A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



fo. 14 



acres in King Edward's time ; now St. Paul 

 (holds it) ; then as now (semper) I plough ; 

 and it is worth 20 shillings ; the canons ob- 

 tained possession of (occupaverunt) this land 

 after the king came into England. 



VI. THE LAND OF ST. PETER OF 

 WESTMINSTER 



HUNDRET OF BERDESTAPLA [BARSTABLE] 



In BENFLET [South Benfleet] St. Peter 

 has 7 hides and 30 acres which used to belong 

 to (jacebant in) the church of St. Mary l in 

 King Edward's time ; but King William 

 gave the church with the land to St. Peter 

 of Westminster^ In which land (there are) 2 

 ploughs on the demesne, and 5 ploughs be- 

 longing to the men. Then as now (semper) 

 15 villeins. Then 7 bordars ; now 12. 

 Pasture for 200 sheep. (There is) now a 

 moiety of a mill. (There are) 50 sheep, and 

 3 swine. 2 It was then worth 4 pounds ; 

 now 6. (An) eighth hide belonging to (de) the 

 same church of St. Mary * was given by 

 Ingelric to St. Martin 3 and still belongs to 

 it (ibi est) as the county (consulatus) bears wit- 

 ness, without the king's command. 4 



In PHANTUNA [Fauton (Hall) 6 ] (are) 4 hides 

 and 30 acres. Then as now (semper) I plough 

 on the demesne. Then 4 ploughs belonging 

 to the men ; now i . Then 6 villeins ; now 

 i. Then 4 serfs. Then i bordar ; now 9. 

 And in the same vill there can be (employed) 

 2 ploughs more (adhuc) on the demesne. 

 There are 30 acres of wood(land) which are 

 waste (stive vast<s)f 2 rounceys (runcini) and 

 30 sheep. It was then worth 60 shillings ; 

 now 6 pounds. 



In BURA [Bowers (Gifford)] St. Peter has 

 50 acres which are held of him (ee) by I 

 Englishman. Then as now (semper) i villein. 

 And it is worth 50 pence. 



1 This has been identified by the historians of 

 Essex as Barking Abbey, but it is singular that 

 there is no reference to the loss under the lands 

 of that abbey below. Such an act of spoliation, 

 moreover, would be very remarkable. 



2 This sentence is interlined. 



3 St. Martin-le-Grand, London. This hide 

 cannot be indentified among the holdings of that 

 house or of Count Eustace (Ingelric's successor) 

 below. 



4 That is to say that the king had not sanc- 

 tioned the gift. 



6 Or Fan Hall, a manor in North Benfleet. 

 6 ' Waste ' was a technical term for the extensive 

 felling of trees in a wood (Diahgus, i. 1 3). 



PHANTUNA [Fanton (Hall) 7 ] was held in 

 King Edward's time by Alestan Stric as a 

 manor and (as) I hide. Then I plough ; now 

 none. Then as now (semper) i bordar. Then 

 and afterwards it was worth 20 shillings ; 

 now 10. This land is claimed for the king's 

 use (opus) on the ground that (quod) it came 

 to the church through a forged (falsum) writ. 

 In the demesne (are) 2 rounceys (runcini), 

 (and) 30 sheep. 



HUNDRET OF WITHAM 



In CHEU.EVEDANA [Kelvedon], in King 

 Edward's time, (there were) 5 hides, which 

 were held by St. Peter. Then as now (sem- 

 per) 2 ploughs on the demesne. Then 8 

 ploughs belonging to the men ; now 4. 

 Then 20 villeins ; now 18. Then 3 bordars ; 

 now 7. Then as now (semper) 3 serfs. 

 Wood(land) for 50 swine, and 25 acres of 

 meadow. (There is) i mill. It was then 

 worth 100 shillings ; now 8 pounds ; and 

 the abbot has thence 12 pounds. In the 

 demesne are 2 rounceys (runcini), 6 beasts 

 (anima/ia), 35 swine, (and) 35 sheep. 



fo. >4b 



HUNDRET OF BEVENTREU [BECONTREE] 



HAME [(East ?) Ham] was held by St. Peter 

 in King Edward's time as a manor and (as) 2 

 hides. Then as now (semper) i plough. 

 Then 3 bordars ; now 5. Wood(land) for 

 8 swine. It was then worth 20 shillings ; 

 now 60. 



In LEITUNA [Leyton] Ralf Baignard holds 

 of the abbot i hide, which was held by Tosti 

 in King Edward's time. Then i plough ; 

 now a half. Now 5 bordars. (There are) 

 2O acres of meadow, (and) i mill. It was 

 then worth 30 shillings ; now 40. 



HUNDRET OF LEXENDENA [LEXDEN] 

 PHERING-E: 8 [Peering] was held by Harold 

 in King Edward's time as 4 hides and 30 

 acres. Now St. Peter holds (it). Then 34 

 villeins; now 27. Then 10 bordars; now 

 24. Then as now (semper) n serfs and 4 

 ploughs on the demesne. Then 15 ploughs 

 belonging to the men ; now 10. Wood(land) 

 for 500 swine, 20 acres of meadow, (and) 3 

 mills. And, in addition to this abovesaid 

 land, (there were) 12 sokemen dwelling on 

 (manentes in) 1\ hides, who could not with- 

 draw themselves (recedere) ; 9 under them now 



7 Or Fan Hall, a manor in North Benfleet. 



8 This Latin form points to an English ' Fee- 

 ringes.' The adjacent vill of Messing appears in 

 Domesday as ' Metcinges.' 



9 i.e. could not choose another lord. 



444 



