Chapter II

THE ENGLISH OPEN-FIELD SYSTEM TRACED BACK TO THE DOMESDAY SURVEY--IT IS THE SHELL OF SERFDOM--THE MANOR WITH A VILLAGE COMMUNITY IN VILLENAGE UPON IT.

1. The identity of the system with that of the Middle Ages 17

2. The Winslow Manor Rolls of the reign of Edward III.--example of a virgate or yard-land 22

3. The Hundred Rolls of Edward I. embracing five Midland Counties 32

4. The Hundred Rolls (_continued_).--Relation of the virgate to the hide and carucate 36

5. The Hundred Rolls (_continued_).--The services of the villein tenants 40

6. Description in Fleta of a manor in the time of Edward I. 45

7. S.E. of England--The hide and virgate under other names (the records of Battle Abbey and St. Paul's) 49

8. The relation of the virgate to the hide traced in the cartularies of Gloucester and Worcester Abbeys, and the custumal of Bleadon in Somersetshire 55

9. Cartularies of Newminster and Kelso, thirteenth century--The connexion of the holdings with the common plough team of eight oxen 60

10. The Boldon Book, A.D. 1183 68

11. The 'Liber Niger' of Peterborough Abbey, A.D. 1125 72

12. Summary of the post-Domesday evidence 76

CHAPTER III. THE DOMESDAY SURVEY (A.D. 1086).

1. There were manors everywhere 82

2. The division of the manor into lord's demesne and land in villenage 84

3. The free tenants on the lord's demesne 86

4. The classes of tenants in villenage 89

5. The villani were holders of virgates, &c. 91

6. The holdings of the bordarii or cottiers 95

7. The Domesday survey of the Villa of Westminster 97

8. The extent of the cultivated land of England, and how much was included in the yard-lands of the villani 101

CHAPTER IV. THE OPEN-FIELD SYSTEM TRACED IN SAXON TIMES--THE SCATTERING OF THE STRIPS ORIGINATED IN THE METHODS OF CO-ARATION.

1. The village fields under Saxon rule were open fields 105

2. The holdings were composed of scattered strips 110

3. The open-field system of co-aration described in the ancient laws of Wales 117

CHAPTER V. MANORS AND SERFDOM UNDER SAXON RULE.

1. The Saxon 'hams' and 'tuns' were manors with village communities in serfdom upon them 126

2. The 'Rectitudines Singularum Personarum' 129

3. The thane and his services 134

4. The geneats and their services 137

5. The double and ancient character of the services of the gebur--Gafol and week-work 142

6. Serfdom on a manor of King Edwy 148

7. Serfdom on a manor of King Alfred 160

8. The theows or slaves on the lord's demesne 164

9. The creation of new manors 166

10. The laws of King Ethelbert--There were manors in the sixth century 173

11. Result of the Saxon evidence 175

CHAPTER VI. THE TRIBAL SYSTEM (IN WALES).

1. Evidence of the Domesday Survey 181

2. The Welsh land system in the twelfth century 186

3. The Welsh land system according to the Welsh laws 189

4. Land divisions under the Welsh Codes 199

5. Earlier evidence of the payment of Welsh gwestva, or food-rent 208

CHAPTER VII. THE TRIBAL SYSTEM (_continued_).

1. The tribal system in Ireland and Scotland 214

2. The tribal system in its earlier stages 231

3. The distinction between the tribal and agricultural economy of the West and South-East of Britain was pre-Roman, and so also was the open-field system 245