SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY 



Ramsey's manors of Cranfield *" and Shillington/* belonging to the first half 

 of the 1 2th century. The services exacted on the two manors are almost 

 identical. The virgater was bound to plough on one day and work on two 

 other days in each week, except from the beginning of August to Michael- 

 mas, during which time he was free from ploughing, but had to work five 

 days in the week, reaping, binding and carrying. In addition, during the 

 harvest, he had to attend on extra days if so requested, and in winter he had 

 either to plough and sow with his own seed i rood or to plough without 

 sowing I acre. Finally, he had to act as carrier to London, Ramsey or Cam- 

 bridge once a month, or else pay ']\d.^ a seam of oats, and four hens at Mar- 

 tinmas. The holder of a cotland had to work two days in the week and to 

 do carrying work on foot. In a little over a century, by 1255, ^^ definition 

 of the services due from a virgater at Shillington has become so exact and so 

 elaborate that their entry occupies four and a half pages of the printed 



' Chartulary.^* To deal at length with villein services in the county would 

 require far more space than is here available ; it is only possible to glance at 

 the various leading features. 



Taking first the ploughing, we find that as a general rule the villein was 

 bound to plough once a week, and to put in three additional days, one in winter, 

 one in Lent, and one in summer. In the winter each plough had to till one 

 selion for ' bene erth,' '* the tenants providing their own meals, but at the 

 ' plough boon days,' to which some of the free tenants had to send men, the 

 lord provided a meal for the workers." As every virgater did not own a 

 whole plough-team it was often necessary for several to join together, in 

 which case the ploughing of one selion in the place assigned counted as a 

 day's ploughing for each of the tenants contributing to the team.^' At Pegs- 

 don it is noted of four semi-virgaters that they render ploughing service if 

 they have oxen which work in the teams of persons who owe such service, 

 but not if their oxen are in the teams of persons free therefrom.^' In almost 

 every instance what was ploughed had subsequently to be harrowed by the 

 same persons. At Shillington the ploughing and harrowing of one selion, 

 called ' wodebone,' was probably done in return for the right to take wood 



' and fuel from the woodlands of the manor.'" 



The time, however, when the villeins were hardest worked was during 

 the harvest. Then each had to put in five days a week, and in addition 

 there were extra days when the villagers turned up in force at the ' request ' 

 of the lord, and as this was supposed to be done out of affection for the lord 

 these services were called 'love boons ' {precariae). There appear usually to 

 have been three ' precariae.' To the chief ' precaria ' the tenant was as a 

 rule expected to come with all his household who were old enough to work, 

 except his wife." Free tenants and some of the higher grades of virgaters 

 had only to provide three men to work, the tenant coming himself in person, 

 or sending a fourth, to superintend their labour.'* To the second ' precaria * 

 the workers turned up in rather less force, and for the third each tenement 

 as a rule had only to find one or two men. In the evening after each of 

 these ' boon days,' the labourers repaired to the manor house and received 



» Ramsey Chartul. (Rolls Ser.), iii, 302. " Ibid. 308. 



» Ibid, i, 460-4. " Ibid. 475. " Ibid. 460. " Ibid. 461. 



"Ibid. 468. =» Ibid. 461. "Ibid. 477. " Ibid. 459, 463. 



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