A HISTORY OF DORSET 



Askell (Anschil), and Azor are all of Scandinavian derivation. Askell (Anschil) occurs 

 twice in Dorset (nos. i8o, 490). Azor appears three times. One of his three manors, 

 Aihvood (no. 482), had passed to Swain in 1086. Swain's three other manors had been 

 held by his father T.R.E., and it is possible that he is to be identified with Swain son of 

 Azor, who held land in Northamptonshire, and that Azor can be identified as Swain's 

 father, the holder of some 20 hides in Dorset T.R.E.^^ The pre-Conquest holders of 

 three manors are described as free men {Uberi homines). Godwin who held Cernel (no. 

 147) is described as a liber homo. Four free men held the manor of Galton T.R.E. 

 (no. 507) and may be identical with the 4 men holding it for rent in 1086. Three free 

 men held Woodstreet (no. 508). Both Galton, assessed at i hide and i virgate, and 

 Woodstreet, assessed at 3 virgates, had passed to Osmund the baker in 1086. Cenicl was 

 assessed at 3 hides and was held by Walter the deacon, an almsman of the king in 1086. 

 Apart from these free men several manors were held by 'free thegns' T.R.E. A free 

 thegn {liber tainus) held Hemsworth (no. 355). Three free thegns {Uberi taini) held the 

 2>\ virgates in Buckland hundred which were added to the manor of ]Melcombe. 

 Mappowder (no. 431), which Bollo the priest held in 1086, was held T.R.E. by the 

 same Bollo cum aliis vii liberis tainis. The thegn who held Church Knowle (no. 308) was 

 free with his land {liber erat cum hac terra), which presumably means that he was not 

 commended to any lord. Freedom to commend oneself to any lord is quite frequently 

 mentioned, in a haphazard fashion which suggests that it was so common that it was not 

 thought necessar}' to mention it in all cases. Five thegns who held three virgates 

 attached to Rampisham (no. 55) could quo zolebant se vertere. Alward, who held 

 Little Windsor (nos. 282 and xcii), potuit ire ad quemlibet dominiim volebat. Wulfgifu, 

 the T.R.E. holder of the Countess of Boulogne's manors, poterat ire cum terra sua quo 

 zolebat.^~ Dodo who held Edmondsham (nos. 18 and xxiv), Saul who held Hampreston 

 (nos. 19 and xxv), and the two thegns who held Witchampton (nos. 20 and xxvi) could 

 all go with their land to any lord they liked. The men who held the manors which in 

 1086 were held by the wife of Hugh fitz Grip were all free to go to any lord, as appears 

 from a note appended at the end of the account of her manors : Omiies taini qui has 

 terras tenebant poterant ire ad quern dominum zolebant. A similar statement is appended 

 to the land of the king's Serjeants: Qui has terras tenebant T.R.E. poterant ire quo 

 Tolebaiit, and at the end of the account of the land of the Count of IMortain there is a 

 note that omnes qui has terras tenebant T.R.E. libere tenebant. References to commenda- 

 tion are rare. The three thegns holding 3 hides at Cranborne of Beorhtric son of 

 Aelfgar non potuerant separari ab eo and Alnod held Stourpaine de Edzcardo Lipe et nan 

 poterat separari a dominio suo. Aelmer and Aethelfrith who held Piddletrenthide as two 

 manors of King Edward non poterant cum terra ista ire ad quemlibet dominum. Aethelfrith 

 also held Worth iNIatravers (no. 330) of King Edward et non potuit separari a seriicio 

 regis. Beorhtsige, who held Wootton Fitzpaine (no. 347), is described as miles regis 

 Eduardi. 



There are frequent references to land held in parage {in paragio, pariter), which 

 consisted in the joint tenure of an estate bv co-heirs. The merit of this system was that 

 it prevented the fragmentation of manors which would otherwise have occurred in a 

 society which did not recognize primogeniture. Sared and his brother held Blandford 

 (no. 185) in parage and two brothers held Ranston (no. 241) in parage. Scirewold and 

 Ulward, who held U'ai (no. 162), and Edric, Dachelin, and Alward, who held Xyland 

 (no. 251), are said to hold in parage. The necessity of such a system is obvious when the 



■•* For these rare names, see Feilitzen, op cit. /)aj«';/i. For ■" Seep. 114. 



the identification of Swain as Swain son of Azor, see p. 52. 



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