THEIR CONDITION IN 1066 127 



the whole man of Munulf T. R. E. ; Alfac half; and Leofric half. 

 Esmoda was wholly commended to Toll the sheriff, and Brihtmar, 

 her son, was the man of Brihtmar, the reeve of Robert Malet, with 

 the sixth part of the land. Kenric and Grim were the men of Edric, 

 and held 50 acres. The soke belonged to the King and the earl." l 



" Alfric was commended as to one sixth part to the predecessor of 

 Malet, and Aelic, the predecessor of Robert Blund, had five parts of 

 his commendation." 2 



In the first of these cases it is obvious that Munulf stood 

 in the same relation to Brunwin and the others as the pre- 

 decessors of Earl Hugh and Robert Malet stood to him ; but 

 it is not easy to see how a man could commend himself to 

 two lords : " No man can serve two masters." Possibly, how- 

 ever, he was commended to a man whose rights over him 

 descended to two co-heiresses. At Cokeley (Suffolk) Godric 

 was commended as to one-third to Wulfsige, and as to the 

 other two-thirds to Wulfsige's two brothers. 3 



A man and his wife might be commended to different 

 persons : Blakeman, a freeman, held 50 acres at Sibton 

 (Suffolk), and was the man of Edric, but his wife was the 

 man (!) of Archbishop Stigand. 4 



The bond of commendation seems to have endured for the 

 life of the man, and not to have bound his children. We have 

 seen that a mother and her son could be commended to dif- 

 ferent persons. The father of a man named Tori commended 

 himself to Herman, Bishop of Salisbury, in respect of a hide 

 and a half in the hundred of Wantage. Likewise Tori com- 

 mended himself to Bishop Osmund, the successor of Herman. 5 

 These two cases show that the commendation of the parents 

 did not bind the children. In Cambridgeshire we read of men 

 who in 1066 were commended to Earl Alfgar, who died in 

 1062 ; 6 and these cases show that the bond of commendation 

 did not cease with the death of the lord ; and the cases of 



1 D. B., II. 299 b. 2 Id., II. 309. 3 Id., II. 333 b. 



4 Id., II. 313. 3 Id., I. 58 a 2. G Id., I. 194 a 2. 



