vill3-第38章

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l　and　power。　They　testify　to　a　subjection　of　free　people　and　not　to　the　liberation　of　serfs。　And　as　they　are　found　constantly　allied　with　shareholding；　we　have　to　say　that　they　imply　manorial　relations　superimposed　on　a　community　which；　if　not　entirely　free；　contained　free　elements　within　it。　The　manorial　duties　are　more　varied　and　capricious　than　are　the　shares　just　because　they　are　a　later　growth。　　　　　I　should　not　like　to　leave　this　intricate　inquiry　without　testing　its　results　by　yet　another　standard。　I　have　been　trying　to　prove　two　things　：　that　some　of　the　feudal　freeholds　are　ancient　freeholds；　not　liberated　from　servitude　but　originally　based　on　the　recognised　right　of　the　holders；　that　such　ancient　freeholds　were　included　in　the　communal　arrangement　of　ownership；　although　the　assessment　of　their　duties　was　not　communal。　To　what　extent　are　these　propositions　supported　by　an　analysis　of　that　admittedly　ancient　tenure；　the　tenure　of　the　socmen？　We　must　look　chiefly　to　the　'free'　socmen；　but　I　may　be　allowed；　on　the　strength　of　the　chapter　on　Ancient　Demesne；　to　take　the　bond　socmen　also　into　account。　　　　　Let　us　take　the　manor　of　Chesterton；　in　Cambridgeshire。（82*）　It　is　royal；　but　let　out　in　feefarm　to　the　Prior　of　Barnwell；　and　its　men　make　use　of　the　parvum　breve　de　rec　to。　There　is　one　free　tenant　of　eighty…eight　acres　holding　de　antiquitate　and　the　Scholars　of　Merton　hold　forty…four　acres　freely。　They　have　clearly　taken　the　place　of　some　freeman；　whether　by　purchase　or　by　gift　I　do　not　know；　they　are　bound　to　perform　ploughings　and　to　carry　corn。　Both　tenements　are　worthy　of　notice　because　charters　are　not　mentioned　and　still　the　holdings　are　set　apart　from　the　rest。　In　the　one　case　the　tenure　is　expressly　stated　to　be　an　ancient　one；　and　presumably　the　title　of　the　other　tenement　is　of　the　same　kind。　The　number　of　acres　is　peculiar　and　points　to　some　agrarian　division　of　which　eighty…eight　and　forty…four　were　fractions　or　multiples。　The　bulk　of　the　population　are　described　as　customers。　They　used　to　hold　half…virgates；　it　is　said；　but　some　of　them　have　sold　part　of　their　land　according　to　the　custom　of　the　manor。　And　so　their　tenements　have　lost　their　original　regularity　of　construction；　although　it　seems　possible　to　fix　the　average　holdings　at　twelve　or　fifteen　acres。　Anyhow；　it　is　impossible　to　reduce　them　to　fractions　of　eighty…eight；　for　some　reason　or　another；　the　reckoning　is　made　on　a　different　basis。　The　duties　vary　a　good　deal；　and　it　would　be　even　more　difficult　to　conjecture　what　the　original　services　may　have　been　than　to　make　out　the　size　of　the　virgate。　　　　　The　example　is　instructive　in　many　ways。　It　is　a　stepping…stone　from　villainage　to　socage；　or　rather　to　socman's　tenure。　There　can　be　no　question　of　differences　of　feoffment。　The　manorial　power　is　fully　recognised；　and　on　the　other　hand　the　character　of　ancient　demesne　is　also　conspicuous　with　its　protection　of　the　peasantry。　And　still　the　whole　fabric　is　giving　way　　the　holdings　get　dispersed　and　the　service　loses　its　uniformity。　All　these　traits　are　a　fair　warning　to　those　who　argue　from　the　irregularity　of　free　tenements　and　the　inequality　of　their　rents　against　the　possibility　of　their　development　out　of　communal　ownership。　Here　is　a　well…attested　village　community；　its　members　hold　by　custom　and　have　not　changed　their　condition　either　for　the　better　or　for　the　worse　in　point　of　title。　Later　agencies　are　at　work　to　distort　the　original　arrangement　　a　few　steps　more　in　that　direction　and　it　would　be　impossible　to　make　out　even　the　chief　lines　of　the　system。　Stanton；　in　Cambridgeshire；　is　a　similar　case。（83*）　I　would　especially　direct　the　attention　of　the　reader　to　the　capricious　way　in　which　the　services　are　assessed。　And　still　the　titles　of　the　tenants　are　the　result　not　of　various　grants　but　of　manorial　custom　applied　to　the　whole　community。　I　repeat；　that　irregularity　in　the　size　of　holdings　and　in　the　services　that　they　owe　is　no　proof　that　these　holdings　have　not　formed　part　of　a　communal　arrangement　or　that　their　free　character　（if　they　have　a　free　character）　must　be　the　result　of　emancipation；　these　irregularities　are　found　on　the　ancient　demesne　where　there　has　been　no　enfranchisement　or　emancipation；　and　where　on　the　other　hand　the　tenants　have　all　along　been　sufficiently　'free'　to　enjoy　legal　protection　in　their　holdings。　　　　　If　we　have　to　say　so　much　with　regard　to　ancient　demesne　and　bond　socmen；　we　must　not　wonder　that　free　socmen　are　very　often　placed　in　conditions　which　it　would　be　impossible　to　reduce　to　a　definite　plan。　On　the　fee　of　Robert　le　Noreys；　in　Fordham；（84*）　we　find　some　scattered　free　tenants　burdened　with　entirely　irregular　rents；　four　villains　holding　eighteen　acres　each　and　subjected　to　heavy　ploughing　work；　three　socmen　of　twenty　acres　each　paying　a　rent　of　4s。　2d。　per　holding；　and　obliged　to　assist　at　reaping　and　to　bring　chicken；　one　socman　of　nine　acres　paying　10d。；　one　of　seven　acres　also　assessed　at　10d。；　two　of　eleven　acres　paying　15d。；　etc；　it　is　no　cause　for　wonder　that　such　instances　occur　at　the　end　of　the　thirteenth　century。　It　is　much　more　wonderful　that；　in　a　good　many　cases；　we　are　still　well　able　to　perceive　a　great　deal　of　the　original　regularity。　Swaffham　Prior；　in　Cambridgeshire；　is　a　grand　example　of　an　absolutely　regular　arrangement　in　a　community　of　free　socmen。（85*）　The　Prior　of　Ely　holds　it　for　three　hides　and　has　220　acres　on　his　home…farm。　The　rest　is　divided　among　sixteen　free　socmen　paying　5s。　each　and　performing　various　labour　services。　These　services　have　been　considerably　increased　by　the　Prior。　Mixed　cases　are　much　more　usual　　I　mean　cases　in　which　the　original　regularity　has　suffered　some　modifications；　though　a　little　attention　will　discover　traces　of　the　ancient　communal　arrangement。（86*）　　　　　On　the　whole；　I　think　that　the　notices　of　socmen's　tenure　in　the　Hundred　Rolls　are　especially　precious；　because　they　prove　that　the　observations　that　we　have　made　as　regards　freehold　generally　are　not　merely　ingenious　suggestions　about　what　may　conceivably　have　happened。　There　is　undoubtedly　one　weak　point　in　those　observations；　which　is　due　to　the　method　which　we　are　compelled　to　adopt。　It　is　difficult；　if　not　impossible；　to　classify　the　actual　cases　which　come　before　us；　to　say…in　this　case　freehold　is　the　result　of　commutation；　in　that　case　the　lord　has　enfeoffed　a　retainer　or　a　kinsman；　while　in　this　third　case；　the　freehold　virgate　has　always　been　freehold。　The　edge　of　the　inquiry　is　blunted；　if　I　may　so　say；　by　the　vagueness　of　terminological　distinctions；　and　we　must　rely　upon　general　impressions。　The　socman's　tenure；　on　the　contrary；　stands　out　as　a　clear　case；　and　a　careful　analysis　of　it　abundantly　verifies　the　conclusions　to　which　we　have　previously　come　by　a　more　circuitous　route。　　　　　It　seems　to　me　that　the　general　questions　with　which　we　started　in　our　inquiry　may　now　be　approached　with　some　confidence。　The　relation　of　free　tenancies　to　the　manorial　system　turns　out　to　be　a　complex　one。　The　great　majority　of　such　tenements　appears　as　a　later　growth　engrafted　on　the　system　when　it　was　already　in　decay。　Commutation　of　services；　the　spread　of　cultivation　over　the　waste；　and　the　surrender