[1361] One of the chief difficulties in the way of accurate computation is occasioned by what we may call the complex entries. We start with some such statement as this: ‘The Bishop holds Norton. It defends itself for a hides. There is land for b teams. There are d teams on the demesne and the villeins have e teams.’ But then we read: ‘Of this land [or of these a hides] Roger holds m hides; there are n teams on the demesne and the villeins have o teams.’ Here the total number of hides is a, and not a + m; and I think that the total number of teamlands is b, and not b + some unstated number held by Roger; but the total number of teams is d + e + n + o. Entries in this form are not very uncommon, and therefore this explanation seemed to be required.
[1362] Pearson, History of England, ii. 665.
[1363] Col. IX. gives I. divided by II. Col. X. gives I. divided by VI. Col. XI. gives I. divided by VII. Col. XII. gives II. divided by VI. Col. XIII. gives II. divided by VII. Col. XIV. gives VI. divided by VII. Col. XV. gives VIII. divided by VI. [or if there is no VI. for this county, then by VII.].
[1364] In Gloucester, Worcester, Hereford and Shropshire I was compelled to adopt as the divisor the number of teams instead of the number of teamlands. As it is fairly certain that these counties were ‘underteamed’ (B > C), the resulting quotient (annual value of land actually tilled by a team) should be diminished before it is compared with the figures given for other counties.
[1365] C. S. Taylor, Analysis of Gloucestershire Domesday (Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeol. Soc. 1887–9).
[1366] But this is intended to include males only: the ancillae are left out.
[1367] Mr Taylor says in his preface: ‘The work has occupied a large part of my leisure time for five years.’ There is therefore some audacity in my printing my figures beside his. It is clear that we have put different constructions upon some of the composite entries concerning large manors. See below, [p. 457]. Mr Taylor, like Eyton, computes only 48 ‘geld acres’ to the hide; I reckon 120 acres to the hide; that, however, is in this context a trifling matter.
[1368] Mr Taylor has brought out 15s. 5d. as the average valet of land tilled by a team. By taking Pearson’s valet and my teams I have brought out 15s. 0d.
[1369] For Dorset and Somerset my figures can be checked by Eyton’s. For Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall, by the Geld Inquests. These give for Wiltshire (see W. H. Jones, Domesday for Wiltshire, 158 ff.) 3955 H. 3 V.; for Devon (see Devonshire Domesday, ed. Devonsh. Assoc. p. xlix.) 1029 H. 1 V. 3 F.; for Cornwall 401 H. 3 V. 1 F. I give for Wiltshire 4050 H., for Devon 1119 H., for Cornwall 399 H.
[1370] Lincoln, 5·0; Nottingham, 4·4; Derby, 3·9; Surrey, 3·7; Hampshire, 3·6; Middlesex, 3·4; Dorset, 3·3; Cambridge, 3·1; Berkshire, 3·0; Wiltshire, 2·9; Hertford, Northampton, Warwick, Somerset, 2·8; Huntingdon, 2·6; Oxford, 2·5; Bedford and Buckingham, 2·4; Cornwall and Stafford, 2·2; Devon, 2·1. For Kent the figure would be near 3·9, for Sussex near 3·3, for apparently in these counties there was approximate equality between the number of teams and the number of teamlands.