3 



service to him ; one of them being de Vere, Earl of Oxford, 

 who held 17 acres under Martin. To such a position had the 

 abler of the small holders of a century or so before already 

 pushed their way, in spite of the heavy hand of feudalism, 

 which did much to hinder individual initiative. At this period 

 and until Tudor times England, as regards the cultivated land, 

 was essentially a corn-growing country ; the greater part of 

 the lord's demesne was arable, and the tillage fields of the 

 villeins largely exceeded their meadows. For instance, in 

 1285 the cultivated lands at Hawsted in Suffolk were nearly 

 all under the plough ; in seven holdings there were 968 acres 

 of arable and only 40 of meadow, a proportion of 24 to i. 

 No doubt there was plenty of common pasture, but we can- 

 not call this cultivated land. The seven holdings were as 

 follows : l 



Acres. 



Arable. Meadow. Wood. 



Thomas Fitzeustace, lord of the manor 240 10 10 



William Tallemache .... 280 12 24 



Philip Noel 120 4 7 



Robert de Ros 56 3 5 



Walter de Stanton .... 80 3 i 



William de Camaville .... 140 6 8 



John Beylham 52 2 3 



968 40 58 



These were the larger tenants ; among the smaller several had 

 no meadow at all. 



We must not forget that the grazing of the tillage fields 

 after the crops were off was of great assistance to those who 

 kept stock ; for there was plenty to eat on the stubbles. The 

 wheat was cut high, the straw often apparently left standing 

 1 8 inches or 2 feet high; weeds of all kinds abounded, for 

 the land was badly cleaned ; and often only the upper part 

 of the high ridges, into which the land was thrown for pur- 



1 Cullum, History of Hawsted, 1784 ed., p. 180. 



