Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/435

 CHAPTER XVIII THE PEOPLE IN COUNTRY AND TOWN I. THE MANOR AND ITS PEOPLE 1 The following official accounts of two English manors and their people give a good idea of the condition of the serfs in general. In Wermington are 7 hides at the taxation of the king. And of this land 20 full villeins and 29 half-villeins hold 34 virgates 2 and a half; and for these the full villeins work 3 days a week through the year ; and the half-tenants as much as corresponds to their tenancies. And these men have in all 16 plows, and they plow 68 acres and a half and besides this they do 3 boon-works with their plows, and they ought to bring from the woods 34 wagonloads of wood. And all these men pay 4 us. 4d.; and at the love feast of St. Peter, 10 rams and 400 loaves and 40 platters and 34 hens and 260 eggs. And there are 8 socmen who have 6 plows. In the demesne of the court are 4 plows and 32 oxen and 9 cows and 5 calves and i riding horse and 129 sheep and 61 swine and i draught horse and i colt. And there is i mill with i virgate of land, and 6 acres which pays 6os. and 500 eels. And Ascelin, the clerk, holds the church with 2 virgates of land, from the altar of St. Peter of Borough. Robert, son of Richard, has 2 virgates and a half. In this vill 100 sheep can be placed. 1 1 am indebted for the illustrations used in this section on the manor and in the one which follows on the towns, to Professor C hey ney's admi- rable selection of documents in the Translations and Reprints, Vol. II, No. i, and Vol. Ill, No. 5. 2 A virgate appears to have varied greatly in extent. 399 157. Official description of a manor belonging to Peter- borough Abbey (ca. 1125).