TEXT OF THE EXETER BOOK 



fol. 83. 



THE KING'S DEMESNE BELONGING 

 TO THE KINGDOM IN DEVENESCIRAi 



The king has a manor called Tawetona 

 [Tawton] ^ which paid geld for J virgate in the 

 time of King Edward. This 30 ploughs can till. 

 There the king has 3 ploughlands [carucatas) and 3 

 ploughs [carucas) in the demesne, and the villeins 

 have 27 ploughs. There the king has 3 1 villeins, 

 28 bordars, 3 serfs, 10 beasts {animalia), 90 sheep, 

 40 acres of wood(land) (nemus), 30 of coppice 

 {nemusculum), 40 acres of meadow and 5 of 

 pasture. It pays 1 5 pounds a year by weight. 



The king has a manor called Aexeministra 

 {Exch. Axeminstre) [Exminster] ' which King 

 Edward held on the day on which he was alive 

 and dead, and it was assessed [defendit se) at I hide. 

 This 20 ploughs can till. Thereof the king has 

 in demesne I virgate of land all but a ferling and 

 2 ploughs ; and the vijleins have ^ hide and 

 1 6 ploughs. There the king has 1 8 villeins, 7 

 bordars, 6 serfs, 12 cottagers {quotarios), 4. beasts, 

 120 sheep, and I fishery paying 20 shillings a year, 

 also I league of wood(land) taking length and 

 breadth, 18 acres of meadow, 35^ leagues of pasture 

 taking length and breadth, and coppice 12 fur- 

 longs in length by 6 in breadth. It pays 8 pounds 

 a year and paid the same when Baldwin first 

 got it. Of the above manor William de Ou 

 holds ^ virgate * which belonged to the aforesaid 

 manor T.R.E. Of the same manor the monks 

 of Battle (Batailla ; Exch. Labatailge) hold i 

 ferding" of which Eccha the reeve allowed a 



' Instead of the heading ' The King's demesne belong- 

 ing to the Kingdom,' the Exchequer Book begins with 

 the cities of Exeter, Barnstaple and Lydford. Then 

 comes a heading ' The King's land ' followed by the 

 various hundred-manors in the same order as the Exeter 

 Book as far as Maker, except that the two manors got 

 by exchange for Bampton, viz. Ermington and 

 Blackawton, are placed at the end after Maker, and 

 immediately before them is the note ; ' The above 1 2 

 manors were in the demesne of King Edward and be- 

 long to the king.' 



' The hundred-manor of North Tawton. 



' The hundred-manor of Exminster. Exminster 

 was one of the manors bequeathed by King Alfred to 

 his younger son. Kemble, Cod. Dipl. ii, 1 1 2, 

 No. 314. 



* Perhaps Exwell in Powderham parish in the 

 hundred of Exminster. See fol. 456^. 



° Either Kenbury in Exminster in the hundred of 

 Exminster, or more probably the 1 6 acres of Exminster 

 glebe. SecTranf. Devon j^sioc.xxxvi, j'/g. The assess- 

 ments on the demesne, the villeins, William de Ou, and 



certain priest the benefit {accomodavit) T. R. E. 

 This half a plough can till. 



fol. 83b. 



The king has a manor called Brantona 

 [Braunton] * which King Edward himself held 

 T.R.E., and it was assessed at i hide. This 40 

 ploughs can till. Thereof the king has i plough- 

 land {carucata terrae) and I plough, and the 

 villeins have 30 ploughs. There the king has 

 40 villeins, 30 bordars, 4 serfs, 100 sheep, 40 

 acres of coppice, 2 acres of meadow, and 40 

 of pasture. It pays 1 6 pounds a year by weight, 

 and paid the same when Baldwin the sheriflF, 

 who farms it of the king, first received it. To 

 this manor has been added I virgate of land ^ 

 which belonged to Fileleia [Filleigh], a manor 

 of Baldwin the sheriff, T.R.E. It is worth 20 

 shillings a year. From the same Bractona 

 [Braunton] i virgate* has been taken away 

 which belonged to it T.R.E. ; now Robert de 

 Ponte Cardonis holds it. It used to contribute 

 20 shillings to the farm rent when it was 

 (included) in the king's manor. 



The king has a manor called Sut {Exch. Sud) 

 MoLTONA [South Molton] ' which King Edward 

 held T.R.E. In that manor are i^ virgates of 

 land. This 40 ploughs can till. There the 

 king has i plough and the villeins have 20. 

 There the king has 1 2 villeins, 4 bordars, 2 serfs, 

 12 swineherds, and 9 beasts, also wood(land) i 

 league in length and 3 furlongs in breadth, 10 

 acres of meadow and 30 of pasture. It pays 

 10 pounds a year by weight. To this manor 

 has been added ^ virgate of land called Ringe- 

 DONA,^" which is worth 5 shillings a year. 



The king has a manor called Sulfretona 

 [Silverton] ^^ which King Edward held T.R.E. 

 In this manor it is not known how many hides 

 there are, because it never paid geld. This 41 



Battle Abbey, together only amount to 3^ virgates. 

 It is suggested that the missing half-virgate may be 

 Matford Speke, fol. 401. Trans. Devon Assoc, xxvii, 

 178 ; XXX, z8i. 



' The hundred-manor of Braunton. 



' North Lob in Braunton ; see fol. 300^. 



^ Blakewell in Marwood, in Braunton hundred ; see 

 fol. 299^. 



° The hundred-manor of South Molton. 

 '° Possibly represented by Frenchstone aRas Freyn- 

 stone, an outlier of South Molton parish next George 

 Nympton, in the hundred of South Molton. 

 " The hundred-manor of Silverton or Hairidge. 



403 



