A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



other portions namely, Hemel Hempstead, (King's) Langley and land in 

 Shenley passed to the Conqueror's other brother, Robert count of 

 Mortain. 1 A second factor in his fief consisted of 7 hides in Pentley, 

 Wigginton, Gubblecote and Dunsley, which (Domesday says) he had 

 filched from Tring (sumpsit de Tredunge)^ to which they had belonged in 

 Ingelric's time. Only 6| hides out of these are accounted for under his 

 fief, but the missing one-sixth of a hide is found further on (fo. 142) as 

 the solitary Hertfordshire holding of ' Manno the Breton,' lord of Wolver- 

 ton in Bucks and a great Domesday baron. Let us now turn to the third 

 factor in count Robert's fief, which lay together, roughly speaking, up 

 the valley of the Gade. 



Berkhampstead is of interest in many ways : historically for its 

 early mention in English times and as the place where the Norman 

 Conquest ' received,' in Mr. Freeman's words, ' the formal ratification of 

 the conquered ' ; 2 archaeologically for the earthworks of its castle ; and 

 feudally as the head of a well-known ' honour ' carved from the mighty 

 fief of count Robert of Mortain. In Domesday it is entered in a way 

 that suggests that it was his personal residence ; a servant or serjeant of 

 the count is mentioned ; a ' fossarius ' points to the existence and 

 importance of the castle ditches ; and a vineyard is, in my opinion, one 

 of the surest signs that a Norman lord resided on the spot and was 

 striving to grow his own wine. It is also highly suggestive of the 

 count's personal residence that, doubtless around his castle, there is found 

 in 1086 a ' burbium ' containing what was then the rather considerable 

 number of 52 burgesses, who were worth to him 4 from the 'toll,' 

 a composition perhaps for market dues. 8 In spite however of that 

 prosperity which the residence of the king's brother ought to have 

 brought to Berkhampstead, its annual value is found to have dwindled 

 from 24 to jC 2 an d then to 16. At Pevensey in Sussex (fo. 20^), 

 another of his strongholds, the burgesses had greatly increased since he 

 obtained possession ; he had 60 there of his own in 1086, and the ' toll ' 

 was worth to him, as at Berkhampstead, 4 a year ; but there is no 

 mention under Berkhampstead of that rent (gablum) which was usually 

 received from burgesses, and which amounted to nearly 2 from the 60 

 he held at Pevensey. 



In view of the earthworks of the castle and our ignorance as to its 

 origin, one is naturally anxious to learn something of its tenure before 

 the Conquest. But Domesday only tells us of Berkhampstead that it had 

 been held by ' Edmar, a thegn of earl Harold.' Lower down however 

 we read of the count's manor of Gaddesden that ' this manor was held by 

 Edmer (attile) * and was an appendage of (BereivicK in) Berkhampstead.' 

 With this clue we at once identify the Domesday holder of the chief 



1 See pp. 27678 above for remarks on the separation of the lord's land from that of his men. 



* Norman Conquest (znd ed.), iii. 544. The fact comes from the jfngh-Saxon Chronicle, where 

 the place is styled ' Beorhhamstede.' 



8 Mr. Page is of opinion that 5 2 is perhaps an error of the scribe for 1 2, as the latter number 

 occurs there subsequently. 



* This word is interlined. 



280 



