THE BERKELEY ESTATES 45 



soone agreed, when there was noe remedy. . . . Those few that 

 remayned obstinate fell after upon his sonne with suites, to theire 

 small confort and less gaines." l 



For the first 140 years of the period (1189-1417) the lords of 

 Berkeley steadily pursued the plan of converting customary 

 tenancies and tenancies of newly enclosed lands into freeholds of 

 inheritance at fixed quit-rents which represented the rack-rents 

 then current. They seem to have feared that in future years the 

 income of their land would fall rather than rise. Robert de Berke- 

 ley began the policy (1189-1220) ; it was continued by his successor, 

 Maurice ; it culminated in the time of Thomas, first Lord Berkeley 

 (1281-1321), who himself created 800 of these freeholds, many of 

 which still remained when John Smyth wrote the history of the 

 family in 1628. This family policy was, however, completely 

 reversed by his grandson Thomas, third Lord Berkeley (1326-61). 

 Many hundreds of the freeholds created by his predecessors were 

 repurchased, and let at rack-rents. His example was, for the next 

 hah* century, actively followed by his successors. But for this 

 reversal of the family policy, Smyth calculates that three-quarters 

 of the Berkeley Estates would have been freeholds of inheritance, 

 paying fixed quit-rents of fourpence or sixpence an acre for land 

 which in 1628 was worth twelve shillings. 



At no time during the period (1189-1415) was any large proportion 

 of the demesne lands divided and let on lease. The Berkeleys 

 themselves farmed on a gigantic scale through their bailiffs and 

 their reeves. Thus the third lord (1326-61) kept in his own hands 

 the demesnes of upwards of 75 manors, stocking them with his 

 own oxen, cows, sheep, and swine. On no manor did the flock of 

 sheep number less than 300 ; on some it reached 1500. At Bever- 

 ston in Gloucestershire, in the seventh year of Edward III., he 

 sheared 5775 sheep. From these manors his supplies were drawn 

 to feed each day at his " standing-house " 300 persons and 100 

 horses. Thence came every year geese, ducks, peacocks, capons, 

 hens and chickens, 200 of each kind, many thousands of eggs 

 and 1000 pigeons, coming from a single manor, stores of honey, 

 wax, and nuts, an " uncredible " number of oxen, bullocks, calves, 

 sheep and lambs, and vast quantities of wheat, rye, barley, oats, 

 pease, beans, apples, and pears. All was accounted for with minute 

 detail by the stewards, reeves, and bailiffs. Their accounts for 

 1 Lives of the Berkeleys, vol. i. pp. 140-1. 



