The dues from the monastery at Taunton were as follows: a feorm of one night for the king, and eight dogs and one dog-keeper; and nine nights’ keep for the king’s falconers; and carriage with waggons and horses for whatever he would have taken to Curry or Wilton. And if strangers came from other parts, they were to have guidance to the nearest royal vill upon their road[[535]].
The payments reserved upon twenty hides at Titchbourn, which Eádweard in 901-909 granted to Denewulf of Winchester for three lives, were probably the old royal gafol: they were now transferred to the church as double-commons for founder’s day. They amounted to, twelve sexters of beer, twelve of sweetened Welsh ale, twenty ambers of bright ale, two hundred large and one hundred small loaves, two oxen fresh or salted, six wethers, four swine, four flitches, and twenty cheeses; but if the day of payment should fall in Lent, an equivalent of fish might be paid instead of flesh[[536]].
“Insuper etiam, hanc praedictam terram liberabo ab omni servitute saecularium rerum, a pastu regis, episcopi, praefectorum, exactorum, ducum, canum, vel equorum seu accipitrum; ab refectione et habitu illorum omnium qui dicuntur Fæstingmen,” etc.[[537]]
“Sint liberati a pastu principum, et a difficultate illa quod nos Saxonice dicimus Festingmen; nec homines illuc mittant qui accipitros vel falcones portant, aut canes aut caballos ducunt; sed sint liberati perpetualiter in ævum[[538]].”
“Ab opere regali et pastu regis et principis, vel iuniorum eorum; ab hospitorum refectione vel venatorum; etiam equorum regis, falconum et ancipitrum, et puerorum qui ducunt canes[[539]].”
“Ut sit liberatum et absolutum illud monasterium ab illis causis quas Cumfeorme et Eafor vocitemus; tum a pastu accipitrorum meorum, quam etiam venatorum omnium, vel a pastu equorum meorum omnium, sive ministrorum eorum. Quid plura, ab omni illa incommoditate Æfres et Cumfeorme, nisi istis causis quas hic nominamus: praecones si trans mare venirent ad regem venturi, vel nuncii de gente Occidentalium Saxonum vel de gente Northanhymbrorum, si venirent ad horam tertiam diei vel ad medium diem, dabitur illis prandium; si venirent super nonam horam, tunc dabitur eis noctis pastum, et iterum de mane pergent in viam suam[[540]].”
“Et illam terram iii manentium in Beonetlege, in occidentale plaga Saebrine etiam liberabo a pascua porcorum re[g]is, quod nominamus Fearnleswe[[541]].”
“Liberabo illud a pastu et ab refectione omnium ancipitrum et falconum in terra Mercensium, et omnium venatorum regis vel principis, nisi ipsorum tantum qui in provincia Hwicciorum sunt; etiam similiter et a pastu et refectione illorum hominum quos Saxonice nominamus Wælhfæreld, ⁊ heora fæsting, ⁊ ealra Angelcynnes monna, ⁊ ælþeódigra rǽdefæstinge, tam nobilium quam ignobilium[[542]].”
In 875, Ceólwulf, the intrusive king of Mercia, freed all the bishopric of Worcester, “tota parochia Hwicciorum,”—in other words all the churches belonging to it,—from the “pastus equorum regis,” and their keepers[[543]].
Many of the instances we meet with, both in England and upon the Continent, are those of churches or monasteries: this is natural, inasmuch as the clergy were most likely to obtain and record these exemptions. But how, it may be asked, did it happen that such exemptions were necessary? It seems to me that, when Christianity was introduced, and folcland was granted for the erection or the endowment of a church, the burthens were not always discharged; and that the piety of later times was occasionally appealed to, to remedy the carelessness or alter the policy of early founders.