248 THE DOMESDAY INQUEST 



show that ordinarily demesne paid geld, and that its exemp- 

 tion in 1084 was an anomaly. Mr. Round has suggested 

 that on this occasion the Council assented to the King's 

 proposal to levy this "exceeding muckle geld" on condition 

 that their demesne land was exempt. 1 While the geld 

 inquests for 1084 show that no geld was paid in respect 

 of the demesne, either by the lords or by the tenants, the 

 Pipe Roll of 1130 and those of Henry II. show that in the 

 twelfth century all the land in a county, whether in demesne 

 or in the occupation of the tenants, was liable for geld. 

 Domesday gives Oxfordshire 2420 hides (Professor Maitland 

 counts 2412); in 1130 the Sheriff of Oxfordshire accounts 

 for a Danegeld amounting to 239 qs. ^d.f or 2s. a hide on 

 2394^ hides. The King then excused los. to the Abbot of 

 Battle ; but his only possession in Oxfordshire, according to 

 Domesday Book, was Crowmarsh Preston, a 5 -hide manor, 

 of which 2j hides were in demesne. Mr. Eyton has shown 

 that while the hidage of Dorset in Domesday Book was 

 2313!, including both the lands in demesne and in the 

 possession of tenants, the Danegelds of 1130 and .1156 were 

 paid in respect of 2282^ hides. 3 



Sometimes we find that, by special favour, lands belonging 

 to the Church were quit of geld. St. Petroc owned much 

 land in Cornwall, " but the lands of this saint never rendered 

 geld, except to the saint." 4 When the King levied a Dane- 

 geld, the Church collected the geld from its own tenants, and 

 paid the proceeds into its own treasury. Out of every pound 

 paid by the hundred for geld, the Abbey of St. Edmund's re- 

 ceived 5.$-. for the victuals of the monks. 5 At Betune (Glos.) 

 there were 2 hides, and the hide that gelded is contrasted 

 with the hide that belonged to the church a contrast which 

 may indicate that the hide that belonged to the church was 

 quit of geld. 6 But we must not therefore conclude that all 



1 D. S., i. 98. 2 F. E., 95. 3 Notes on Domesday, Shropshire. 



4 D. B., I. 121 a 2. 5 Id., II. 372. 6 Id., I. 170 b I. 



