Page:VCH Leicestershire 1.djvu/416

 A HISTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE Framland wapentake, which seem to be complete," and certainly reveal no obvious scribal errors, fall into three groups based on a unit of 1 8 carucates, a unit which is suggestive in view of the probability that the ' hide ' of Domes- day and the present survey consisted of the sum in question. The groups are as follows : Eastwell hundred Melton Mowbray hundred Long Clawson hundred Bottesford hundred Sproxton hundred Kirby Bellars hundred . Harby hundred . Waltham hundred Croxton Kerrial hundred Cold Overton hundred . Nether Broughton hundred Scalford hundred . Barkestone hundred Stapleford hundred 36^ carucates = 1 80 carucates = 162 carucates = 216 carucates Of course the fact that the figures for Framland wapentake permit of this duodecimal grouping may be the result of chance, though the probabili- ties of the case seem decidedly against this. But even in Gosecote wapentake, the survey of which is incomplete, and includes at least two awkward scribal errors, two similar groups can be constructed on the i8-caracute basis. With such scanty evidence before us we cannot say that the duodecimal grouping of hundredal totals can be definitely proved, but the possibility of such a system should certainly be taken into account in considering the distribution of the Leicestershire assessment. The Leicestershire Survey is also valuable as helping us to reconstruct the assessments of the several wapentakes of the county. Owing to its fragmentary condition it does not go very far in this direction, but we know so little about this subject in relation to the Danelaw that it is worth while to see if any suggestive facts arise from a combination of the evidence afforded by the present survey with the figures given by Domesday. The present survey assigns 552 carucates to Framland wapentake, and 706 to that of Gosecote, this last figure of course excluding the group of vills on the Nottinghamshire border to which reference has already been made. The three hundreds in Gartree wapentake which are included in the docu- ment are assessed at 43$ carucates, and on completing the assessment of the wapentake from Domesday we obtain a total of 557 carucates, a curiously close approximation to the 558 carucates assigned above to Framland wapen- take. The figures for Guthlaxton wapentake have to be compiled from Domesday alone, and the total of 760 carucates which is thus obtained does not at first suggest any system. If, however, we add in the 1 5 carucates which Domesday assigns to Barrow on Soar we obtain a total of 775 carucates as the assessment of Guthlaxton wapentake. Gosecote wapentake, according to the Leicestershire Survey, answered for 706 carucates, to which must be added a sum of 65 carucates representing the assessment of the omitted vills 11 Redmile is not mentioned by name in the present survey, but its assessment is probably included in the figure given for Bottesford. 342