Distribution of hides.
We will not repeat Mr Round’s convincing arguments. Just to recall their character, we will notice the beautiful hundred of Armingford in Cambridgeshire[1494]. In Edward’s day it had 100 hides divided among fourteen vills, six of which had 10 hides apiece, while eight had 5 hides apiece. Before 1085 the number of hides in the hundred had been reduced from 100 to 80; the number of hides in each of the ‘ten-hide vills’ had been reduced to 8; and each ‘five-hide vill’ had got rid of one of its hides. Obviously such results as these are not obtained by a method which begins by investigating the content of each landholder’s tenement. The hides in the vill are imposed from above, not built up from below[1495].
The Worcestershire hidage.
We have no wish to traverse ground which must by this time be familiar to all students of Domesday. But, having in our eye certain ancient statements about the hidage of England, we will endeavour to carry the argument one step further. In Worcestershire we have strong evidence of a neat arrangement of a whole county. In the first place, we are told that ‘in this county there are twelve hundreds, whereof seven, so the shire says, are so free that the sheriff has nothing in them, and therefore, so he says, he is a great loser by his farm[1496].’ Then we are told that the church of Worcester has a hundred called Oswaldslaw in which lie 300 hides. Then we remember that notorious charter (Altitonantis) which tells how this triple hundred of Oswaldslaw was made up of three old hundreds, called Cuthbertslaw, Wulfhereslaw and Wimborntree[1497]. Then, turning to the particulars, we find that exactly 300 hides are ascribed to the various estates which St. Mary of Worcester holds in this triple hundred. Those particulars are the following:—
The Worcester estate.
| Chemesege Wiche Fledebirie Breodun Rippel Blochelei Tredinctun | 24 15 40 35 25 38 23 | 200 | Norwiche Overberie Segesbarue Scepwestun Herferthun Grimanleh Halhegan Cropetorn |
6 4 2 3 3 7 |
25 25 50 | 100 |
We have here preserved the order in which Domesday Book names the estates, but have added some brackets which may serve to emphasize the artificiality of the system. Then, looking back once more at our Altitonantis, we see Edgar adding lands to the 50 hides at Cropthorn, so that ‘a perfect hundred’ may be compiled, and the lands that he adds seem to be just those which in our table are bracketed with the Cropthorn estate.
The Westminster estate.
Thus we have disposed of three out of those twelve ‘hundreds’ of which Worcestershire is composed and also of 300 hides of land. Next we perceive that the church of Westminster is said to hold 200 hides. Reckoning up the particulars, we find, not indeed 200, but 199.
| H. V. | H. V. | ||
| Persore | 2 | Pidelet | 5 |
| Wiche | 6 | Newentune | 10 |
| Pendesham | 2 | Garstune | 1.3 |
| Berlingeham | 3.1 | Pidelet | 4 |
| Bricstelmestune | 10 | Peritune | 6 |
| Depeforde | 10 | Garstune | 7 |
| Aichintune | 16 | Piplintune | 4.2 |
| Beford | 10 | Piplintune | 6.2 |
| Longedune | 30 | Cumbrintune | 9 |
| Poiwic | 3 | Cumbrintune | 10 |
| Snodesbyrie | 11 | Broctune | 3 |
| Husentre | 6 | Stoche | 15 |
| Wich | 1 | Cumbrintune | 2 |
| Dormestun | 5 | 199.0 |