vill3-第35章

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　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　the　equality　the　elements　of　which　we　detect　is　equality　in　ownership　or　equality　in　service。　Let　us　take　up　the　first　thread　of　the　inquiry。　　　　　How　can　we　account　for　the　occurrence　of　regular　'shareholding'　among　the　freeholders？　Two　possibilities　have　to　be　considered：　the　free　character　of　the　tenements　may　be　newly　acquired　and　the　'shareholding'　may　be　a　relic　of　a　servile　past；　or；　on　the　other　hand；　the　freehold　character　of　the　tenements　may　be　coeval　with　the　'shareholding；'　and　in　this　latter　case　we　shall　have　to　admit　the　existence　of　freeholds　which　from　of　old　have　formed　an　element　in　the　village　community。　In　the　first　of　these　cases　again　we　shall　have　to　distinguish　between　two　suppositions：　　Servile　tenements　have　become　free；　this　may　be　due　either　to　some　general　measure　of　enfranchisement；　a　lord　having　preferred　to　take　money　rents　in　lieu　of　the　old　labour　services；　and　these　money　rents　being　the　modern　equivalent　for　those　old　services；　or　else　to　particular　and　occasional　feoffments　made　in　favour　of　those　who；　for　one　reason　or　another；　have　earned　some　benefit　at　the　lord's　hand。　To　put　it　shortly；　we　may　explain　the　phenomenon　either　by　a　process　of　commutation　such　as　that　which　turned　'workland'　into　'molland；'　or　by　special　privileges　which　have　exempted　certain　shares　in　the　land　from　a　general　scheme　of　villainage；　or；　lastly；　by　the　existence　of　freeholds　as　normal　factors　in　the　ancient　village　community。　　　　　Let　us　test　these　various　suppositions　by　the　facts　recorded　in　our　surveys。　At　first　sight　it　may　seem　possible　to　account　for　the　freehold　virgates　by　reference　to　the　process　which　converted　'workland'　into　'molland。'　We　have　seen　above　that　if　a　lord　began　to　demand　money　instead　of　work；　the　result　might；　in　some　cases；　be　the　evolution　of　new　tenures　which　gradually　lost　their　villain　character　and　became　recognised　as　genuine　freeholds。　And　no　doubt　one　considerable　class　of　cases　can　be　explained　by　this　process。　But　a　great　many　instances　seem　to　call　for　some