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 THE DOMESDAY SURVEY corded in Heming's Cartulary was actually part of the Domesday Survey and held during its progress.^ I have, however, elsewhere shown that the plea belongs to an earlier date, and have established the sequence of events.^ We have first a writ, despatched by the Conqueror from Normandy, bidding archbishop Lanfranc and Geoffrey bishop of Cou- tances settle the dispute, the latter being directed to hear the case.^ Then we have the wonderfully interesting record of the great plea itself (' Commemoratio placiti '),*and next, completing the group, we are given William's writ, directed to ' Urse the sheriff and Osbern "filius Escrob "° and all the French and English of Worcestershire,' bidding them observe the decision arrived at before the bishop of Coutances and themselves on the testimony of the county (court).® I cannot but suspect that the Worcester monks forged, for production at this very plea, the charter by which Offa is made to grant them Cropthorne'' (23 Sept. 780). For not only is its language suspicious, but it is also clearly intended to prove the Bishop's right to Hampton and Bengeworth.* Turning to the later group of documents, so strangely confused by Professor Freeman with those we have dealt with above, we find them closely connected with the great Survey. The first in order is the ' testimonium ' of Geoffrey bishop of Coutances ^ certifying to the four Domesday commissioners that, when the case had been heard before him, the Bishop had proved the four hides at Bengeworth to be ' of his fee,' and the 1 5 hides at Hampton ^^ to belong to his Hundred of Oswaldslow and to owe it suit and geld and^rd'." But the entries in Domesday do not assign these rights to the Bishop ; under ^ ' The Gemot was doubtless held during the talcing of the Survey. . . . The Gem6t in which the dispute was settled was thus actually a part of the Survey ' {Ibid. p. 763). (It was) ' held during the progress of the Survey' {Ibid. p. 765). ^ Domesday Studies (II.), 542-44. ^ Heming's Cartulary, I. 77-8. * Ibid. pp. 80-2. ^ See below for this Worcestershire tenant-in-chief, the lord of Richard's castle, Here- fordshire. ^ Heming's Cartulary, I. 78-9, 82-3. ' Ibid. II. 319-21. optima.' After mentioning that the 50 hides of Cropthorne included 'at Hampton 15, at Bengeworth 10,' it adds a special clause empowering the then Bishop to grant half the manor, namely 25 hides, to his kinsmen 'eo tenore ut quisquis habuerit aliquem ex ipsis viculis, venerabili episcopo Tillhere, omnibusque suis successoribus, servitium faciat in vectigalibus, et expeditionibus, omnibusque aliis subjectionibus qualescumque episcopus ipse suique successores michi mersque successoribus persolvere debuerint.' Then follows a provision, in case of any such holder losing his land, for its restoration, without question, ' to the ancient church in Worcester.' Lastly comes the usual denunciation of all offenders against the provisions in the charter, including the ' vice-comes,' a sly hit, perhaps, at Urse himself. I believe that the charter was concocted to account for the 25 hides at Hampton and Bengeworth passing out of Worcester's possession, and to support the claim for their restoration. ® A similar ' testimony ' to past events by William bishop of Winchester, a generation later, will be found in my Calendar of Documents preserved in France (p. i). '" It should be observed that these documents speak throughout of Hampton as of 15 hides, though both the Domesday entries assign 5 hides only. The clue is found in the Henry I. Survey (Heming's Cartulary, I. 315), which mentions that 10 hides there were free from geld by the King's writ (see Domesday Studies, p. 545). 255
 * It speaks of a * comes ' and even a 'vice-comes' (!), to say nothing of a ' bibliotheca
 * ' Heming's Cartulary, I. 77.