A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



villeins (villein households or holdings would more nearly represent the 

 actual state of things) holding thirty acres 1 of land apiece. Every villein 

 owed certain regular and certain special services. Three days a week 

 throughout the year he must work for his lord, but exceptions were made 

 for Easter and Whitsun weeks and the twelve days between Christmas and 

 Epiphany. Then, in the autumn, when the lord's mowing was to be done, 

 the villein and his whole household, except the housewife, must do four days 

 of special work, also he must reap three rods of the oat-field and plough and 

 harrow the stubble, but at this time the burden of week-work was removed. 

 Then there were certain obligations incumbent upon the whole community 

 of the villeins. Every village plough must work and harrow (the plough- 

 team is what is meant, the instrument made little difference) two acres of 

 the demesne, but while this labour was proceeding week-work was again 

 suspended and the men received a dole of food. Every pair of villeins was 

 required to construct a booth for the annual fair held on St. Cuthbert's days 

 in March and September. The whole villein community might be required 

 to construct every year, if need were, a house forty feet long by fifteen wide, but 

 then they would be excused from ' averpenny,' a money payment in commu- 

 tation for carrying service otherwise required of them. Turning from services 

 to renders we find that every villein owed 2s. 6d. for scot and \6d. for aver- 

 penny, and rendered as well half a chalder of oats and five cartloads of wood 

 for fuel and two hens and ten eggs. Finally the whole vill rendered ijs, 

 cornage and one milch-cow, and this is the distinctive mark of the pastoral 

 vill, for cornage, as it will shortly be contended, is characteristic of a com- 

 munity which is, or at least which has been, primarily pastoral. This class 

 includes forty-five vills distributed throughout the four wards into which the 

 bishopric is divided. 3 



We have called the second type of vills agricultural rather because it 

 wants the distinguishing pastoral mark of cornage than because it is more 

 exclusively agricultural than the first class. Darlington is the representative 

 of this type. The villeins there hold forty-eight bovates, but their number 

 is not recorded ; it would either be forty-eight or twenty-four, more probably 

 the latter, as the virgate of two bovates was the normal peasant-holding. 

 Their services are not arranged as at Boldon, under week-work and boon- 

 work. The community as a whole has the duty of mowing the Bishop's 

 meadow and making and carting his hay, and also they must enclose 

 his yard (curia) and copse. They render the customary services at the 

 mills, and three times a year they must cart wine, salt, and herrings. Then 

 _ 



1 This must be the sense of the words, ' ii bovatas terra de xxx acris,' although of course they could bear 



another meaning. Mr. Seebohm, Village Community, 68-69, reac ^ s tne passage so, and we know of course that 



the virgate of thirty acres was the normal peasant-holding. Cf. VinogradofF, Villainage in England, 238 ff. 



* I. Chester Ward. Boldon, Newton, Cleadon, Whitburn, Whickham, Crawcrook, Great Usworth. 



II. Easington Ward. Wearmouth, Tunstall, Ryhope, Burdon, Easington, Thorpe, Shotton, North 



Sherburn, Shadforth, Cassop, Herrington, Hutton, Sheraton. 



III. Stockton Ward. Sedgefield, Middleham, Cornford, Norton, Stockton, Hertburn, Preston, Butter- 

 wick. 

 IV. Darlington Ward. Heighington, Killerby, Middridge, Thickley, North Auckland, Escomb, 



Newton, West Auckland, BrafFerton, Binchester. 



V. Bedlingtonshire. Bedlington, West Sleckburn, Netherton, Choppington, Cambois, East Sleckburn. 

 The vills of Bedlingtonshire seem to have compounded for many or most of the Boldon ser- 

 vices. North and West Auckland with Newton and Escomb had certain forest obligations which 

 placed them half way between the Boldon and Stanhope types. 



270 



