INTEODUCTION 6 



detached farmsteads and houses, has come into being during 

 the last century. In former times the farmsteads and houses 

 were built close together in villages of various sizes, from a few 

 to over fifty farmsteads. 



Each village community, in Danish called ** Bye," ^ was in 

 reality a co-operative society. It had its own Law, ** Bye- 

 Lov," in the so-called " Vide-brev " (Letter of Fines) which 

 contained all those rules which the villagers had agreed upon 

 to regulate their joint action. Here it was described how the 

 fields were to be cultivated and the cattle tended, and so forth. 

 The villagers chose their own Alderman, who was to be the 

 chief of the community for one year, or in some cases for 

 three years. He convened the meetings on the village green, 

 where each man had his special place according to the size of 

 his farm or holding. The alderman opened the meeting, which 

 discussed many questions, such as on what day the work of 

 ploughing, sowing, haymaking, harvesting, hedging or felling 

 of trees should begin ; when the cattle should be let loose on 

 the stubble ; what remuneration should be paid to the herds- 

 man ; when to tether the cattle in the fields after they had 

 been confined to the byres all through the winter ; when to 

 turn them out on the common pasture. In case of disagree- 

 ment a decision was arrived at by a majority of votes. After 

 these and similar matters had been decided, disputes were 

 tried and adjudicated upon, complaints were heard, and fines 

 which had been imposed were paid. The alderman, as the old 

 rules had it, should see that the proceedings were carried on in 

 an orderly manner : "no one shall scold, swear or call his 

 neighbour names. He who does so shall pay for scolding or 

 swearing two skillings and for calhng names three marks." ^ 



The roads, the village street, the pond, and sometimes a 

 clay-pit or gravel-pit, were all placed under joint management. 

 The village had, as common property, its " village-bull" and 

 " village- boar," which were either kept by one man at a suitable 

 remuneration or by the different peasants in rotation. In 

 many villages the blacksmith was a kind of municipal officer ; 



^ This word is found in names of many English towns such as Grimsby 

 and Whitby, showing their Danish origin. 

 * Quotation from a bye -law. 



