A HISTORY OF WORCESTERSHIRE 



completion of the term agreed upon between 

 them, or betake himself anywhere ^ with that 

 land.8 



In this Hundred the Bishop of that church 

 holds Chemesege [Kempsey]. There are 24 

 hides that (pay) geld. Of these hides 5 hides 

 are waste. In (the) demesne are 2 ploughs 

 and (there are) 15 villeins and 27 bordars 

 with 16 ploughs. There are a priest and 4 

 serfs and 2 bondwomen and 40 acres of 

 meadow. The wood(land) is a league {lewd) 

 long and half a league wide. In (the) demesne 

 are 13 hides. It was worth 16 pounds 

 T.R.E. ; now 8 pounds. 



Of this manor Urse the sherifiF holds 3 

 berewicks of 7 hides, Mucenhil [Mucken- 

 hill],* Stoltun [Stoulton], Ulfrintun 

 [Wolverton]. There are 7 ploughs and 7 

 villeins and 7 bordars and 7 serfs and 16 

 acres of meadow. For these three estates 

 (terris) rent [firma) was rendered T.R.E., for 

 they were always assigned to {de) the support 

 (of the monks). They are worth 100 shil- 

 lings. 



Of this same manor Roger de Laci holds 

 2 hides at Ulfrintun [Wolverton] and Aiulf 

 (holds them) of him. They were in demesne 

 T.R.E. , and Alric' was still holding them in 

 the time of king William and was rendering 

 thence all the customary rent {consuetudines 

 firma) that his predecessors used to render 

 except the peasants' labour {rustico opere) as it 

 could be obtained [cleprecari) from the reeve. 

 There are 2 ploughs with i villein and (there 

 are) 2 serfs and a mill worth {de) 40 pence. 

 It was worth 50 shillings T.R.E. ; now 40 

 shillings. 



Of the same manor Walter Ponther (holds) 

 2 hides at Widintun [Whittington]. They 

 were in demesne T.R.E., (and) Ailric held 

 them in the same manner {ratlone) as the 

 above hides.* In (the) demesne are 2 ploughs 

 and 4 serfs, and (there are) 3 villeins and 7 

 bordars with 4 ploughs and a fishery worth 

 {de) 4 shillings and 1 2 acres. The wood(land) 

 is I league {lewa) long and half (a league) 

 wide. It was worth 30 shillings T.R.E. ; 

 now 40 shillings.* 



^ i.e. commend himself to another lord. 



^ Heming's Cartulary here adds : ' to retain 

 it by usurping an hereditary right, or claim it 

 as his fee {feudam) except in accordance with 

 the Bishop's wish and in accordance with their 

 agreement.' 



^ Now Mucknell Farm. 



* i.e. at Wolverton. 



® The monks' story was, that iEthelric (the 



In the same hundred the said Bishop holds 

 WicHE [Wyke episcopi].® There are 15 

 hides that (pay) geld. In (the) demesne are 

 4 hides less a virgate, and 4 ploughs are there ; 

 and (there are) 12 villeins and 12 bordars 

 with 12 plcmghs, and 2 mills worth {de) 12 

 shillings and 2 fisheries worth 6 shillings and 

 8 pence and 60 acres of meadow. The 

 wood(land) is 2 leagues {lewa) long and i 

 league wide. T.R.E., as now, it was worth 

 8 pounds. 



Of this manor Urse the sherifiF holds 5 

 hides at Holte [Holt]. Ailric' held them 

 in the above manner.'' In (the) demesne are 

 2 ploughs, and (there are) 12 villeins and 24 

 bordars with 10 ploughs and a fishery worth 

 {de) 5 shillings and, in (Droit)wich i saltpan 

 worth 13 pence, and (there are) 12 acres of 

 meadow. The wood(land) is half a league 

 {lewa) long and the same in width. There 

 is a hay {haie) * there. 



The said Urse holds one hide at Witlege 

 [Witley], and Walter (holds it) of him. In 

 (the) demesne is one plough, and (there is) a 

 priest and 2 bordars with i plough. The 

 wood(land) is 3 furlongs {quar") in length and 

 2 in width. Arnwine the priest ® held (it 

 and) rendered to the church all the customary 

 rent {consuetudines firma) and one ' sestier ' 

 {sextarium) of honey. It is and was worth 10 

 shillings. 



The same Urse holds i hide at Che- 

 ciNWiCHE [Kenswick] '" and Walter (holds 

 it) of him. In (the) demesne are 2 ploughs 

 and (there are) 6 bordars and 4 serfs. Wulf- 



' Ailric' or 'Alric' of the above entries), was 

 a brother of bishop Brihtheah (' Brihtegus '), 

 from Berkshire, who obtained from the Bishop 

 ' Wlfrintun ' and ' Hwitintun,' together with 

 Himbleton and Spetchley (see below), but 

 was deprived of them in his lifetime by earl 

 William of Hereford (Heming's Cartulary, 

 p. 266). This is to some extent confirmed 

 by the Domesday statement that iEthelric 

 was still holding them after the Conqueror's 

 accession. 



^ In St. John's, Worcester. 



' i.e. as at Wolverton and Whittington. 



^ A hedge surrounding an enclosure into 

 which animals were driven for capture. 



^ The monks of Worcester stated that this 

 man (' Earnwius ') was the priest of the famous 

 Eadric the Wild, at whose request Witley 

 had been given him by Ealdred, then bishop, 

 and Wulfstan, then prior (Heming's Cartulary, 

 I. 256. 



'° A constablewick in Wichenford (Nash). 



