A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



and there could be another. Pasture is there 

 sufficient for the live stock of the vill ; wood 

 sufficient for the fences. Altogether it is 

 worth 26 shillings and 8 pence. When Peter 

 (the sheriff) received it it was worth 40 

 shillings ; T.R.E. 60 shillings. Leueva held 

 this land of earl Harold and could sell. Ilbert 

 attached it to his manor of Linleia [Lilley] 

 when he was sheriff. After he was deprived 

 Peter de ' Valonges ' and Ralf ' Talgebosc ' 

 took it from him and attached it (posuerunt in) 

 to Hiz [Hitchin], as the whole shire-moot 

 (scyra) testifies. It did not belong there 

 T.R.E. nor did it render any dues. 



In WELEI [ ?] * i sokeman holds i 



hide. There is land for 2 ploughs, and the 

 ploughs are there. There are 2 villeins and 

 i bordar and 9 cottars. Meadow is there suffi- 

 cient for a half-plough team, pasture sufficient 

 for the live stock of the vill, and wood sufficient 

 for the fences. To this land belongs (adjacet) 

 a piece of woodland sufficient to feed 50 swine 

 which Osmund de Valbadon (Valle Bad/mis) 

 seized to the wrong of king William (invasit 

 super). It was in the soke of Hiz [Hitchin] 

 T.R.E., as the shire-moot (scyra) testifies. This 

 land is worth, as it was worth, 20 shillings ; 

 T.R.E. 30 shillings. Goduin, a man of earl 

 Harold's, held this land and could sell. Peter 

 the sheriff attached it to the ' firm ' in Hiz 

 [Hitchin], 8 to which it did not belong T.R.E. 

 nor did it render dues there. This land 

 Ilbert had given to a knight (miles) of his 

 when he was sheriff; and as regards it Geoffrey 

 de Bech claims the King's mercy (reclamat 

 misericordiam regis). 3 



In WILEI [ ] 4 i sokeman holds 



half a hide. There is land for i plough, and 

 a plough is there with i cottar. Wood is there 

 (sufficient) for the fences. It is worth 10 

 shillings ; when received it was worth 5 ; 

 T.R.E. it was worth 1 6 shillings. Edmund, 

 a man of earl Harold's, held this land and 

 could sell, but the soke remained in Hiz 

 [Hitchin]. It finds I 'avera' (carrying service 

 of i load). 



In FLESMERE [Flexmere ?] i sokeman holds 



1 See Introduction, p. 297. 



8 ' Posuit in Hiz ad firmam.' The meaning 

 seems to be that he threw it into the Hitchin 

 group of manors which was ' farmed ' as a whole 

 (J.H.R.). 



8 Geoffrey de Bech had succeeded to Ilbert's 

 fief (J.H.R.). 



4 See Introduction, p. 297. 



a half-virgate. There is land for a half-plough, 

 and this is there and 4 cottars. Pasture is 

 there sufficient for the live stock, and woodland 

 to feed 5 swine. It is and was worth 40 

 pence ; T.R.E. 60 pence. He who now 

 holds it held it T.R.E. ; (he was) a man of 

 earl Harold's, and could sell. It rendered I 

 'avera' in Hiz [Hitchin]. 



In LEGLEGA [? Ley Green] 5 3 sokemen hold 

 i virgate. There is land for i plough and a 

 half- plough, and these are there with 4 

 bordars. Woodland is there to feed 40 

 swine. It is worth, and always was, 26 shil- 

 lings and 8 pence. Three men of earl Algar's 

 held this land. They could not sell it to 

 separate it from (vendere extra) Hiz [Hitchin]. 



In HEGESTANESTONE [Hexton] i sokeman 

 of the King's holds i virgate. There is land 

 for a half-plough, and this is there and i 

 villein. It is and was worth 20 pence ; 

 T.R.E. 40 pence. He who now holds it, a 

 man of the abbot's of St. Alban, held it T.R.E. 

 and could sell. This land earl Harold at- 

 tached to Hiz [Hitchin] by force and by 

 injustice, as the shire-moot (scyra) testifies. 



IN HERTFORD HUNDRET 



King William holds BEGESFORD [Bayford]. 6 

 It is assessed at 10 hides. There is land for 

 20 ploughs. In the demesne are 2 hides and 

 3 virgates, and on it are 3 ploughs. A priest 

 and reeve (prepositus) of this vill with 22 villeins 

 have 15 ploughs between them, and there 

 could be 2 more. There are 9 cottars and i 

 serf, and 2 mills worth 26 shillings. Meadow 

 is there sufficient for 20 plough teams, pasture 

 sufficient for the live stock and worth 2 

 shillings besides, and woodland to feed 500 

 swine. In all it pays 1 6 pounds by tale ; when 

 the sheriff received it it paid 8 pounds ; T.R.E. 

 20 pounds. Earl Tosti held this manor, but 

 king Edward had it in demesne on the day 

 on which he died. 



In all, Hiz [Hitchin] with its appurtenances 

 pays 1 06 pounds assayed and weighed out, 

 and 10 pounds by tale. When Peter the 

 sheriff received it (it was) 86 pounds ; T.R.E. 

 60 pounds from Hiz and from the sokes 

 (sack') belonging thereto 40 pounds by tale. 



6 There is a Ley Green just north of King's 

 Walden which is suggestive of ' Leglega ' (J.H.R). 



6 This appears to have included Essendon as 

 well as Bayfordbury (J.H.R.). 



304 



