196 THE DOMESDAY INQUEST 



Trinity and St. Augustine at Canterbury, and St. Martin at 

 Dover, the churches received the fines. 1 At Chester the 

 bishop received the fines inflicted on those who were guilty 

 of sabbath-breaking 8s. from a freeman, 4?. from a woman, 

 a slave, or a foreign merchant. 2 



Of the social position of the village clergy we naturally have 

 no direct information. Possibly the fact that they are so often 

 coupled with the villans may indicate that many of them were 

 of humble origin ; and, except in the richer appointments, 

 there is no reason to think that the English priests were sup- 

 planted by foreigners. Orderic Vitalis tells us that he was the 

 son of a foreign priest who came over with Roger Montgomery, 

 but that he was baptized by one English priest and educated 

 by another. The names of several village priests, recorded 

 in Domesday Book, show their English birth. ^Eldred the 

 priest held 3 hides at Amberley ; 3 and Acard the priest held 

 2 virgates at Walberton. 4 



It will be remembered that Chaucer's "poore persoun of 

 a toune " was brother to a ploughman ; and if, as appears 

 probable, there were many priests who resembled him in 

 this respect three centuries previously, we may also hope that 

 there were many who resembled him in his teaching 



" But Christes lore, and his Apostles twelve, 

 He taughte, but first he folwede it himselve." 



1 D. B., I. I a 2. 2 Id., I. 263 a i. 3 Id., I. 17 a I. 



4 Id., I. 25 a i. Incidentally, Domesday Book refers to the sons of bishops 

 and priests, showing that the rules enjoining celibacy on the clergy were laxly 

 administered. Reinbald, the son of Peter the bishop, held a house at Reading. 

 (Id., I. 58 a i.) 



