A HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE 



IN RlNCVEDE HUNDRET 



The King holds Rincvede [Ringwood] in demesne. Earl Tosti(g) held it. It 

 was then assessed at 28 hides ; now at nothing. When the sheriff received it, there 

 were but 10 hides; the rest were in (the Isle of) Wi(gh)t. There are now (only) 6 

 hides, the remainder being in the forest. There is land for 16 ploughs. In (the) 

 demesne are 4 ploughs, and (there are) 56 villeins and 21 bordars with 13 ploughs, 

 and i ' Radchenist ' with half a plough. There is a church to which belongs half a 

 hide in almoine. There are 8 serfs, and a mill worth 22 shillings, and 105 acres 

 of meadow. T.R.E. it was worth 24 pounds, and afterwards 16 pounds, now 8 

 pounds and 10 shillings ; but it pays 12 pounds and 10 shillings of 2O (pence) to the 

 ounce. On 4 hides, which are now in the forest, dwelled 14 villeins and 6 bordars 

 with 7 ploughs ; (there were) also a mill worth 30 pence and wood (land) worth 189 

 swine from the pannage. That part which the King has is worth 7 pounds, 10 shil- 

 lings by tale. 



Again, as to Bovre hundred : 



IN BOVERE HUNDERT 



The King himself holds Linhest [Lyndhurst] which appertained to (jacuit in) 

 Ambresberie [Amesbury], (which is) of the King's ferm. It was then assessed at 2 

 hides. Of these 2 hides, Herbert the forester holds now i virgate, and pays geld 

 for that amount ; the remainder is in the forest. There are now only 2 bordars. It 

 is worth 10 shillings. T.R.E. it was worth 6 pounds. 



These entries apply to ' king's land,' but reductions of assessment 

 occur very frequently with regard to land included within other estates. 

 Thus, for example, regarding the land of Ralf de Mortemer in Mantes- 

 berg hundred : 



IN MANTESBERG HUNDRET 



The same Ralf holds a manor (called) Stradfelle [Stratfield Mortimer], which 

 Cheping held T.R.E. It was then assessed at 5 hides, now at i hide. There is land 

 for 5 ploughs. In (the) demesne are 2 ploughs ; and (there are) 4 villeins and 9 

 bordars with i plough. There are 6 serfs, and 2 acres of meadow. T.R.E. it was 

 worth 12 pounds, and afterwards 10 pounds ; it is now worth 6 pounds. 



In the enquiry into the titles, tenures and assessments of the various 

 estates the elders of the people had their full say, they forming the jury 

 or hundredum. Thus, respecting land of Robert, son of Gerold, in Cillei 

 [Chuteley] hundred, it is recorded that 



IN CILLEI HUNDRET 



There is half a virgate of land in Gerlei [ ] which Bolle held of King 



Edward as an alod (in a/odium) ; but Robert added it (apposuit earn) to this manor. 

 The (jurors of the) hundred, however, affirm that it never belonged to it (ibf). The 

 whole, T.R.E. and afterwards, was worth 15 shillings; (it is) now (worth) 20 

 (shillings). 



Here, again, we see the rights of the villagers represented in very 

 much the same manner as now obtains with regard to the formation and 

 settlement of State ' reserved forests ' in all parts of our Indian empire. 



If brutal harshness and inhumane indifference had been exercised, as 

 alleged by the monks, in the afforestation of the tracts forming the New 

 Forest, it seems highly improbable that so careful and exact a statement 

 of the details of the various estates would have been recorded. Indeed, 

 there is occasional evidence of a certain amount of consideration having 

 been exercised, as in the following case of remission of taxation in one 



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