86 The Tenants and their Land. 1400 — 1575. [ch. 



In so far as their property consisted of copyhold the amount 

 held by these families in 1565 represented the accumulation of 

 several generations, though the accumulation by these families of 

 land held by copyhold tenure progressed much more rapidly after 

 about 1470 than before. 



To illustrate the manner in which the copyhold estates of 1565 

 had been accumulated, and to indicate the social position of the 

 tenant holding the largest property in that year, the history of the 

 Baxter family will be given \ 



The Baxter Family. In 1400 Robert Baxter did fealty as a 

 freeholder {libere tenens). He farmed 120 acres of pasture (West- 

 wood Ridding) for seven years. In 1437 John, probably the son of 

 Robert, held at farm, together with another tenant, half of Westwood 

 Ridding. But the family held little copyhold until toward the close 

 of the fifteenth century. 



About 1475 John Baxter died, sole seized of nine acres of 

 copyhold. 



In 1485 Richard, son of John, died, seized of six messuages, 

 including three vacant messuages, and some 43 acres of copyhold. 

 This land had been acquired as follows : 



In 1535 Thomas, son of Richard, died. In 1532 he had 

 surrendered part of his land to one of his sons. At that time he 

 was seized of seven messuages, four of which were vacant, and of 

 61 a. I J r. copyhold. A small part of this holding had been inherited, 

 the larger part he had accumulated, as the following table shows : 



283 passim ; for the Reve family, Ibid. v. 260. The Thos. Reve mentioned by Blomefield as 

 lord of Clavers manor was the father of William Reve, tenant of Forncett in 1565. The 

 arms of the Sherman family appear in the windows of Rainthorp Hall. Blomefield, v. 217. 

 ^ There was also a servile family of this name, whose history is given below on 

 pp. 89-90. 



