224 THE DOMESDAY INQUEST 



cheeses, six ' lang pero,' 30 ambers of rye corn, and 4 ambers 

 of meal." 1 To identify the gafol due from Westbury in 790 

 with the night's farm derived from it in 1086 would be risky 

 in the extreme, but the charter is quoted to show the antiquity 

 and nature of the due. 



In 1086 the nights' farms were still rendered to King 

 William from Basingstoke and its partners, and from the 

 Wiltshire, Dorset, and Gloucestershire manors ; but the 

 Somerset farms, and that from Eling and Barton Stacey had 

 been commuted for money payments. Eastbourne and Bed- 

 dingham in Sussex, had each rendered one night's farm to 

 King Edward ; but both these estates had passed into the 

 hands of the Count of Mortain after the Conquest, and were 

 then valued at 43 ij 's. and 56 respectively. 2 Beeding 

 also rendered to the Confessor one night's farm, which was 

 then valued at 95 $s. 6d, but it passed to William of 

 Braiose, and was valued, in 1086, at 40? 



The three Shropshire manors of Wintone, Meresbury, and 

 Cerebury rendered the farm of one night, " into Dimplei in 

 the time of Ethelred the father of King Edward," 4 but this 

 payment had been commuted before the Conquest. 



In the eastern counties and Eastern Midlands mention is 

 made of a smaller night's farm of much less value than those 

 previously mentioned. Writtle, in Essex, rendered ten nights' 

 farm and 10 in cash in 1066 ; but in 1086 its render was 

 100 by weight, and a gersuma of 5 ; 5 Laleford rendered 

 two nights' farm, in 1066, but the render was commuted for 

 i i in 1086 ; 6 and there are other records of a similar nature. 

 A small farm was also to be found in Cambridgeshire. In 

 1066 the royal manor of Saham rendered 25 by tale, and 

 three farms of wheat, malt, honey, and other minute customs ; 

 in 1086 it rendered 25 by weight, and 13 8j. ^d. by tale 



1 Kemble, 166 ; Earle, Land Charters, 311. 



2 D. B., I. 20 b i. 3 Id., I. 28 a I. 

 4 Id., I. 253 b i. 3 Id., II. 5. . Id., II. 6. 



