SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY 



descendants of the Domesday ' villani,' who were thus emancipated the 

 soonest. They were part of a primitive system for the provision of plough- 

 teams, and their services accordingly were more easily computed and exacted. 

 Thus it is among the small holders, either the descendants of the Domesday 

 bordars and cotters, or new settlers, or the sons of villeins for whom the 

 family holding provided no support, that money rents first appeared. In the 

 thirteenth-century extent of Clifford Chambers, 1 there are two tenants, of a 

 messuage and curtilage each, Adam the weaver, and William Marshall, who 

 gave pannage and aid, and were subject to heriot, merchet, and toll for selling 

 a horse, an ox, or beer ; but had only to perform three days' service at haytime 

 and three at harvest, the rest having been commuted for a rent of is. Next 

 to them appears a Nicholas Hentelove, who held a messuage and curtilage 

 and two acres of arable. He was subject to the same dues, but was free of 

 the six days' labour, in return for the larger rent of 3^. Again, at Littleton, 1 

 there is a holding, consisting of a house and curtilage, which paid zs. rent, 

 owing only one bederipe, worth a penny, and services of sheep washing, 

 shearing, and nut-gathering, each worth a halfpenny ; while another holding 

 of six acres is let ' at farm ' for twenty pence, but owed, besides, labour worth 

 5-r. 3J*/., and a cock and hen for ' chirshec.' Some of these lesser holders 

 were craftsmen or officials whose regular duties left them no time to work on 

 the demesne, but who took up small plots of land to supply their own home 

 needs. Such were the village miller (who, despite his small holding was one 

 of the chief members of a mediaeval village), reaper, smith, or keeper of a 

 bridge. 8 And, yet again, there were curious tenements, known as Honilond, 

 Penilond, and Lundinar (i.e. Honey land, Pennyland, and Monday land), the 

 status of the holders of which is somewhat mysterious. At Churcham* a 

 croft containing four acres of Honeyland paid eight gallons of honey as rent ; 

 half a virgate of Pennyland paid a rent of IQJ., an aid of is. i ii</-, provided 

 two men for ' metebedripes,' ' and was subject to toll, pannage, merchet, and 

 heriot. A Monday-man (who often held ' by copy '), for a messuage, 

 curtilage, and four acres of arable, had to do manual labour one day a week * 

 and other services amounting to 6s. %d. ; while a ' coterellus,' or cottager, 

 held a messuage and curtilage by finding a man to work with him for eight 

 bederipes (worth is.). 



On the whole, therefore, these small holdings, ' clustered round ' the 

 regular settlement of the village shareholders, were bound less closely into 

 the manorial economy ; they ' sent out their hands to work for hire, managed 

 the accessory industries of the village, and carried on cultivation by individua- 

 listic processes less dependent on the agrarian customs of the open field, and 

 less burdened with service in regard to the manors.' 7 This freedom, however, 

 brought with it some disadvantages. The regular villein could use the 

 common wood for grazing and for repairs ; he could put cattle, in numbers 

 proportioned to the size of his holding, upon the waste, and, after the crops 

 were gathered, upon the hay and corn fields of the village ; he was also 



1 Gbme. Cart, iii, 49-55. ' Ibid. 40-1. 



1 e.g. at Clifford Chambers, Adam Bruggemon, or Bridgeman, held a messuage, curtilage, and piece of 

 pasture, in return for 21. and keeping the bridge in repair. (Glouc. Cart.) 



* Glotu. Cart. ' Harvest-work when the lord provided food. 



Presumably on Mondays. 

 ' Vinogradoff, op. cit. 353. 



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