i 9 8 THE DOMESDAY INQUEST 



These recently conquered districts were not hidated, and 

 were therefore free from geld. The King's men in Archin- 

 field were distinctly stated to pay no geld. 1 At Copleford 

 (Herefds.), 5 English hides that gelded are contrasted with 3 

 Welsh hides paying 6s. a year. 2 In Gwent there was a two- 

 fold division of the land ; some of it was divided into vills 

 which were grouped under a prepositus. Thus 



"Under Waswic, the prepositus, are 13 vills; under Elmvi are 

 14 vills, under Blei 13 vills, and under Idhel 14 vills. These render 

 47 sextars of honey, 40 pigs, 41 cows, and 2%s. for the hawks. 

 Under the same prepositi are four vills wasted by King Caradoch." 3 



Mr. Seebohm has quoted the ancient laws of Wales to show 

 how thirteen trevs (Lat. villa) belonging to freeborn Welsh- 

 men used to be grouped under a maer (Lat. prepositus), and 

 that from each of these groups was rendered to the King or 

 chief a gwesta, or food rent, which in Gwent formerly consisted 

 of " a horse-load of wheat-flour, an ox, seven sheaves of oats, 

 a vat of honey, and 24 pence of silver." 4 The ancient food 

 rent had evidently been altered before 1086, but it would 

 otherwise appear that the freeborn Welsh had retained their 

 peculiar organization after the Conquest. 



Similarly, some of the unfree Welsh retained their 

 organization 



" Alfred of Spain has in Wales 7 vills which were in the demesne 

 of Earl William and Roger his son : these render 6 sextars of honey, 

 6 pigs, and ioj." 5 



The same ancient laws show that seven trevs, inhabited 

 by the unfree Welsh, were grouped under a maer, and that 

 each of these likewise paid a food rent. 



Alongside these groups of vills, in Gwent there were single 

 vills belonging to different persons 



1 D. B., I. 185 a i. 2 Id., I. 181 b 2. 3 Id., I. 162 a I. 



4 E. V. C.y 207, 195. 5 D. B., I. 162 a 2. 



