THE MAGNATES 87 



employed 250 teams ; and in Bedfordshire the proportion of 

 forfeitures to ancient demesne was 6J to 166 teams. It 

 would seem that of the land in the possession of King 

 William, only some 40 per cent, had been in the possession 

 of the Confessor, although it must be remembered that 

 William had granted to one or other of his subjects a few 

 properties that had belonged to his predecessor ; and that 

 while he owned in Sussex sufficient land to employ 44 teams 

 only, yet the Confessor had owned lands on which 240 teams 

 were employed in 1086. Parts of this land had been granted 

 by the Conqueror to the grandees among whom Sussex had 

 been divided. The income derived by the King from his large 

 estates amounted to a little under 14,000 a year ; and in 

 addition he received large sums from the counties and the 

 boroughs. 



There was a further difference between the two Kings. 

 Edward was merely King of the English, William was both 

 Lord and King, he was a feudal lord. The forfeitures of 

 the English who had been in arms against him had given 

 him by far the greater part of the land of England, and when 

 he rewarded his followers by gifts of these lands, these gifts 

 were not absolute grants, but were grants of perpetual 

 tenancies upon condition, express or implied, that the grantees 

 performed some service or other for his benefit. So long as 

 this service was performed, the tenancy continued ; but if it 

 was neglected, the land reverted to the King. On almost 

 every page of Domesday Book we find statements that the 

 lands in question were "held of the King." Even the 

 conquered English, who made terms with the Conqueror, 

 received back their lands on these conditions. 



" Alwin the priest holds the sixth part of a hide " at Turvey 

 (Beds), " and held it T. R. E., and could do what he liked with it ; 

 King William afterwards gave it to him in alms, on condition that he 

 should perform two ferial masses (ferias missas) for the souls of the 

 King and Queen twice a week." l 



1 D. B., I. 218 b 2. 



