THE ENGLISH LAND SYSTEM 41 



same time no excuse or apology is felt to be necessary 

 in placing before the public the case of the descendants 

 of the despoiled classes of former days. It must 

 always be borne in mind that the principle oi piii'chasc 

 is the basis of the proposals now made. That being 

 so, it is impossible that any material harm can be 

 done to anyone. There remains, therefore, only the 

 wisdom and fitness of the suggested changes to be 

 considered. 



A proper understanding of the following pages Is 

 difficult therefore without some knowledge of the 

 history of land tenure in England. The study of all 

 matters connected with the land from early times — 

 the various kinds of land tenure which existed and 

 the complicated laws, customs, and practices on which 

 these tenures rested — are all intensely interesting. 

 It is to be regretted that more persons — especially 

 young persons — do not engage in this study, as it is 

 the very best quest into the real history of the 

 English people. For the present purpose and for 

 the sake of plainness, it is thought best, in tracing 

 the growth of the English land system, to start from 

 a certain point — the Norman Conquest — when a 

 comparatively new order of things with regard to 

 the land be^an. 



As to questions such as the existence of feudal tenure 

 in England before the Conquest, and the modifications 

 thereof which the Conqueror introduced ; the changes 

 effected by its development as a territorial system 

 rather than a judicial one ; the position of the Anglo- 

 Saxon holders of folcland and bocland ; the manner in 

 which King William treated the land question from 

 the point of view of a conqueror dividing the spoils 

 among his followers, and also from the point of view 



