vill3-第27部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

at　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　free　tenements　are　arranged　on　the　same　system　as　the　servile　tenements。　We　find　six　free　tenants　with　a　virgate　apiece；　one　with　half　a　virgate；　three　with　a　virgate　and　a　half；　and　three　jointly　possessed　of　two　virgates。　In　contrast　with　this　principal　body　of　tenants　stand　several　small　freeholders　endowed　with　irregular　plots　reckoned　in　acres　and　so　much　varying　in　size　that　it　is　quite　impossible　to　arrange　them　according　to　any　plan；　not　to　speak　of　the　virgate　system。　But　these　small　tenants　are　all　sub…tenants　enfeoffed　by　the　principal　freeholders　whose　own　tenements　are　distributed　into　regular　agrarian　unity。　It　is　easy　to　see　that　even　when　the　stock　of　free　tenancies　stood　arranged　according　to　a　definite　plan；　deviations　from　this　plan　would　easily　arise　owing　to　new　feoffments　made　by　the　lord　out　of　the　demesne　land　or　out　of　the　waste。（60*）　What　I　am　concerned　to　say　is；　not　that　the　Hundred　Rolls　show　a　distribution　of　free　holdings　quite　as　regular　as　that　of　the　servile　tenements；　but　that　amidst　all　the　irregularities　of　the　freehold　plots　we　frequently　come　across　unmistakable　traces　of　a　system　similar　to　that　which　prevailed　on　villain　soil。　These　traces　are　not　always　of　the　same　kind；　and　present　various　gradations。　In　a　comparatively　small　number　of　instances　the　duties　imposed　on　the　shareholders　are　equal；　or　nearly　so；　much　more　often　the　rent　and　labour　rendered　by　them　to　the　lord　vary　a　great　deal；　although　their　tenements　are　equal。　The　Ayllington　instance；　quoted　above；　belongs　to　the　former　class；　but　the　proportionate　distribution　of　duties　is　somewhat　obscured　by　the　fact　that　part　of　them　is　reckoned　in　labour。　The　normal　rent　is　computed　at　six　shillings　per　virgate；（61*）　though　there　are　a　few　noticeable　exceptions；　but　the　duty　of　ploughing　is　imposed　according　to　two　different　standards；　and　it　is　not　easy　to　reduce　these　to　unity。　The　freeholders　of　one　group　have　to　plough　eight　acres　per　virgate　for　the　lord；　while　for　the　members　of　the　other　group　the　ploughing　work　is　reckoned　in　the　same　way　as　in　the　case　of　the　villains；　each　placing　his　team　at　the　disposal　of　the　lord　one　day　of　every　week　from　Michaelmas　to　the　1st　of　August；　four　weeks　being　excepted　in　honour　of　Christmas；　Easter；　and　Trinity。（62*）　Ravenston；　in　Buckinghamshire；　is　a　much　clearer　example。　Twelve　villains　hold　of　the　Prior　of　Ravenston　twelve　acres　each；　and　their　service　is　worth　eighteen　shillings　per　holding；　four　villains　hold　six　acres　each；　and　their　service　is　valued　at　nine　shillings。　One　free　tenant　has　twelve　acres　and　pays　sixteen　shillings；　six　have　six　acres　each；　and　pay　seven　shillings。　There　are　three　other　tenants　whose　duties　cannot　be　brought　within　the　system。（63*）　The　portion　of　Fulborne；　in　Cambridgeshire；　belonging　to　Baldwin　de　Maneriis；　may　also　serve　as　an　illustration　of　an　almost　regular　distribution　of　land　and　service　among　the　freeholders。（64*）　Instances　in　which　the　duties；　although　not　exactly；　are　still　very　nearly　equal；　are　very　frequent。　In　Radewelle；　Bedfordshire；　the　mean　rent　of　the　six　is　two　shillings　per　half…virgate；　although　the　villains　perform　service　to　the　amount　of　eight　shillings　per　virgate。（65*）　Bidenham；　Bedfordshire；　also　presents　an　assessment　of　four　shillings　per　free　virgate。（66*）　In　that　part　of　Fulborne　which　is　owned　by　Alan　de　la　Zuche　the　virgates　and　half…virgates　of　the　free　holders　are　variously　rented；　but　twelve　shillings　per　half…virgate　is　of　common　occurrence（67*）　while　in　the　fee　of　Maud　Passelewe　we　find　only　four　and　five　shillings　as　the　rent　for　the　half…virgate。（68*）　Papworth　Anneys　exhibits　a　ferdel　of　seven　and　a　half　acres；　for　which　ten　to　twelve　shillings　are　paid。（69*）　As　to　the　cases　in　which　the　service　varies　a　great　deal；　although　the　land　is　held　in　shares；　I　need　not　give　quotations　because　they　are　to　be　found　on　every　page　of　the　printed　hundred　Rolls。　We　may　say；　in　conclusion；　that　the　process　of　disruption　acts　much　more　potently　in　the　sphere　of　free　holding　than　it　does　in　regard　to　villainage；　but　that　it　has　by　no　means　succeeded　in　destroying　all　regularity　even　there。　　　　　Thus；　even　among　the　freeholders；　landholding　is　often　what　I　shall　take　leave　to　call　'shareholding。'　Now；　whatever　ultimate　explanation　we　may　give　of　this　fact；　it　has　one　obvious　meaning。　That　part　of　the　free　population　which　holds　in　regular　shares　is　not　governed　entirely　by　the　rules　of　private　ownership；　but　is　somehow　implicated　in　the　village　community。　Bovates　and　virgates　exist　only　as　parts　of　carucates　or　hides；　and　the　several　carucates　or　hides　themselves　fit　together；　inasmuch　as　they　suppose　a　constant　apportionment　of　some　kind。　Two　sets　of　important　questions　arise　from　this　proposition；　both　intimately　connected　with　each　other；　although　they　suggest　different　lines　of　enquiry。　We　may　start　from　an　examination　of　the　single　holding；　and　ask　whether　its　regular　shape　can　be　explained　by　the　requirements　of　its　condition　or　by　survivals　of　a　former　condition。　Or　again；　we　may　start　from　the　whole　and　inquire　whether