De Todinton' feodum dimidii militis."
In the latter case the right reading is—
"Warinus de Todinton' dim' mil'.
Feodum dimidii militis[1153] de Hiham, quod," etc.
Further, Robert "de Reines" is returned in both cartæ as holding (1166) a quarter of a knight's fee in each fief, "de novo fefamento," apparently in Higham (Suffolk), not far from Dedham (Essex). This suggests his enfeofment by the service of half a knight, and the division of his holding when the fief was divided. It is strange that on the Roll of 1159 he is entered as paying one marc, which would be the exact amount payable for half a knight.[1154]
Thus the main points have been satisfactorily established. The genealogy is not so easy. Our charter tells us that, in 1142, the sons of Roger "de Ramis" were the "nepotes" of Earl Aubrey. From the earl's age at the time they could not be his grandsons: they were, therefore, his nephews, the sons of a sister. Were they the Richard and Roger who, in 1159, held respectively the two halves of the original fief (Rot. Pip., 5 Hen. II.)? To answer this question, we must grasp the data clearly. In 1130 and in 1135 the two fiefs were respectively held by Robert and Roger, the sons of William. In our charter (1142) we find them, it would seem, held by "the sons of Roger," probably of tender years. This would suggest that the Robert (son of William) of 1135 had died childless before 1142, and that his fief had been reunited to that of his brother Roger, only, however, for the joint fief to be again divided between Roger's sons. But the question is further complicated by some documents relating to the church of Ardleigh, one of which is addressed by "Robertus de Ramis filius Rogeri de Ramis" to Robert [de Sigillo], Bishop of London, while another, addressed to the same bishop, proceeds from Robert son of William "de Ramis," apparently his uncle. In 1159 the two fiefs reappear as held respectively by Roger and Richard "de Ramis." In 1165 (Rot. Pip., 11 Hen. II.) we find them held by William and Richard de Ramis, and thenceforth they were always known as the fiefs of William and of Richard. The actual names of the holders of the fiefs in 1166 (one of which is ignored by the Black Book and the other given as Robert) are determined by the Pipe-Roll of 1168, where they are entered as William and Richard. Thus, at length, we ascertain that the carta assigned to William "filius Milonis" was in truth that of William "de Ramis," while that which is assigned to Robert "de Ramis" was in truth that of Richard "de Ramis." The entry on this Pipe-Roll relating to the latter fief throws so important a light on the Carta of 1166, that I here print the two side by side.
| 1166. | 1168/ |
|---|---|
| Hii sunt milites qui tenuerunt de feodo Roberti de Raimes die qua Rex Henricus fuit vivus et mortuus, viz:—... Willelmus filius Jocelini II milites Philippus Parage feodum dim. militis. Horum servitium difforciant mihi Willelmus filius Jocelini et Philippus. Simon de Cantilupo detinet mihi Heingeham quam tenere debeo de Rege in dominio meo. | Ricardus de Reimis [al. Raimes] reddit compotum de X marcis pro X militibus. In thesauro XXXIII sol. et IIII den. Et in dominio Regis de Dedham i mar. Et debet IIII li. et VI sol. et VIII den. sed calumpniatur quod Picot de Tanie[1155] habet II milites per Regem, et Simo de Cantelu IIos, et Comes Albricus dim., et Phylippus Parage dim. |
If, as implied by our charter, the sons of Roger ("de Ramis") were minors at the time of the Anarchy, this would account for Earl Hugh seizing, as recorded in William's carta, five of his knights' fees in the time of King Stephen (Liber Niger, i. 237).
The later history of these two fiefs is one of some complexity, but the descent of Dedham, which alone concerns our own charter, is fortunately quite clear. Its two halves are well shown in the Testa de Nevill entry:—
"Leonia de Stutevill tenet feodum unius militia in Byh[a]m unde debet facere unam medietatem heredi Ricardi de Reymes et alteram medietatem heredi Willelmi de Reymes" (i. 276).