Page:VCH Worcestershire 1.djvu/381

 THE HOLDERS OF LANDS This same Church holds Liteltune (Little- ton). There were 7 hides T.R.E. In (the) demesne are 2 ploughs ; and (there are) 1 5 villeins and i Frenchman {francigena) with 2 villeins ; between (them) all they have 7 ploughs. There are 3 serfs, and 8 acres of meadow. It was worth 4 pounds and 10 shillings ; now 70 shillings. This same Church holds Huniburne [Church Honeybourne]. There were 2^ hides T.R.E. In (the) demesne are 4 ploughs ; and (there are) a priest and 1 o villeins and 4 bordars with 4 ploughs. There are 4 serfs. It was worth 3 pounds ; now 4 pounds. There are 1 1 acres of meadow. This same Church holds Ambreslege [Ombersley]. This (land) was of old {anti- quitus) free for 3 hides,* as the charters of the church say, but it was reckoned at [numerata pro) 15 hides T.R.E., what with wood and field,^ and of these, 3 hides are free (of geld). There, in (the) demesne are 5 ploughs, and (there are) 30 villeins and I2 bordars and 2 priests and 2 ' radmanni ' and 10 oxmen bovarii). Between (them) all they have 20 ploughs. There is a fishery and a half, ren- dering 2,000 eels, and 2 mills worth {de) 8 shillings, and 4 acres of meadow. There are 2 ' lewedes ' of wood(land), and in (Droit)- wich I saltpan. It was worth 18 pounds T.R.E. and afterwards ; now 16 pounds. In Oswoldeslau Hund[ret] The same Church holds Hantun [Hamp- ton by Evesham]. There were 5 hides T.R.E. In (the) demesne are 3 ploughs ; and there are 15 villeins and 5 bordars, and i French- man {francigena) with 4 bordars. Between (them) all they have 7 ploughs. There are 8 serfs, and i o acres of meadow ; and a newly-planted {novella) vineyard is there, and 2 mills worth (de) 20 shillings. It was worth 100 shillings ; now 6 pounds. This same Church holds 4 hides at Be- ningeorde [Bengeworth], and a 5th hide is held by Urse. Abbot Walter proved his right to {diratiocinavit) these 5 hides at Ilde- berga* [ ] in (a court of) 4 shires hides. ' In the Evesham account of this suit {Chronkon Abbatia Eveshamensis [Rolls Series], p. 97), this place is called ' Gildeneberga,' Mr. Macray, the editor of the Chronicle, before the bishop of Bayeux and other barons of the King.* There are 2 ploughs ; and (there are) 5 villeins and 2 bordars with 2 ploughs. There are 6 serfs. It was worth 60 shillings T.R.E. and 50 shillings afterwards;* now 60 shil- lings. In Esch Hund[ret] This same Church holds Mortune [Abbot's Morton]. There were 5 hides T.R.E., but a large part of them has been leased out {prestita forts). In (the) demesne is i plough ; and (there are) 7 villeins and 2 oxmen {bovarii) with 4 ploughs. There are 15 acres of meadow. The wood(land) is 3 furlongs long and i furlong in width. It was and is worth 30 shillings. Rannulf^ holds it of the Abbot. This same Church holds Achelenz [Atch Lench]. There are 4^ hides. In (the) demesne is i plough and (there are) 3 vil- leins and 4 bordars with i plough. There are 2 serfs, and 6 acres of wood(land). It was worth 25 shillings T.R.E., and 20 shil- lings afterwards ; now 15 shillings. This same Church holds Buintun ' [Bev- ington]. There is i hide and i plough and 3 bordars and 3 acres of wood. It was worth 20 shillings, and 15 shillings afterwards ; now 10 shillings. This same Church holds Circelenz [Church Lench]. There were 4 hides T.R.E. In (the) demesne are 2 ploughs ; and there are a hesitated, as to its identity, between Peter- borough (the ' Golden Borough ') and ' gild beorh,' a boundary mark of Evenlode (Wore), as the locality. I adopt without hesitation the latter, which is found in a charter of 969 (Heming's Cartulary, p. 214), for I identify it with the ' four shire stone ' which marks to this day the northern extremity of Evenlode. The 4 shires which there meet are Worcester, Warwick, Oxford, and Gloucester. ton are also mentioned above (p. 297) in the survey of the bishop of Worcester's fief. The story of the dispute concerning them is discussed in the Introduction (pp. 253-6). 6 Probably when abbot Walter obtained it. ® This appears to be Rannulf, abbot Wal- ter's brother, who was enfeoffed by him, according to the Evesham Cartulary (Harl. MS. 3,763), at Littelton and Bretforton. ' I make this to be Bevington, in Warwick- shire, adjoining Morton and the Lenches. 307
 * Was quit of paying on more than 3
 * See note on p. 300 above.
 * These lands at Bengeworth and Hamp-