Domesday Statistics 1 1 



grade is difficult. The estimate of 20-1 acres of 

 workland for an average villan seems at any rate 

 ample ; possibly the Middlesex villans assessed in 

 quantities exceeding ^ hide may answer to the 

 thirteenth-century class who held both at work 

 and at rent, bearing in mind that Yorkshire, 

 Middlesex, and Surrey were, in proportion to their 

 teams, the counties most highly rated to gheld. 



The bordar* occurs in each county, the cottar* 

 in but 1 8, nevertheless these terms are sometimes Cottars, 

 interchangeable ; the whole class may be broadly 

 assessed up to 10 acres, and where both occur 

 together, the former considered the larger tenant. 

 The bordar frequently had an ox or oxen, (some- 

 times also the cottar as distinct from the bordar); 

 and custumals demonstrate that owners of 3 to 5 

 acres might have an ox or more, and subsequently 

 I shall show that the holder of a virgate in the 

 thirteenth century may often be rated at 4 oxen. 

 The disappearance of the name (as a name) bordar 

 is to be noted ; also the presence of the class in 

 towns, and the use of the terms ^ villans and 



* Bordars occur as paying rent, D. B. 52/7, from 20 masurje, Illustra- 

 14.8. ; 167^, 38 with 7i pis., pay 8s. : 264^, I renders 2s. ; tions of 



f i j c i_- N same from 



as to amount oj land from nothing up to 2 bovates (by I man), Domesday. 



see 353^; and 84^, 2 held \ freely, and now hold; 139^, 

 46 hold 8 ac. each ; 190*7, nine each 5 ac. together 2 pis. ; 

 and the following 20 references (a selection only) from as 

 many counties demonstrate they often had separate plough oxen \ 

 14/7, \lb t $26, 70^, 82^, 94/7, 117/7, 120/7 (13 to I pi., lowest 

 in list), 1 60^, 177^, 1 80/7 (l bordar t pi., highest found), 

 205^, 215^, 222/7, 241^, 250^, 259^, 274^, 285^, 331^; on 

 i86rf, 12 work one day per week : Coscez and Cottars some- 

 times also had pis., thus Coscez 71^, two, I pi. ; 72/7, four, 

 pi. ; 72^, 6 and I cottar, pi. ; 74^, four, l| pis. ; 74^, 

 eight, I pi. ; Cottars, 97^, six, I pi. 



