A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



of Hardwick persistently ground their corn at the mill of Blakiston and 

 not at the nearest mill of the lord, 1 and doubtless the favoured position of the 

 chekermen was partly responsible for the general insubordination of the 

 villeins proper after the Black Death. It should be added that chekerland 

 was not unknown under the prior, 8 but together with the other holdings it 

 gave way before the system of renewable leases. 3 



But these various tenures of the drengs, molmen, chekermen, &c. were 

 later accretions to the villeins, who, as their name implies, formed the village 

 community proper. It is impossible to find a more typical vill than Boldon 

 to illustrate the payments and services due to the lord, although interesting 

 variations of service occur, among other places, at Darlington, Heighington, 

 North Auckland, and Lanchester. At the time of the first survey in 1183,. 

 there were twenty-two villeins at Boldon, who each held 2 oxgangs of land. 

 At Boldon an oxgang was 1 5 acres, the average size, but we find oxgangs of 

 8 acres at Lanchester, of 12 at Newbottle, and 16 at Bedlington, so that the 

 size of the oxgang probably did correspond, at least in theory, with the ease 

 with which the soil could be tilled. For his 30 acres the Boldon peasant 

 paid partly in money and partly in kind or by service. He rendered 2s. 6d. 

 as scat-pennys, i.e. an acknowledgement perhaps of \d. for every acre of land 

 he held, and \6d. as averpennys,* i.e. instead of allowing the lord to use the 

 oxen or horses of the tenant which legally were the lord's property. He was 

 bound to carry five loads of wood and to give two hens and ten eggs also, in 

 addition to various labour services. 



These services due from the villeins to the lord were the most important 

 feature of rural economy up to the thirteenth century at least. The three- 

 field system seems to have prevailed throughout the bishopric, but need not 

 here be described. Probably one-fourth of the arable land of the village was- 

 retained as the lord's demesne 6 or home farm, and was cultivated through a 

 bailiff with the help of the villeins' services. In most cases the lord's, 

 demesne lay scattered in strips among the tenants' holdings, but it may have 

 been wholly or partly inclosed in some cases. The bishop and prior held 

 many vills, and even before Boldon Book had leased or let at farm a large 

 number of the demesnes. But the lessee had the same right to the villeins' 

 services as the bishop's bailiff had, and these services are in consequence 

 described in detail even when, as at Boldon, the demesne was at farm. 



The villein at Boldon worked for his lord three days in every week with 

 the exception of Easter-week, Whit-week, and thirteen days at Christmas, 

 Besides this the villein and his family, except the housewife, were bound to 

 reap four days in autumn. This liability was termed precariae or ' boon-days,' 

 the theory being that the villein did them as extra service at the request of 

 the lord. It is curious, however, to note that they had to be formally 

 commuted at a later date and indeed survived longer than the rest as- 

 actual services rendered. To these day-works must be added certain task- 

 works. We are told that he had to reap and plough 3 roods and each villein 

 plough ploughed and harrowed 2 acres, in which week they were excused 



1 Dur. Curs. No. 12, fbl. 82 d. They should have used Norton Mill. 

 8 Dur.Halmote R. (Surtees Soc. Ixxxii), 35. 'Ibid. 



4 If a new house had to be built by the villeins each was quit of \d. of averpennys. 



5 Ep. HatfieltTs Surv. see:r.s to show that at Boldon this was the proportion. 



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