viii] Population. 103 



decay of houses and the diminution of the population, and that 

 beginning with 1488, Parliament passed successive enactments against 

 the pulling down of towns. 



On the other hand, it is the opinion of some modern authorities 

 that 'notwithstanding* this general testimony to a general depopula- 

 tion it is not at all certain that the total numbers were actually 

 diminished — nothing is more delusive than popular estimates of 

 population at any time.'^ 



It has been shown that, by 1565, a large number of houses held 

 of Forncett manor had fallen into decay. In how far, if at all, is 

 the decay to be assigned to the period between 1400 and 1565? 

 How far was the number of houses maintained through the erection 

 or repair of buildings .'* Does the evidence tend to show that the 

 decline in population dates from before 1400 or from a later year? 



In the period from 1400 to 1565 there was some rebuilding of 

 houses that had fallen into decay. Thus in 1491 the messuage 

 pertaining to tenement Aunfrey had fallen into decay, but was 

 rebuilt between 1500 and 1542. In 1508 tenement Goodman was 

 granted to a tenant on condition that he rebuild; and in 1565 this 

 tenement was described as * aedificatum.' In 1429 tenement Rugges 

 was granted to tenants who were to build at their own cost ; and in 

 1536-50 the tenement was ' aedificatum.' In 1496-1500 there was a 

 'pightle' apparently vacant, that in 1559 was 'aedificatum.' With 

 regard to the rebuilding of old tenements the evidence of the rolls 

 is incomplete, but it is to be observed that most of the instances 

 clearly indicated in the rolls point to the earlier part of the sixteenth 

 century as the period of the rebuilding of tenements. 



With regard to the number of messuages newly built, and not 

 forming part of any tenement, though held by bond tenure, the 

 evidence of the rolls is nearly, if not quite, complete. As has already 

 been stated there were at least three such buildings, of which one was 

 erected in the third quarter of the fifteenth century, another in the 

 last quarter of the same century, and the third about 1500. 



The amount of evidence regarding the decay of dwellings is 

 considerable ; for, during a period beginning before the fifteenth 

 century and continuing up to 1565, the rolls contain many present- 

 ments of waste, orders to repair or rebuild, and records of amerce- 

 ments for failure to repair or rebuild. Some of these entries are 

 worded in general terms that, taken by themselves, give little definite 



^ Cheyney, Social Changes in England in the Sixteenth Century, 41, and Seebohni, 

 Fortnightly Review, 11. 149 fF., 268 ff. 



