Of corn he gert be abowndand.[86]
Not that Alexander III. was really the originator of the terms 'plow-land' and 'oxgate,' but that he attained his object of increasing the growth of corn by extending into new districts of Scotland, before given up chiefly to grazing, the same methods of husbandry as elsewhere had been at work from time immemorial, just as the monks of Kelso probably had done, by giving each of their villein tenants a 'stuht' of 2 oxen with which to plough their husband-lands.
One point more, however, still remains to be explained before the principle of the open field system can be said to be fully grasped, viz. why the strips of which the hides, virgates, and bovates were composed were scattered in so strange a confusion all over the open fields.
Services on Kelso manors.
In the meantime the following examples of the services of the villein tenants of Kelso husband-lands and bovates are appended for the purpose of comparison with those of other districts:— [p067]
Bolden[87]
- At Bolden—
- The monks have 28 'husbands'-lands
in the villa of Bolden,
each of which used to render
6s. 8d. at Pentecost and Martinmas,
and to do certain services,
viz.:
- To reap in autumn for 4 days with all his family, himself and wife.
- To perform likewise a fifth day's work in autumn with 2 men.
- To carry peat with one waggon for one day from Gordon to the 'pullis.'
- To carry one waggon-load of peat from the 'pullis' to the abbey in summer, and no more.
- To carry once a year with one horse from Berwick.
- And to have their meals from the abbey when doing this service.
- To till 112 acre at the grange of Neuton every year.
- To harrow with one horse one day.
- To find one man at the sheepwashing and another man at the shearing, without meals.
- To answer likewise for foreign service and for other suits.
- To carry corn in autumn with one waggon for one day.
- To carry the abbot's wool from the barony to the abbey.
- To find him carriage over the moor to Lessemahagu.
Reveden[88]
- At Reveden—
- The monks have 8 'husbands'-lands
and 1 bovate, each of
which performed certain services
at one time, viz.:
- Each week in summer the carriage with 1 horse to Berwick.
- The horse to carry 3 'bollæ' of corn, or 2 'bollæ' of salt, or 112 'bollæ' of coals.
- In winter the same carriage, but the horse only carried 2 'bollæ' of corn, or 112 'bollæ' of salt, or 1 'bolla' and 'ferloth' of coal.
- Each week, when they came from Berwick, each land did one day's work according to order.
- When they did not go to Berwick, they tilled 2 days a week.
- In autumn, when they did not go to Berwick they did 3 days' work.
- At that time each 'husband'
took with his land 'stuht,'
viz.:
- 2 oxen, 1 horse,
- 3 'celdræ' of oats,
- 6 'bollæ' of barley,
- 3 'bollæ' of corn.
- And afterwards, when Abbot Richard commuted that service into money, they returned their 'stuht,' and each one gave for his land 18s. a year.
[p068]