the accustomed rent because no higher rent 

 could be obtained ^ 



The following table- shows roughly the fluctuations in the value 

 of the demesne and of the tenants' land that had reverted to the lord 

 and had been let by him for terms of years or at fee farm. 



^ In 1424, 15^ acres were let for 7 years. The tenant used to pay 13J. 2d. but now pays 

 only roj. 4a?'. 'testatum est per homagium quod non potest plus dimitti. ' 



In 1432, 8 acres formerly farmed for 6s. were let for 5s. 'quia non plus potest 

 dimitti.' 



In 1438, certain pieces of land were let at 2s. 2d. ; in 1450 they were let at 2s. 2d. 'ut 

 soluere consuevit, quia non potest ultra dimitti.' _, 



^ The table given in the text is based on the fuller table in Appendix VII. 



^ This area includes 166^ acres of arable demesne let at i2d. per acre, and 161 acres of 

 tenants' land at an average rent of 9^^. per acre. (See account rolls of 1376-8, 

 Appendix JX.) 



161 acres instead of 250 acres of tenants' land are used as a basis for determining the rent 

 per acre, because in many instances either the value of messuage and land are lumped together 

 so that the rent per acre cannot be determined or the land is described as a * croft' or 

 'pightle' of which the acreage is not given. 



