THE ENCROACHMENTS 215 



humbler freeholders had commended themselves to him. No 

 wonder, then, that in unravelling this complication of interests, 

 difficulties and disputes would arise : the title of the new- 

 comer to certain estates would be disputed; lands would be 

 annexed to manors to which they did not previously belong ; 

 men owing service (soke) to one manor would be taken from 

 it and annexed to another; smaller neighbours, whose in- 

 significance might presumably have saved them, fell under 

 the lordship of some powerful magnate ; and men who had 

 merely commended themselves to the English predecessor 

 were forced to pay dues to the Norman successor. 



All these grounds of complaint actually did arise. 



It was to avoid disputes about his title that Osbern, 

 Bishop of Exeter, produced the charters of Newton (Devon) 

 which testified that the church was seised thereof before the 

 days of King Edward. 1 Reference has already been made 

 to the dispute between Hardouin of Eschalers and the monks 

 of Ely as to Swaffham. Usually the Commissioners con- 

 tented themselves with reporting these disputes to the King, 

 and leaving the matter to his decision. At Thrapslow they 

 reported that " Hardouin of Eschalers holds a hide there by 

 title of a lease from a former abbot for the victuals of the 

 monks until he confer with the King (donee aim rege inde 

 loquatur)"* Sometimes the Commissioners took possession 

 of disputed lands and encroachments in the King's name. 

 William the Deacon succeeded to the lands of Turchil at 

 Peldon ; but of the 5 hides belonging to Turchil's manor 

 Hamo took 80 acres of arable land and 200 acres of marsh ; " 

 and the Commissioners report that " we " have taken 

 this seizure (" occupationem ") into the hands of the King. 3 

 Other cases of seizure into the King's hands occur when the 

 occupier could not show a title. They thus took possession 

 of certain lands of Turold, in Essex, because "the hundred 



1 D. B., I. ioi b 2. 2 Id., I. 191 a i, 



3 /</., II. 94 b. 



