The English Cuiiagers of the Middle Ages. 3 



even the whole, of their land. We have, therefore, rich peasant?, 

 poor psasants, and landless peasants,* 



The nan:\e given to the village mark in Latin — - the language 

 almo.-jt universally used for public documents in the middle 

 ages — was yi7^a, and its inhabitants were villani. Now in the 

 changes in landed property, so long as a man kept his hold upon 

 his share (hide), or even upon any aliquot portion of it, he was 

 by right a villanus, a " townsman," and entitled to all the political 

 and economical privileges which belonged to the community.. 

 Thus, the manor of Sindun^ gives first of this class those who 

 held half a virgate (i. e., one eighth of a hide, the regular share 

 having been reduced to this amount by successive subdivision), 

 then the o/^eraru of ten acres, and then those of Qve, These three 

 classes, were the villani proper, or, as they were now called, the 

 cusiumarii, or customary tenants. They were the higher order 

 of serfs, bound to labor by an hereditary obligation from which 

 they could not escape; but having an interest in the soil, also 

 hereditary, and of which they could not be deprived. Above 

 them were the freeholders, libere ienentes, ah'O having an interest 

 in the soil, and held to labor; but an interest and an obligation 

 resting upon definite and personal contract. But there was a 

 class below thes customary tenants ; serfs, like them, held to labor 

 by an obligation which they did not themselves enter into, and. 

 from which they could, not escape, but having no interest in the 

 soil to compensate for it. They might hold land, even in con- 

 siderable amount; but it was purely at the will of the lord. These 

 were the cottagers. If the customary tenants may be called 

 villeins regardant (praedial serfs), the cottagers may be called 

 villeins in gross (personal serfs), with a status hardly belter than 

 that of slaves proper. Both classes held their lands nominally 

 "at, will," but with the. customary tenants- the prescriptive rights 

 of the tenant were .effective against the bare |egal right of the 

 lord. - . . 



It will be noted that there were no slaves in England at this 

 time (the close of the thirteenth century.) There had been at an 



' See, on this point, Tliudichum, Gau und Alarkcerfassung, p. 211. 

 ^Domesfay of St Paul, p. 13. 



