148 THE DOMESDAY INQUEST 



of the Bishop of Bayeux, on which were four villans. But 

 before the Conquest this land had been held by four thegns, 

 with liberty of sale. He held in Middleton 4 hides with 

 four villans and three bordars, and had one team in demesne ; 

 but these 4 hides had previously been held by seven soke- 

 men, with liberty of sale. 1 Similarly there were twelve 

 villans on the land of Herbert fitz Ivo, which had previously 

 been held by twelve sokemen, with liberty of sale. 2 That in 

 all these Bedfordshire cases there had been a degradation 

 from one class to another is proved by the statement in the 

 entry concerning the land of Herbert fitz Ivo at Carlton, 

 that there were two sokemen who had held the same land in 

 1066, with liberty of sale. The Commissioners must have 

 seen some difference between the sokemen and the villans. 



Those freeholders who were so fortunate as to maintain 

 their superior position after the Conquest were in most cases 

 subjected to increased services, and it must be remembered 

 that in many cases their services were now rendered to a 

 subject, and not to the King. Thus at Mutford there were 

 eighty-seven freemen, who rendered 13^. 6d. in 1066 ; twenty 

 years later their payments had been increased to ^30. At 

 Ringsfield there were twelve freemen who paid nothing in 

 1066, but from whom 2$ were exacted in io86. 4 In one 

 case we can see the steps by which the payments were in- 

 creased. At Bergholt, before the Conquest, the freemen had 

 voluntarily (gratis) given fourpence each to the reeve, and 

 had rendered soke as it was due (sicut lex ferebaf) ; but when 

 Roger Bigot was sheriff his ministers increased their pay- 

 ment to ^"15. Under Robert Malet it was still further in- 

 creased to 20 ; but in 1086 Aluric Wanz held them on the 

 same terms as they were in io66. 5 These freemen were 

 fortunate in being able to return to the status quo ante. 

 But this case is unique. 



1 D. B., I. 209 b i. 2 Id., I. 209 b 2. 3 Id. t II, 283. 



4 Id., II. 282 b. 5 Id., II. 287 b. 



