244 THE DOMESDAY INQUEST 



by William of Braiose, from 32 hides to I2J> ." l But Mr. 

 Saltzmann has pointed out that each rape in Sussex was a 

 fiscal unit, and that the sheriff of the owner of each rape 

 collected the geld from that rape, and paid it to the sheriff of 

 the county ; and suggests that when the rapes were granted 

 to their new owners, the assessment of each rape was reduced, 

 and that instead of spreading the reduction over the whole 

 of the rape, these owners reduced the assessment of their 

 demesne manors, and left their tenants to pay the same as 

 before. 2 



In Cambridgeshire, on the other hand, there was a block 

 of hundreds in the centre of the county whose assessments 

 were reduced, and each vill in the hundred participated in 

 this reduction. Thus the assessment of the hundred of 

 Erningford had been reduced from 100 to 80 hides, and this 

 reduction was apportioned between the vills as follows : 8 



TOO 80 



Mr. Round, to whom we are indebted for the preceding 



1 D. S., i. in. 2 V. C. H., Sussex, i. 361. 



3 F. E., 50. 



