CHAPTER II 

 THE HIDE AND THE TEAMLAND 



" Quot hides ? quot caruccs in dominio ? quot hominum f " 



ALTHOUGH these two questions were not the first pro- 

 pounded to the Cambridgeshire jurors, it will be better 

 to answer them first, as, without a correct understanding 

 of the land measurements, or rather of the circumlocutions 

 used to express land measurements, Domesday Book is 

 incomprehensible. 



First, let us see how these questions are usually answered. 

 By way of example, turn to the first three properties of the 

 Bishop of Bayeux in Oxfordshire 1 



" The Bishop of Bayeux holds Combe of the King. There is 

 one hide there : there is land for four teams. There are now in 

 demesne (the land occupied and farmed as a home farm by the 

 Lord) two teams . . . and six villans with six bordars have three 

 teams. 



" The same Bishop holds Deddington. There are 36 hides there. 

 There is land for 30 teams. . . . Now there are in demesne ten 

 teams . . . and 64 villans with 10 bordars have 20 teams. 



" The same Bishop holds Stanton (? Harcourt). There are 26 hides 

 there which gelded T. R. E. There is land for 23 teams. Now 

 there are in demesne five teams . . . and 55 villans with 28 bordars 

 have 17 teams." 



From these three examples, we can deduce a formula of 

 1 D. B., I. 155 b. 



