In manors in Essex, on the other hand, where the land is heavier, there are the following instances:[83]—
- 4 plough teams, 10 in each.
- 2 plough teams, 8 in each.
- 1 plough team, 10.
- 3 plough teams, 8 oxen and 2 horses.
- 2 plough teams, 10 oxen and 10 horses for the two.
- 2 plough teams, 12 oxen and 8 horses the two.
- 2 plough teams, 4 horses and 4 oxen in each.
- 2 plough teams, 10 each.
- 1 plough team, 6 horses and 4 oxen.
In two manors in Middlesex the teams were as under:[84]—
- 1 of 8 heads.
- 2 of 8 oxen and 2 horses. [p065]
In the Gloucester cartulary[85] there are the following instances:—
- To each plough team 8 oxen and 4 over.
- To each plough team 12 oxen and 1 over.
- To each plough team 12 oxen and 1 over.
Normal English plough team of eight oxen.
All these instances are from documents of the thirteenth century, and they conspire in confirming the point that the normal plough team was, by general consent, of 8 oxen; though some heavier lands required 10 or 12, and sometimes horses in aid of the oxen.
Nor do these exceptions at all clash with the hypothesis of the connexion of the grades of holdings with the number of oxen contributed by the holders to the manorial plough team of their village; for as the number of oxen in the team sometimes varied from the normal standard, so also did the number of virgates in the hide or carucate.
Connexion between the oxen and the holdings.