Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/130

 88 ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. lit in lutiim cadat" was " the rule and righteous limitation of the act " by which tlie giUl of AUutarli, or shoemakers, of Bremen tried to reconcile social enjoyment with the graver objects of their reunion.? The first Survey in the Liber Winton (f. Lb. 3) mentions a " chenic- tehalla ubi chenictes potabant gildam suam." Winchester, therefore, like London, once possessed a knighten-gild ; but such a gild was unconnected with the trade, or perhaps with the corporation, of the city. IV. — Revenues. The gross revenues of the city (without deducting the king's fee-farm, (fcc.) consisted of terrage, i. e., quit and rack rents ; the tax on looms ; the tolls paid at the city gates ; the customs on wool, fish, and some other articles brought into the city ; the tax on cattle-dealers, butchers, bakers and retailers of bread, brewers, (who, as well as the dealers in bread, were women) ; on non-freemen buying, selling, or keeping shops in the city ; on tanners, dealers in lard and suet, and shoemakers. Some of these taxes were payable by freemen; but generally only by strangers and non-freemen. Besides these there were the profits of the city fairs, fines, escheats and forfeitures in, or out of, the city courts, talliages or town rates raised for special purposes, and other sources of casual revenue. V. — The Common Seal. One common and authentic seal only is mentioned. It remains appended to many surviving documents, as well as to the document before us, and it has some notable peculiarities about it. The seal and counterseal do not coincide cither in size or curvature. The ogival form is rare, though not unparalleled, in secular seals, except those of females. The castellated obverse is of a type sufficiently common ; but the reverse (if it be properly so called) is quite unprecedented, so far as I can learn. The words on it are written horizontally, and the only question upon them is how to expound the last word? I read the words " Confirmatio Sigillaris."** Perhaps the document itself may be thought to throw light on the matter. The more ancient form both of attestation and of confirmation was by subscription ; the later was by sub-sigillation. In the present case the seal was used to authenticate and confirm conveyances of property in the city. I apprehend that the feofi'ments referred to in the text were not merely feofi"ments of the corporation lands, but also of private lauds or tenements within the city and subject to its local customs. These tenements were of the nature of customary or copyhold tenure. They were seised on the death of the last tenant till the heir came in to claim them. Seisin was delivered by the officers of the city. The city court granted probate of them. A married woman could join her husband in the transfer of her own, and it was valid if she had been duly examined by the court. ^ It also appears that when such lands were conveyed by charter of feoffment, ? "They held," says Wilda, (Das Gil- s Sigillis or Similis vovLdeciuay shtisfy denwcsen im Mittelalter, p. 333) « 2 or 3 the letters of the last word. I should times a year an assembly, vjobei ein prefer the latter, if I could find any fekrlic/ur O'ottegdicnut und f/cscllige freuden' apposite meaning in it. vcreinl varcn ;" and thereujion he cites this '■> Tliis appears by the deeds and records regulation of the Bremen guild. still extant.