SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY 



chevage. The chevage rather than restraint of the person was the lord's aim. 

 At a court in 1351 the Codicote jury presented four villein fugitives, who 

 were in London, Baldock, Weston and Knebworth.'^ Two years later three of 

 these were still away, and four other fugitives were presented. The order to 

 take them was repeated as late as 1357. In Michaelmas of that year three 

 villeins undertook that the son of one of the fugitives should remain within 

 the manor,'' One escaped villein might well draw away his proper successor 

 and leave the tenement empty. In some cases the wife of the fugitive was 

 allowed to take up the lands, obviously a poor substitute. 



In 1362 five other men and one woman were presented, one of them 

 being the son of a fugitive previously referred to. Again, in 1373 nine 

 fugitives were presented, two of them being women and two apparently of 

 the same family, showing how one member of a family followed another, or 

 a couple went together. The kinds of employment, domestic service or the 

 crafts, are indicated. 



At Benington in 1362 a villein and half-virgater made fine 'that he 

 may dwell where he likes as a trader {ad mercafidizandum) ' doing the 

 services due from his tenements and paying four capons as chevage for respite 

 of suit of court except at the view.'' 



At Tyttenhanger in 1369 one villein was living 'at the manor of 

 Mimms,' another had crossed the sea, and two others dwelt in Kent. 

 The two latter had not come back four years later.'* But the rolls of 

 Stevenage and Standon about this time are clear of similar entries. Being to 

 some extent industrial, they probably attracted fugitives. 



The immediate effect in 1350 was the emptiness of the land and the 

 poverty of the survivors. At Martinmas 1350 at Codicote fifteen tenements 

 were still in the lord's hand.'' Sixteen tenements were neither given nor 

 leased at Ashwell in 1352.'° The lord of Stevenage granted a virgater who 

 had been paying 22J. for all service to pay 13J. /\.d. for three years from 1353. 

 The lords were poor too ; unoccupied houses were allowed to decay or were 

 pulled down, dovecots fell down, underwood was cut and not replaced. 

 As late as 1375 three water-mills were ruinous.'^ They were unrepaired 

 two years later.'* So too was the water-mill of Ayot St. Lawrence.'^ The 

 manorial courts were busy admitting heirs and providing minors with 

 guardians.*" In one case the whole homage was made the guardian, as they 

 say 'that none of them alone is sufficient.'" The courts were busy too at 

 old work, reporting and fining those who did not come to do their labour 

 services. In the Plague summer August 1349, at Standon, thirty-two men 

 of the commonalty of the vill of Bury failed to come to mow the lord's hay, 

 which was destroyed by their neglect.'"' The bailiff of Codicote sent certain 

 tenants to St. Albans to show by what services they held certain lands. But 

 other tenants of the same manor subtracted thirty works a year in the three 

 years following the Plague.*' Six of the villeins of Tyttenhanger stayed away 

 from the boondays and were fined for it in 1357. In 1366 P. Beedel 



" Stowe MS. 849, fol. 50 et seq. '^ jyj^ 33 Ct. R. (Gen. Ser.), portf. 177, no. 8. 



'* Caledon D. Ct. R. Tyttenhanger. '= Stowe MS. 849, fol. 50 et seq. 



^^ Mins. Accts. bdle. 862, no. 6. '^ Chan. Inq. p.m. 49 Edw. Ill, pt. i, no. 74, m. 4. 



38 Ibid. I Ric. II, no. 30. 39 j^ld. pt. ii, no. 28. 4" Caledon D. Ct. R. Tyttenhanger. 



*i Ct. R. (Gen. Ser.), portf. 178, no. 48. ^^ jtid. no. 41. « Stowe MS. 849. 



