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 A HISTORY OF ESSEX And I man of William son of Grossa * (grossa) holds two acres of the king's soke and pays the king's dues. LXXXVIIII. FREE MEN OF THE KING In the Hundret of LAXENDENA [Lexden] the king has 7 free men, and the reeve (pre- positus) of the hundred has (charge of) them ; they hold half a hide, and are worth 8 shil- lings. And i free man held 3^ acres, and on (in) these is pasture for IOO sheep, and (arable) land for 2 oxen s ; it was then worth 10 shillings ; and when Robert de Montbegon * (monte begonis) seized (invasit) it, it was worth 10 shillings ; now nothing. And i free man held 13 acres. Now as then (semper) i plough is there, and (there is) wood(land) for 20 swine, (and) i acre of meadow. It was then worth i o shillings ; now it renders 20 shillings ; and Richard, a man of Hamo, 6 seized (invasit) this land and has its profits (spolia 6 ) up to now (kucusque). XC. ENCROACHMENTS ON THE KING 7 IN ESSEX (EXSESSA) In HORNINDUNA [Horndon (-on-the-hill 8 )] Goduin Gudhen has seized 2 ' mansiones ' 9 belonging to (qua sunt de) the land which Hugh de St. Quintin holds of the king, 9 and he has given pledge for this (inde dedit va- dem). 10 There also (in eadem villa) Goduin' has seized (invasit) 3 virgates of land, to the 1 He was an under-tenant in Witham Hundred (see pp. 429, 45 1, 497 above). becomes smaller and neater. 3 i.e. a quarter of a plough- team. This is a good instance of a holding being assessed at an obviously nominal figure (3^ acres). 4 This entry is of great interest, because the name of Montbegon is wholly omitted in Ellis's Indexes to Domesday, and Dugdale could only begin his account of this feudal house with an entry on the roll of 5 Stephen ' (i.e. 1 130). 6 A ' Richard ' held of Hamo dapifer at Totham and at Ovesey in Dengie Hundred (see p. 503 above). 6 This word is worth noting. It answers to the later ' esplees ' of the proprietary action. 7 ' Invasiones super Regem.' The phrase is a difficult one to render ; it heads a record of those cases in which lands or rights belonging to the king have been encroached upon by his subjects. 8 See Introduction, p. 398. 9 See p. 557 above. 10 i.e. has given security that he will appear and defend his occupation when the case is heard (see Introduction, p. 412). king's wrong (super Regem), 11 of the land of a certain free man, which land remains (re- tnanet) to the king by judgment of the Hundret (court), and in this case also (iteruni) he has given pledge (dedit vadem). 10 In DANTUNA [Dunton ia ] (are) 1 5 acres which were held by Wulfwine (U/winus) and re- main to the king undisputed (quiets). ENCROACHMENT (Invasio) OF THIERRI PUINTEL ls In THURRUCA [Thurrock u ], which was held, in King Edward's time, by 1 1 free men, (were) i hides and 42 acres ; and (the same) now. Then 3 ploughs on the demesne ; now 2. (There is) pasture for 30 sheep. It was then worth 41 shillings ; now 20. And T[hierri] Pointel seized this land ; and it is in the king's hand(s). fo. ggb HUNDRET OF WENSISTREU [WINSTREE] LEGRA [Layer 18 ] was held by Ulvric, a free man, as a manor and as 2 hides in King Edward's time, and this was seized by the same T[hierri]. Then 2 ploughs ; now none ; nor (were there) when he received it (recepit). Now (there are) 2 bordars. Then (there was) wood(land) for 40 swine ; now for 30. It was then worth 60 shillings ; and when received (recepit) 40 ; now 2O. And in BURNHAM ie T[hierri] seized 15^ acres, and yet they were in the king's hands before these pleas were heard (h<ec placita fierent "). HUNDRET OF ROCHEFORT [ROCHFORD] STANBRUGE [(Little) Stambridge 18 ], which was held by a free man as a manor and as i^ 11 See note 7, and compare p. 448 above. 12 Adjoins Horndon-on-the-hill. 13 See p. 561, note 13, above. u It has not been ascertained in which of the Thurrocks this estate lay. 18 It is not known in which of the Layers this holding was situated. 16 Burnham was far away in Dengie Hundred. 17 This passage is of great importance as proving that actual pleas were heard in connection with Domesday (see Introduction, p. 411). 18 This can be satisfactorily proved to have been the manor of Little Stambridge. Great Stambridge was held by Suain of Essex, and de- scended accordingly as part of the Honour of Rayleigh. Little Stambridge consisted, from the Conquest, of two distinct manors, which Morant confused by treating them as one, namely ' the manor of Little Stambridge Hall ' (i. 320). The chief manor, with the advowson, was that of Thierri Pointel (as above), and is found in the 566
 * The handwriting changes sharply here and