THE CORNWALL DOMESDAY AND GELD INQUEST. 561 



The names of the estates are not the names of Parishes, 

 although the priests of some "churches are mentioned as holding 

 lands. In the Sussex Domesday, Churches are often mentioned ; 

 but in Cornwall, except as landowners, they are omitted. 



Turning now to the names of the men of the soil, Villeins, 

 Colberts, Bordars, and Serfs: — The villeins or villagers were 

 in servitude to the lord of the soil, and held the common land 

 by which they supported themselves and their families ; they were 

 attached to the land, holding what they tilled by copy of Court 

 Roll, and performing services in kind generally ; these holdings 

 would be as follows : — 



For the Villeins or villagers — the holding on death descended 

 from father to son — first reverting to the lord, who was bound 

 by custom to regrant it to the heir on payment of a fine ; the 

 villein could not leave his holding nor marry his daughters with- 

 out his lord's consent, and he was bound to perform such work 

 in cultivating his lord's demesne as custom required. 



The Colberts, of which there were only 49 in Cornwall, and 

 these on two royal manors, Winnetone and Rentis, were tenants 

 who held their free-tenancy under conditions of certain works 

 and services. 



The Bordars were cottars or hinds holding a little wooden 

 cottage with, perhaps, an acre or less of land. 



Lastl}'- came the Serfs — practically slaves, they were pro- 

 tected by the law from personal injury from their lord, but were 

 absolutely at his disposal. A Saxon MS. of the tenth century 

 gives an account of their condition thus : — 



" What sayest thou, ploughman? How do'st thou do thy 

 work ?" 



"Oh, my lord, hard do I work! I go out at daybreak 

 driving the oxen to field, and I yoke them to the plough. Nor 

 is it ever so hard winter that I dare loiter at home, for fear of my 

 Lord, but the oxen yoked, and the ploughshare and coulter 

 fastened to the plough, every day must I plough a full acre or 

 more * * ''' * Ha ! Ha ! hard ,work it is, hard work it is ; 

 because I am not free. "f 



t Seebohm, " English Village Community," p. 166. 



