Little Domesday Book – XXXVIIII Lands of Ranulf, Brother of Ilger, Hundred of Carlford
In Waldringfield Beorhtmaer, a Free man, held TRE: a carucate of land as a manor and 1 bordar. Then 2 ploughs, now 1: mill. Then 1 horse. Then 100 sheep, now 27. Then it was worth 20s. now 10s. It is 6 furlongs long and 3 broad. In Geld 5s. In the same place 5 free man commended half to Beorhtmaer and half to his mother with 40 acres and 1 plough worth 4s.
In the same place 5 free men commended half to Beorhtmaer and half to his mother with 40 acres and 1 plough. Worth 4s
Note: Beorhtmaer also had 16 free men in Newbourne, 5 in Hapsley, 10 in Preston/Martlesham.For comparison – Preston (Martlesham) has 10 free men & 9 Bordars. Newbourne – 16 free men and 14 Bordars worth 20s. Might be of interest to tabulate the different figures and values for nearby villages. Also need to check if anyone else owned land in the village
Some Domesday termsPeople
- BORDAR- a cottager (Cottar). a peasant of lower economic status than a Villan.
- COTTAR- a cottager.
- FREE MAN – in Eastern England a non noble land owner, usually COMMENDED to a LORD.
- SOKEMAN – a free man (though often only a peasant) owing service, including suit
of COURT, to the lord of a SOKE. - LORD – The LORD is the holder of the HOMAGE of the VASSALS to whom he gives
protection and land in exchange for support. The LADY is the LORD’S wife. - VILLAN – A peasant of higher economic status than a BORDAR and living in a village. Notionally unfree because subject to the manorial COURT.
Land
- FURLONG – the length of a furrow – 40 PERCHES.
- GLEBE – (L gleba – soil) the land belonging to a village church or priest.
- GELD- The English land tax assessed on the HIDE.
- HIDE – The standard unit of assessment of tax, especially GELD. Notionally the amount of land which would support a household:divided into four VIRGATES. See also CARUCATE
- MANOR – An estate, varying in size; The estate centre as opposed to the outlying BEREWICKS.
- VILL – the unit of local administration at its lowest level: a vill represents
an area of land rather than the site of a specific settlement. - VIRGATE – One quarter of a HIDE: The equivalent of an English YARDLAND.
- CARUCATE – (from L caruca for plough). A ploughland, notionally the area which could be ploughed with an eight ox team. Used in the North and East instead of HIDE.
- ACRE – (L acra, from ager – field) could be used to measure length as well as area. As area 4’’’x40 perches. AS linear measure 66 feet ( a cricket pitch). A unit of assessment to GELD sometimes 1.20 GELD acres equalled one HIDE.
- BOVATE – (L bos – ox) one eigth of a CARUCATE.
Legal
- HALL – characteristic feature of a Lordly manor to which rents and dues were paid.
- COURT – apart from its judicial use the word also denotes the residence of the Lord to which dues were paid.
- DEMESNE- Land in “lordship” whose produce is devoted to the Lord rather than his tenants.
- COMMEND – put into the hads of – a form of VASSALAGE.
- VASSALAGE – the status of a VASSAL which was entered into by COMMENDATION in the ceremony of HOMAGE. The relationship might be personal or tenurial.
- TRE – Tempore Regis Edwardi – indicates the position in the time of King Edward, i.e. before the conquest in 1066.
- MILL – (L Molendium) driven by water. The Windmill does not appear in England for at least a century after Domesday Book.
- BEREWICKS – an outlying estate.
- SOKE – (OE Soc) Right of jurisdiction enjoyed by a Lord over specified places and persons.
