THE DOMESDAY SURVEY 



its commendation remaining unchanged. Subinfeudation by an under- 

 tenant occurs on two manors held of the Bishop of Bayeux by one of his 

 great vassals, Wadard ; and rent-paying tenants are mentioned at Myton, 

 where eight of them brought in 32 pence a year. Perhaps the most 

 interesting question connected with tenure in the county was that con- 

 cerning the Bishop of Worcester's manor of Alveston. A moiety of this 

 great manor had been held by Brihtnoth and ' Alwi,' but the county court 

 could not say from whom they had held it. As to the other moiety, 

 the position was very complicated ; the six sons of ' Bricstuin ' deposed 

 that they knew not whether their father had held it of the Bishop of 

 Worcester or of Earl Leofric, though he did service to (serviebaf) the 

 latter. They added that Archbishop Ealdred (of York, who had held 

 the see of Worcester) possessed extensive rights over this land, namely 

 sac and soc and * tol ' and ' teim ' and churchscot (cerset 1 ) and (the 

 profits of) ' all other (sic) forfeitures except those four which the king 

 has throughout his realm.' 2 As to themselves, 'they had held the land 

 of Earl Leofric and could betake themselves with the land whither they 

 would,' 3 that is, as the phrase is understood, could commend themselves 

 and the land to another lord. Bishop Wulfstan, on his side, boldly 

 asserted ' that he had proved his right to this land in a plea held before 

 Queen Matilda in the presence of 4 counties and had King William's 

 writs for it and the witness of the county of Warwick.' 4 



It is very interesting to compare this passage in Domesday with the 

 bishop's charter, purporting to be granted three years later, by which 

 he devotes Alveston to the support of his monks at Worcester. For in 

 it he relates that he acquired the manor, ' which had long been wrong- 

 fully possessed by certain powerful men,' from the Conqueror at great 

 trouble and expense, 6 owing to the growing needs of his monastery. 



Another plea is referred to towards the end of the Survey, where 

 we read that Leofwine, an English thegn, asserted that he held the 



1 This due played an important part in the adjoining county of Worcestershire, where it was 

 received (as 'circset') by the abbot of Pershore from 300 hides in the form of loads of grain due at 

 Martinmas. The Bishop of Worcester was entitled to the same (as ' circset ' or ' cirsette ') from the 300 

 hides of Oswaldslaw, over which district he possessed most exceptional rights (see Introduction to the 

 Domesday Survey in V.C.H. Wore. i. 238). In Warwickshire he also drew 8</. a year from Lapworth 

 at Martinmas (the regular term) ' pro Chirchset ' (Registrum Prioratus B. M. Wigorniensis, p. ygb). 



2 On this phrase Professor Maitland comments : ' These four forfeitures are probably the four 

 reserved pleas of the Crown that are mentioned in the laws of Cnut mundbryce, hamsocn, forsteal and 



Jyrdwite. We may construe these terms by breach of the king's special peace, attacks on houses, ambush, 

 neglect of the summons to the host ' (Domesday Book and Beyond, p. 87). 



s ' quo volebant cum terra poterant se vertere.' 



' se hanc terram deplacitasse coram regina Mathilde in presentia iiii or vicecomitatuum et inde 

 habet breves regis Willelmi et testimonium comitatus Warwic.' The mention of the plea being held 

 before the queen (probably in the king's absence abroad) is of interest and importance. The use of the 

 word ' vicecomitatus ' for 'county' should also be observed. 



' Consilio ergo inito cum optimatibus meis terram quandam xv hidarum, que Alfestun ab incolis 

 nominatur, multo tempore a quibusdam potentibus hominibus injuste possessam, maximo labore et 

 pecunie donatione a rege Willelmo seniore adquisivi ' (Registrant Prioratus B.M. Wigorniensis, p. 84, and 

 Heming's Cartulary of Worcester [ed. Hearne], pp. 418-9). In another part of the latter volume 

 (p. 407) it is given as an illustration of William's love for Wulfstan that, at the request of the bishop, 

 he gave him ' terram duorum cassatorum quae Cullaclif dicitur, et alteram xv cassatorum, quae Alfestun 

 nominatur.' 



287 



