A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



between 1599 and 1640 and was accompanied by an increase in the smaller 

 places not noticeable in the earlier period. The explanation may be con- 

 nected with the method of assessment, which was partly on freehold lands 

 and partly on goods. The 16th-century shrinkage is probably due to the 

 concentration of property in a few hands, while the accumulation of goods 

 was not sufficient to make itself felt in the tax returns. In the 1 7th century 

 the subsidy on goods touched the rich farmers. 



The lease for rent only was the most active agent in the relief of the 

 villein. Take a little group of cases just after the revolt. At Wormley one 

 tenant paid js. b\d. assize rent, and for the farm of various tenements ' late 

 of various men ' i 3J. 9^^. and 3J-. for meadow. Twenty-seven other tenants 

 held similar holdings." The lord of Stevenage granted thirty-three parcels 

 of villein land on terms of life or years." In 1461 Richard Huchin, one of 

 a progressive villein family of Bengeo, surrendered villein land and received 

 it again on lease for sixteen years." Presumably the exchange was 

 profitable. 



By the middle of the i6th century the usual tenures on a manor were 

 free, customary or copyhold, and tenancy by indenture. On five out of ten 

 manors the records of which have been examined tenants at will are also 

 found. ^' In some manors the old varied tenures still survived. At King's 

 Langley, for instance, there were freeholders, copyholders, tenants by a 

 commuted rent of movables, tenants by a commutation for works executed 

 and tenants by indenture who were obviously destined to become copy- 

 holders. The progressiveness of the copyholders is proved by the nature of 

 their quarrels with the lords. They wanted to handle their lands freely 

 and to be able to grant leases as freely as the freeholders. The lords tried 

 to check or control this. At Rickmansworth in 1520 proclamation was 

 made in the court that all who had let occupied villein land and all persons 

 having rights in such lands should come to take licence to lease their lands.^' 

 Near by, at Croxley, all customary tenants were ordered to show their 

 copies, and in 1535 all persons holding or demising villein land without 

 licence against the custom of the manor were threatened with the loss of 

 the tenement.'" From about 1500 the tenants of King's Walden had been 

 granting parcels of their land under cover of their usual rents in fee-simple 

 at ' undersell rents so that the lord did not know his tenants and lost reliefs 

 and fines for the undersells. In 1556 he made inquiries and cut off the 

 undersell rents altogether.' " 



At the manor of Wallington one copyholder, hearing that the lord had 

 very few Court Rolls, changed his limited estate into a fee-simple and broke 

 all the customs and encouraged the other copyholders to cut their wood." 

 The custom of some manors was favourable to the tenants. An example 

 can be given from the custom of Hexton. Copyholders might alienate 

 their tenements, and if they divided them the rent was divided propor- 

 tionately. They might lease their tenements without licence from three 



1* Rentals and Surv. R. 300, held on similar conditions. 



1' Mins. Accts. bdle. S72, no. 7 ; cf. also Weston, ibid. bdle. 873, no. 25. " Add. MS. 27976. 



18 Mins. Accts. 28 & 29 Hen. VIII, no. 85 ; Misc. Bks. Ld. Rev. ccxvi, i et seq. ; Aug. Off. Misc. Bks. 

 cccxci, fol. 1-92 ; Mins. Accts. 31 & 32 Hen. VIII, no. 71, m. 37. 



19 Ct. R. (Gen. Ser.), portf. 178, no. 5. 20 Add. MS. 6057. 



" Add. Chart. 35+28. 22 chan. Proc. Eliz. bdle. 6, no. 6. 



212 



