A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



as the rape of Bramber. Moreover each rape appears to have had its 

 own sheriff. Mr. Round was the first to suggest that this was the case, 

 and to point out that Robert fitz-Tetbald, a prominent undertenant of 

 Earl Roger, was probably sheriff of Arundel.' Gilbert ' vicecomes ' 

 mentioned under the borough of Pevensey (fo. zob) in the Survey was 

 probably sheriff of Pevensey rape, as Walter de Richardiville was at a 

 later date ; ' another sheriff of that rape being Ranulf, who is referred 

 to by William Count of Mortain as ' vicecomes mens.' In the rape of 

 Hastings Reinbert, who was one of the largest subtenants, appears in 

 several charters to the collegiate church of Hastings as ' Reinbert the 

 sheriff', while Henry Count of Eu granted to the same church tithes 'de 

 vicecomitatu meo,' which must refer to the rape of Hastings. This last 

 charter also contains mention of a gift of land made by William son of 

 Wibert'quia de vicecomitatu comitatus quem tenuit retinuit decimam', 

 where we apparently have the shrievalty of the county opposed to that 

 of the honour or rape ; and a similar case is presented by the title with 

 which Roger Hay attested a charter by Robert ' the butler ', as ' vice- 

 comes regis '. For the rape of Lewes, while Domesday gives us no hint 

 of the identity or even existence of a sheriff, we have ample evidence of 

 such an officer in the chartulary of Lewes priory.' William de 

 Warenne IV. (.?) confirmed a grant to the priory by Peter the sheriff, 

 his charter being attested by Payn ' vicecomes de Lewes ', who as plain 

 ' vicecomes ' also attested a charter in company with Seffrid, Bishop of 

 Chichester, and Hamelin, Earl Warren, the date of which must be 

 between 1180 and 1202. WilHam de Warenne II. (.?) also addressed 

 two charters, one to Hugh ' vicecomes de Lewes ' and the other ' Hugoni 

 vicecomiti ceterisque suis villicis et omnibus suis hominibus ' ; this 

 being probably Hugh de Plumpton who is alluded to by the same earl 

 in another grant as ' tunc vicecomes meus '. Finally, Reginald de 

 Warenne's concession of a merchant guild to the burgesses of Lewes c. 

 I 148 is addressed 'vicecomiti de Lewiis et omnibus baronibus comi- 

 tatus.'* In the case of the rape of Bramber two deeds of Philip de 

 Braose confirming his father's grants to the abbey of Battle, dated about 

 1096, are attested by ' Buzeus vicecomes.'* 



Having considered the nature of the rapes — apart from their fiscal 

 aspect, which will be considered later — we have to deal with the 

 question of their origin. 



When we consider the uniqueness of the institution, which cannot 

 be paralleled in either England or Normandy, it would seem more 

 likely that they should have originated under the independent and 

 isolated kings of the South Saxons than under the wide rule of the 

 Conqueror.* Nor is the name ' rape ' antagonistic to such an origin, for 

 although it is usually held to be connected with the Icelandic terri- 



» Suss. Arch. Coll. xlii. 86. 2 Round, Cal. of Doc. France, p. 434. 



3 Cott. MSS. Vesp. F. XV. * Ibid. Nero C. iii. 



« Vise. Gage's MSS. {Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. iii. 223). 



" The only similar territorial division is found, it is said, in Holland, where the name is supposed 

 to have originated in the rope enclosing the open-air court of the district (J.H.R.) 



