THE LOWER THAMES BASIN 393 



et iiii acras bosci et insimul iacent super terrain Jacobi Har- 

 vey. . . . 



" Thomas Humfrey tenet sibi et heredibus suis per copiam 

 . . . unam virgatam terre custumarie et heriottalis vocatam long- 

 yerd . . . continentem per estimationem vii acras terre arabilis 

 et septem acras bosci abuttantes super Blackhethe versus bo- 

 riam et venellam ducentem a le kings highway versus . . . et 

 terram nuper Thome Pruey . . . versus Austrum et terram 

 Josephi Haynes armigeri versus boriam. . . . 



'' Johannes Pragle tenet per copiam . . . unam virgatam terre 

 . . . vocatam Beesdown ab antiquo Roughlands continentem per 

 estimationem Novemdecim Acras terre arabihs iacentem in pa- 

 rochia de Dagenham abuttantem super terram Hberam predicti 

 Johanis versus occidentem et terram nuper Thome Cowper vo- 

 catam Sawgors versus boriam et terram Roberti Scott generosi 

 et terram pertinentem le Almeshouse de Romford versus occi- 

 dentem." ^ 



Two of the above virgates consisted of arable and woodland, 

 the third of arable only. While the first of the three comprised 

 two groups of closes probably separate, the others were compact 

 areas, and, though nothing is said about their being enclosed, 

 such was without doubt their condition. The nature of the 

 virgate of southwestern Essex at the end of the sixteenth century 

 thus becomes apparent. It was sometimes, at least, a compact 

 area usually divided into closes of arable and woodland. 



The testimony of earlier documents confirms that of the Bark- 

 ing survey. A glebe terrier at Kelvedon declared in 1356 that 

 the vicar should " have 62 acres of arable land v/hereof 52 acres 

 lie together near the aforesaid mansion in one field called the 

 Churchfield with the hedge adjoining, and nine acres in a field 

 called Lyndeland as enclosed with hedges and ditches." ^ Most 

 important of the early documents, however, are the feet of fines. 

 After 1235, to be sure, they rarely mention virgates, but the fol- 

 lowing descriptions are informing. At Dunmow, which was near 

 the open-field part of the county, the fourth of a virgate was 



' Land Rev., M. B. 214, ff. 285, 312, 318. 



^ Essex Archaeol. Soc, Trans., new series, 191 1, xi. 7. 



