THE DOMESDAY SURVEY 



i of Eadmer ' atule,' who was lord of Berkhampstead beyond. One 

 of the 5, says Domesday, ' bought his land from king William for 

 36,* as the men of the Hundred bear witness, and afterwards betook 

 himself to Wigot for protection' (fo. 137). Why did he do this? 

 Because, in my opinion, Wigot had obtained at the Conquest the above 

 manor of Masworth, which was held in 1086 by his son-in-law, Robert 

 d'Ouilly. The result was that Robert d'Ouilly, with no better claim 

 than this, secured all Tiscott. At Widiall 9 sokemen had held, in 

 various proportions, 5! hides ; all their holdings are found, in 1086, 

 forming a single manor for Hardwin de ' Sealers,' a manor on which we 

 find in 1086 nothing higher than a villein (fo. 141^). It was characteristic 

 of Hardwin to absorb the holdings of sokemen ; 33 of them had existed 

 on his own fief alone. Professor Maitland comments on the Widiall 

 case : ' Manors we see in the making ; Hardouin has made one under 

 our eyes.' Some of the holdings of the sokemen were very small ; at 

 Wickham, on the Essex border, 3 of them held but 2$ hides between 

 them, and 3 others no more than three-eighths of a hide in all (fo. 133^). 

 So also at Datchworth five-eighths of a hide were held by 3 sokemen 

 (fo. 140), while at Barkesdon even one-quarter of a hide was divided 

 between 3 sokemen, each of whom was commended to a different mag- 

 nate, one of them having the half of this tiny holding, and the others a 

 quarter each (fo. 141^). Such were the small holders of land who were 

 crushed out at the Conquest. What became of them we can only guess ; 

 but that many, if not most, appear among the villeins of Domesday 

 seems highly probable. And yet this class had been so free that they 

 could largely choose to what lord they would commend themselves ; 

 and at Standon one could even sell, not only his land, but the ' soke ' 

 with it (fo. 142^). But let us turn to those sokemen of whom the 

 king alone had soke. 



In Domesday the avera, or carrying service, is distinctive of the two 

 counties of Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, and in Hertfordshire it 

 occurs more frequently than would at first sight appear. Its occurrence, 

 when explained, is of considerable importance, for it denotes that the 

 tenant from whom it was due was ' of the king's soke,' or ' a sokeman of 

 the king.' Further, this service was actually performed if the king 

 visited the county, and if he did not it was commuted. Now two facts 

 can be definitely proved as to the Hertfordshire avera ; the first is that 

 it was due at the rate of i avera from each hide, and the second 

 is that the commutation for i avera was ^d. The importance of this 

 conclusion will be seen below. But let us take some instances. At 

 Throcking a hide and a half were ' of the king's soke ' ; the two brothers 

 who held it paid the sheriff ' 6d. or i avera and a half (fo. 133^). 

 ' Sutrehele ' was a much divided vill ; in it a man of Ansgar the staller, 

 who was ' of the king's soke,' held 2 hides and 'used to render to the 

 sheriff 2 a-verce or 8</.' (fo. 134^). In the same vill 2 sokemen held 

 1 1 hides ; they were both 'men ' of ./Ethelmaer of Bennington, but the 



1 This appears an enormous sum for its redemption. 

 269 



