Page:VCH Essex 1.djvu/434

 A HISTORY OF ESSEX Domesday tells us, ' the French and English ' were agreed on the true annual value, but in some cases they differed. Barking, for instance, was worth, said the English, no more than in King Edward's time, that is 80 ; 'but the French appraise (it at) 100.' This mention of the two nationalities refers to the fact that, as I have shown, ' there were practically for each Hundred exactly eight juratores, half of them " French " and half " English." ' l Another conflict of opinion as to value is seen at Waltham (Holy Cross), where Harold's estate had been worth to him only 36 a year. The ' men ' of its Norman grantee, the Bishop of Durham, valued it at 63 5-r. 4</., but ' the other men of the Hundred ' boldly appraised it as worth jTioo. 2 The question of Domesday valuation the meaning of the word valet has always been recognized as difficult. In the Essex survey there are two entries which have a bearing on the question. Geoffrey de Mandeville's manor of South Ockendon had risen in value, we read, from 7 to 16, and Domesday proceeds to tell us that 'in this land are 13 sokemen who hold freely 8| hides and 20 acres and have 12 bordars,' and that the proceeds of them are included in ' this rent of 16.' s So again of (West) Thurrock we read that : 'It was then worth 12 ; now 30 ; and there are 7 houses in London which belong to this manor, and (of which the proceeds are included) in " this rent " It is absolutely clear that in these instances the value (valet) represents the actual rent (firmd) received. 5 On the other hand, we have seen above that the actual rent received was in some cases much in excess of the estimated value (valet). It is difficult, if not impossible, to extract from this conflicting evidence a definite conclusion as to the meaning of the word ' valet ' in Domesday. One may however suggest that, as a rule, it represented the rent received, but that in those cases where the rent was notoriously in excess of the value the return made a pointed distinction between the two sums. This may seem but a lame conclu- sion, and yet no other suggests itself. A strong reason for believing that ' valet ' meant the actual sum received is found in the incomprehensible advances in the values of Essex manors frequently recorded in the text. It will be found that attention is drawn in notes to the text to some of the striking cases of such ad- vance in value where the stock remains unchanged, if indeed it has not decreased. Stanford (Rivers) had been worth, we read, 24 in 1066 and afterwards when Count Eustace received it, but was worth 40 'blanch' in 1086, although the ploughs on the demesne had dwindled from 10 to 5. At Thaxted, with which we have just dealt, the demesne anglici ; sed Ricardus dedit cuidam anglico ad censum pro Ix. libris ; sed unoquoque anno deficiunt illi ad minus x. librae ' (fo. 38 b). The meaning seems to be that it was the Englishman who lost. 1 Feudal England, p. 1 2 1. * See p. 446 below. 8 ' Et jacent ad hanc firmam de xvi. libris ' (fo. 58). 4 ' Que jacent huic manerio et in hac firma ' (fo. 63). 5 The same conclusion may be drawn in the case of a holding at Halstead, of which we read ' valet xxx. denarios. Istos denarios recepit Aluret prepositus' (fo. 103). So also on the king's manor of Lawford : 'valebat xiii. solidos et hucusque habuit R. istum censum'. . . 'val' x. solidos et istum censum usque hue habuit Waleram ' (fo. 6b). For 'census ' see the next note. 364