vill3-第34章

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pposition　of　their　paying　rent；　and　also　on　that　of　their　rendering　labour…services；　when　they　pay　rent　they　pay　so　much；　when　they　supply　labour　they　supply　so　much。　By　the　side　of　such　holdings；　which　are　wavering；　as　it　were；　between　the　two　systems；　we　find　the　terra　assisa　or　ad　censum。　This　class；　to　which　molland　evidently　belongs；　is　distinguished　from　free　tenure　by　the　fact　that　its　rent　is　regarded　as　a　manorial　arrangement；　there　is　no　formal　agreement　and　no　charter；　and　therefore　no　action　before　the　king's　courts　to　guard　against　disseisin　or　increase　of　services。　In　practice　the　difference　is　not　felt　very　keenly；　and　these　tenements　gradually　came　to　be　regarded　as　'free'　in　every　sense。　A　characteristic　feature　of　the　movement　may　be　noticed　in　the　terms　'Socagium　ad　placitum'　and　'Socagium　villani'。（56*）　These　expressions　occur　in　the　documents；　although　they　are　not　very　common。　It　would　be　hard　to　explain　them　otherwise　than　from　the　point　of　view　indicated　just　now。　The　tenement　is　paying　a　fixed　and　certain　rent　and　therefore　socage；　but　it　is　not　defended　by　feoffment　and　charter。　It　is　not　recognised　by　law；　and　therefore　it　remains　at　the　will　of　the　lord　and　unfree。（57*）　The　grant　of　a　charter　would　raise　it　to　the　legal　standing　of　free　land。　　　　　Every　student　of　manorial　documents　will　certainly　be　struck　by　one　well…marked　difference　between　villain　tenements　and　free　tenements　as　described　in　the　extents　and　surveys。　The　tenants　in　villainage　generally　appear　arranged　into　large　groups；　in　which　every　man　holds；　works；　and　pays　exactly　as　his　fellows；　so　that　when　the　tenement　and　services　of　some　one　tenant　have　been　described　we　then　read　that　the　other　tenants　hold　similar　tenements　and　owe　similar　services。　On　the　other　hand；　the　freeholds　seem　scattered　at　random　without　any　definite　plan　of　arrangement；　parcelled　up　into　unequal　portions；　and　subjected　to　entirely　different　duties。　One　man　holds　ten　acres　and　pays　three　shillings　for　them；　another　has　eight　and　a　half　acres　and　gives　a　pound　of　pepper　to　his　lord；　a　third　is　possessed　of　twenty…three　acres；　pays　4s。　6d。；　and　sends　his　dependants　to　three　boonworks；　a　fourth　brings　one　penny　and　some　poultry　in　return　for　his　one　acre。　The　regularity　of　the　villain　system　seems　entirely　opposed　to　the　capricious　and　disorderly　phenomena　of　free　tenure。　　　　　And　this　fact　seems　naturally　connected　with　some　remarkable　features　of　social　organisation。　No　wonder　that　free　land　is　cut　up　into　irregular　plots：　we　know　that　it　may　be　divided　and　accumulated　by　inheritance　and　alienation；　whereas　villain　land　is　held　together　in　rigid　unity　by　the　fact　that　it　is；　properly　speaking；　the　lord's　and　not　the　villain's　land。　Besides；　all　the　variations　of　free　tenure　which　we　have　discussed　hitherto　have　one　thing　in　common；　they　are　produced　by　express　agreement　between　lord　and　tenant　as　to　the　nature　and　amount　of　services　required　from　the　tenant。　Whether　we　take　the　case　of　a　villain　receiving　a　few　acres　in　addition　to　his　holding；　or　that　of　a　servant　recompensed　by　the　grant　of　a　privileged　plot；　or　that　of　a　peasant　confirmed　in　the　possession　of　soil　newly　reclaimed　from　the　waste；　or　that　of　a　bondman　who　has　succeeded　in　liberating　his　holding　from　the　burdensome　labour　service　of　villainage；　in　all　these　instances　we　come　across　the　same　fundamental　notion　of　a　definite　agreement　between　lord　and　tenant。　And　again；　the　capricious　aspect　of　free　tenements　seems　well　in　keeping　with　the　fact　that　they　are　produced　by　separate　and　private　agreements；　by　consecutive　grants　and　feoffments；　while　the　villain　system　of　every　manor　is　mapped　out　at　one　stroke；　and　managed　as　a　whole　by　the　lord　and　his　steward。　This　contrast　between　the　two　arrangements　may　even　seem　to　widen　itself　into　a　difference　between　a　communal　organization　which　is　servile；　and　a　system　of　freeholding　which　is　not　communal。　All　these　inferences　are　natural　enough；　and　all　have　been　actually　drawn。　　　　　A　close　inspection　of　the　Surveys　will；　however；　considerably　modify　our　first　impressions；　and　suggest　conclusions　widely　different　from　those　which　I　have　just　now　stated。　The　importance　of　the　subject　requires　a　detailed　discussion；　even　at　the　risk　of　tediousness。　I　shall　take　my　instances　from　the　Hundred　Rolls；　as　from　a　survey　which　reflects　the　state　of　things　in　central　counties　and　gives　an　insight　into　the　organisation　of　secular　as　well　as　ecclesiastical　estates。　　　　　We　need　not　dwell　much　on　the　observation　that　the　servile　tenements　sometimes　display　no　perfect　regularity。　Sometimes　the　burdens　incumbent　on　them　are　not　quite　equal。　Sometimes　again　the　holdings　themselves　are　not　quite　equal。　In　Fulborne；　Cambridgeshire；　e。g。；　the　villains　of　Alan　de　la　Zuche　are　assessed　very　irregularly；（58*）　although　their　tenements　are　described　as　virgates　and　halfvirgates。　Of　course；　the　general　character　of　the　virgate　system　remains　unaltered　by　these　exceptional　deviations；　which　may　be　easily　explained　by　the　consideration　that　the　social　order　was　undergoing　a　process　of　change。　The　disruption　of　some　of　the　villain　holdings　and　the　modification　of　certain　duties　are　perhaps　less　strange　than　the　fact　that　such　alterations　should　be　so　decidedly　exceptional。　Still；　the　occurrence　of　irregularities　even　within　the　range　of　villainage　warns　us　not　to　be　too　hasty　in　our　inferences　about　free　tenements；　it　shows；　at　any　rate；　that　irregularities　may　well　arise　even　where　there　has　once　been　a　definite　plan；　and　that　it　is　worth　while　to　enquire　whether　some　traces　of　such　an　original　plan　may　not　still　be　discovered　amidst　the　apparent　disorder　of　free　tenements。　　　　　And　a　little　attention　will　show　us　many　cases　in　which　free　tenements　are　arranged　on　the　virgate　system。　There　is　hardly　any　need　for　quotations　on　this　point：　the　Hundred　Rolls　of　all　the　six　counties　of　which　we　possess　surveys；　supply　an　unlimited　number　of　instances。　True；　fundamental　divisions　of　land　and　service　may　often　be　obscured　and　confused　by　the　existence　of　plots　which　do　not　fit　into　the　system；　but　as　in　the　case　of　servile　tenements　we　occasionally　find　irregularities；　so　in　the　case　of　free　tenements　we　often　see　that　below　the　superficial　irregularities　there　lie　traces　of　an　ancient　plan。　The　manor　of　Ayllington　（Elton）；　Huntingdonshire；　belonging　to　the　Abbey　of　Ramsey；　presents　a　good　example　in　point。（59*）　It　is　reckoned　to　contain　thirteen　hides　and　a　half；　each　hide　comprising　six　virgates；　and　each　virgate　twenty…four　acres。　The　actual　distribution　of　the　holdings　squares　to　a　fraction　with　this　computation；　if　we　take　into　the　reckoning　the　demesne；　the　free　and　the　villain　tenements。　Three　hides　are　in　the　lord's　hand；　one　is　held　by　a　large　tenant；　John　of　Ayllington；　eleven　virgates　and　a　half　by　other　freeholders；　forty…two　virgates　and　a　half　by　the　villains；　the　grand　total　being　exactly　thirteen　hides。　The　numerous　cotters　are　not　taken　into　account；　and　evidently　left　'outside　the　hides'　（extra　hidam）；　this　is　a　very　common　thing　in　the　Surveys。　If　we　neglect　them；　and　turn　to　the　holdings　in　the　'hidated'　portion　of　the　manor；　we　shall　notice　that　the　greater　part　of　the　fr