A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



Domesday tells us, ' the French and English ' were agreed on the true 

 annual value, but in some cases they differed. Barking, for instance, 

 was worth, said the English, no more than in King Edward's time, that 

 is 80 ; 'but the French appraise (it at) 100.' This mention of the 

 two nationalities refers to the fact that, as I have shown, ' there were 

 practically for each Hundred exactly eight juratores, half of them 

 " French " and half " English." ' l Another conflict of opinion as to 

 value is seen at Waltham (Holy Cross), where Harold's estate had been 

 worth to him only 36 a year. The ' men ' of its Norman grantee, 

 the Bishop of Durham, valued it at 63 5-r. 4</., but ' the other men of 

 the Hundred ' boldly appraised it as worth jTioo. 2 



The question of Domesday valuation the meaning of the word 

 valet has always been recognized as difficult. In the Essex survey 

 there are two entries which have a bearing on the question. Geoffrey 

 de Mandeville's manor of South Ockendon had risen in value, we read, 

 from 7 to 16, and Domesday proceeds to tell us that 'in this land 

 are 13 sokemen who hold freely 8| hides and 20 acres and have 12 

 bordars,' and that the proceeds of them are included in ' this rent of 

 16.' s So again of (West) Thurrock we read that : 'It was then worth 

 12 ; now 30 ; and there are 7 houses in London which belong to 

 this manor, and (of which the proceeds are included) in " this rent " 

 It is absolutely clear that in these instances the value (valet) represents 

 the actual rent (firmd) received. 5 On the other hand, we have seen 

 above that the actual rent received was in some cases much in excess of 

 the estimated value (valet). It is difficult, if not impossible, to extract 

 from this conflicting evidence a definite conclusion as to the meaning of 

 the word ' valet ' in Domesday. One may however suggest that, as a 

 rule, it represented the rent received, but that in those cases where the 

 rent was notoriously in excess of the value the return made a pointed 

 distinction between the two sums. This may seem but a lame conclu- 

 sion, and yet no other suggests itself. 



A strong reason for believing that ' valet ' meant the actual sum 

 received is found in the incomprehensible advances in the values of Essex 

 manors frequently recorded in the text. It will be found that attention 

 is drawn in notes to the text to some of the striking cases of such ad- 

 vance in value where the stock remains unchanged, if indeed it has not 

 decreased. Stanford (Rivers) had been worth, we read, 24 in 1066 

 and afterwards when Count Eustace received it, but was worth 40 

 'blanch' in 1086, although the ploughs on the demesne had dwindled 

 from 10 to 5. At Thaxted, with which we have just dealt, the demesne 



anglici ; sed Ricardus dedit cuidam anglico ad censum pro Ix. libris ; sed unoquoque anno deficiunt 

 illi ad minus x. librae ' (fo. 38 b). The meaning seems to be that it was the Englishman who lost. 



1 Feudal England, p. 1 2 1 . * See p. 446 below. 



8 ' Et jacent ad hanc firmam de xvi. libris ' (fo. 58). 



4 ' Que jacent huic manerio et in hac firma ' (fo. 63). 



5 The same conclusion may be drawn in the case of a holding at Halstead, of which we read ' valet 

 xxx. denarios. Istos denarios recepit Aluret prepositus' (fo. 103). So also on the king's manor of 

 Lawford : 'valebat xiii. solidos et hucusque habuit R. istum censum' . . . 'val' x. solidos et istum 

 censum usque hue habuit Waleram ' (fo. 6b). For 'census ' see the next note. 



364 



