Now it is particularly necessary to bear in mind that these ridiculous amounts are the minimum; that in every case the arable land remains to be added to them, and in some cases whole square miles of forest and moorland. I conclude then that the wood, meadow and pasture were not included in the híd or arable, but were appurtenant to it. Sometimes indeed they bear a very small proportion to the arable, and to the number of cattle owned—a fact perhaps to be explained by the existence of extensive commons.
Let us now endeavour to settle the amount, as well as the proportions of the híd and its several parts. As I have said the híd consisted of four virgates, the virgate of four ferlings[[845]]. I do not give examples, because they may be found in every other entry in Domesday; but I may add that the gyld or tax payable to the king from the land, is based upon precisely the same calculation: the híd paid 6 shillings (worth now about 18s. 6d.), the virgate 1s. 6d., and the ferling 18⁄4 or 4½d. Thus (Exon. D. f. 80, 80, b. vol. iii. p. 72) in the hundred of Meleborne, the king had £18 18s. 4½d. as geld from 63 hides and 1 ferling of land:
| now 63×6s. | = | 378s. |
| 1 ferl. ×4½d. | = | 0s. 4½d. ... 378s. 4½d. or 18l. 18s. 4½d. |
Again (fol. 80, b. iii. p. 73) the king had £9 10s. 8¼d. for 31 h. 3 v. ½ ferl.
| i.e. 31 × 6s. | = | 186s. |
| 3 × 1s. 6d. | = | 4s. 6d. |
| ½ × 4½d. | = | 0s. 2¼d. 190s. 8¼d. or 9l. 10. 8¼d. |
in which passage, ferlingus is used for the coin as well as the measure of land. Again (fol. 81, b. vol. iii. p. 74) the geld for 60 h. 3 v. 1½ ferl. was £18 5s. 0¾d. (“unum obolum et unum ferling”).
| i.e. 60×6s. | = | 360s. |
| 3×1s. 6d. | = | 4s. 6d. |
| 1½×0s. 4½d. | = | 0s. 6¾d. 365s. 0¾d. or 18l. 5s. 0¾d. |
Or to test it another way; the híd = 16 ferlings, ∴ 60 h. 3 v. 1½ ferl. = 973½ ferl. But the ferl. paid 4½d. ∴ 973½ ferl. paid 4380¾d. which gives us the same value 18l. 5s. 0¾d.
Now if we can obtain the value of any one of these denominations, we can calculate all the rest with security. The value of the virga or yardland we can obtain: it consisted of ten Norman agri, acræ or acres, perhaps eight or eight and a third Saxon.
In the Exeter Domesday, fol. 48 (vol. iii. p. 42) we find ten hides of land to be made up of the following parcels, 4 hides + 1 virg. + 10 agri + 5½ hides + 4 agri;