THE MAGNATES 105 



jointly. 1 At Cropredy a knight held I hide and I virgate 

 only. 2 From these lands they had to maintain themselves, 

 and, unlike the pre-Conquest thegn, they were aided by no 

 man. Sometimes the mesne tenants shifted their responsi- 

 bility. Wadard held Ditton of the Bishop of Bayeux : " He 

 who holds of Wadard renders him 505-. a year and the service 

 of one knight." 3 



But the chief difference between the pre-Conquest rules 

 for military service and those of the twelfth century was that 

 at the later period the summons for service was addressed 

 to the lord, who was responsible for the attendance of his 

 own contingent, and enforced the attendance of his knights 

 by distraint if necessary, while in the earlier times the summons 

 was sent by the sheriff to the individuals who were liable to 

 serve in person. But traces of the later practice were to be 

 found before the Conquest. 



Last in the list of the King's tenants in the different 

 counties appear those who held small estates of the King 

 in chief. They were called by various names the King's 

 Serjeants (servientes\ the King's ministers, the King's vavassours, 

 and the King's thegns. But there was a difference between 

 the King's Serjeants and ministers on the one hand and his 

 vavassours and thegns on the other the latter held by knight 

 service, the former by tenure in serjeantry ; in other words, 

 the Serjeants and ministers held their lands on condition of 

 performing some more or less menial service about the King's 

 court. The distinction between thegns and Serjeants is clearly 

 drawn in the indices to the counties in the south-western 

 circuit, although occasionally a holding in serjeantry is recorded 

 among those of the thegns. Thus Leviet held Cunuche 

 (Wilts.) : " This Leviet did and does orfrey work for the King 

 and Queen." 4 But it is rare to find any statement of the 

 precise service rendered by any tenant in serjeantry. These 



1 D. B., I. 155 a i. 2 id., I. 155 b i. 



3 /</., 32 a i. 4 Id., I. 74 a 2. 



