THE HOLDERS OF LANDS 



time, as i hide and 30 acres, is held of S[uen] 

 by Turold. Then as now (semper) I plough 

 on the demesne. Then 2 bordars ; now 3. 

 Then 2 serfs ; now none. (There are) 6 

 acres of meadow. Then 10 sheep ; now 13, 

 and 5 swine. It is worth 20 shillings. 



BELESDUNA [Basildon *], which the same 

 Leffstan held, in King Edward's time, as I 

 hide and as a manor and 15 acres, 8 is held 

 of Suen by the same Turold. Then as now 

 (simper} I plough. Then 3 bordars; now i. 

 Then as now (semper) 2 serfs. (There is) pasture 

 for i oo sheep. Then 2 rounceys (runcini) and 

 7 swine, and 1 5 sheep ; now I rouncey, and 

 I cow, and i pig, and 95 sheep. It was 

 then worth 2O shillings ; now 25. 



BERLESDUNA [Basildon *], which was held, 

 in King Edward's time, by Godet, a certain 

 free man, 4 as a manor and as 3 hides, is held 

 (of Suen) by W. Then 3 ploughs on the 

 demesne ; now 2^. Then i plough belong- 

 ing to the men ; now i^. Then 2 villeins ; 

 now I. Then 4 bordars ; now 3. Then 

 4 serfs ; now none. (There is) wood(land) 

 for 40 swine, (and) pasture for 100 sheep. 

 Then i rouncey (runcinus), and 1 7 sheep ; 

 now 5 beasts (animalia), and 16 swine, and 

 39 sheep. It is worth 60 shillings. 



WICFORT [Wickford], which was held 

 freely (libere) by Leftan as a manor and as 

 half a hide and 35 acres, is held (of Suen) by 

 Turchil. Then as now (semper) I plough, 

 and i bordar. Then i serf; now none. 

 (There are) 30 acres of wood(land), 6 (and) 3 

 acres of meadow. Then 2 rounceys (runcini), 

 and 1 6 beasts (anima/ia), and 3 swine, and 

 100 sheep ; now 3 rounceys, and 8 beasts, 

 and 1 1 swine, and 60 sheep. In addition to 

 this land Bricteva, a free woman, held half 

 a hide and 1 5 acres, which Suen added to the 

 said land, (and) in which was then i plough ; 

 now none ; then as now (semper) 2 bordars 

 (were there), and I villein ; there are 20 

 acres of woodland. 8 He also added 3 free 



1 Morant distinguished this, as the manor of 

 ' Belesdun or Botelers ' in Basildon, from the 

 ' Berlesduna ' two entries lower down, which he 

 styled the manor of Battleswick ' anciently called 

 Bartlesdon ' there. But one cannot doubt that, 

 as with the entries of ' Rageneia ' and ' Ragheleia,' 

 ' Belesduna ' and ' Berlesduna ' are but forms of 

 the same name, which has now become Basildon. 



* i.e. as I hide and i 5 acres, 

 s See note i above. 



* ' Godet ' was probably a woman's name. 



6 Here the measurement of the woodland by 

 irea begins again. 



men with (de) 45 acres, in which was then 



1 plough ; now a half. He also added I free 

 man with (de) 9 acres. The whole was then 

 worth, in King Edward's time, 60 shillings ; 

 now 50. 



WICFORT [Wickford], which was held by 

 Goduin, a thegn of King Edward, as I 



fo. 43 



manor and as 10 hides, is held by Suen in 

 demesne. Then as now (semper) 2 ploughs 

 on the demesne. Then 6 ploughs belonging 

 to the men ; now 4. Then as now (semper) 7 

 villeins. Then 2 bordars; now 12. Then 6 

 serfs ; now none. Then 1 2 hides of wood- 

 (land) ; ' now 6 acres. Then I rouncey 

 (runcinus), and 12 sheep, and 17 goats, and 



2 hives of bees ; now i cow, and 20 sheep, 

 and 2 colts (pulli), and 3 hives of bees. It 

 was then worth 1 6 pounds ; now g. 7 



WICFORT [Wickford], which was held, in 

 King Edward's time, by Dot, a free man, 

 as a manor and half a hide and 45 acres, is 

 held (of Suen) by William Fitz Odo. Then 

 as now (semper) I plough on the demesne, 

 and i bordar. (There is) wood(land) for 10 

 swine. It is worth 10 shillings. 



WICFORT [Wickford], which was held, in 

 King Edward's time, by Godric as 30 acres, 

 is held (of Suen) by Mainard. It is worth 

 5 shillings. 8 



BENFLET [(South) Benfleet 9 ], which was 

 held, in King Edward's time, by Alwine, a 

 free man, as a manor and as 2 hides, is held 

 by Suen in demesne. Then 3 ploughs on 

 the demesne ; now I ; and i plough could be 

 added to the stock (posset restaurari). 10 (There 

 are) now 5 bordars and 2 serfs. (There is) 

 pasture for 250 sheep. It is worth 40 shil- 

 lings. 



6 The amount is suspiciously large, especially 

 when contrasted with the ' 6 acres," and with the 

 10 hides ' at which the whole manor is assessed. 

 If the figures are correct, they appear to record 

 the greatest destruction of woodland in the county. 



7 Here is a heavy fall in value, unaccountable 

 unless the destruction of timber is responsible. 



8 The four Wickford entries well illustrate the 

 practice of Domesday in speaking of a place as if 

 the whole was meant, though only a portion of it 

 is referred to. 



9 This is said to be represented by the manors 

 of Southall and Jervois there. Such is Morant's 

 identification, but the history of the Benfleet 

 manors has not yet been established. 



10 It should be observed that only one plough 

 could, it was reckoned, be added, though three in 

 all had been employed there before. 



483 



