140 THE DOMESDAY INQUEST 



All these had power to sell, and would therefore have been 

 called " freeholders " in Suffolk. 1 



Other terms were used to denote the pre-Domesday 

 tenures of land. In the South Eastern Counties we meet 

 with those who are called "allodarii," or are said to hold 

 "in allodium," either of the King or of local magnates. In 

 very many cases the record further states that they could go 

 where they would, and I have seen only one instance where 

 they were restrained from commendation. 2 It must be 

 noticed that in Sussex " allodarii " and " liberi homines " are 

 found side by side in only two hundreds. In sixteen hun- 

 dreds only " allodarii " are recorded, and in fourteen hundreds 

 only " freemen" are recorded. This fact suggests that different 

 scribes made the returns for different hundreds, and that where 

 some saw " freemen " others saw " allodarii," and if so, " allo- 

 darii " and " liberi homines " can be equated. These allodarii 

 are especially numerous in Hampshire. On folio 46, out 

 of forty-six holdings enumerated, seventeen were allodial 

 holdings in 1066 ; and, similarly, on folio 50, out of twenty- 

 three estates, twenty were allodia. Occasionally we read of 

 estates that were not alods. 3 Blacheman held two estates 

 in Berks : he held Chilton of Earl Harold in allodium, and 

 could go where he pleased ; and he held Leverton in fee. 4 

 A distinction therefore appears to be drawn between lands 

 that were held in allodium and lands that were held 

 in fee. 



The word " fee " is frequently used by the Domesday 

 scribes. Often it is used to express the whole of the landed 

 estates of a magnate ; e.g. the fee of Baignard, 5 the fee of 

 Lisios, 6 the fee of Count Eustace, 7 the fee of the Bishop of 

 Bayeux. 8 " Hamo says that he has this land in his own 

 fee." 9 And a distinction is drawn between the lands of the 



1 V. C. H., Herts, i. 288. 2 D. B., I. 52 b I. 



3 D. B., I. 39 b 2 ; I. 44 b 2. 4 Id., I. 59 a 2. 



5 Id., II. 55 b. c Id., I. 212 b i. 7 Id., II. 303. 



8 Id., I. 16 a 2. * Id., II. 56. 



