kidde a miner fader porde † ic mort by Loder gelaue y by hir unnen mine ape min ezte sрo me mest red þuzte aider for Lode 7 for poɲdle. And þirrer andƒрer 1ƒ ƒоɲ zepitnerje Єadmund my bɲoden Elfrize bircope J Bynhτmen abot Єilmen Eluɲicher rune. Nu bidde ic alle þe pýten þe mine quýde zehireð rede eýden gehodede 7 lepede per hı ben on vultume per my cpÿde stonden mote ripe miner vaden gelianu on mine quýde stent. kype ic per alle po ping pe ic to Lode into Loder cepechen Nu Loder þeuen geunnen habbe rý zedon von miner leuer Faden raule Єpelɲed kinger J for mine Elfriðe mine ealdemoden þe me vedde 7 for alɲe pane pe me to pise goden zefilsten. And re pe þine quýde pung ený þing apende habbe him pip God Almigti gemene pip reynte Manie J pip reynte Peter pip alle po þe Loder name heɲiep. (From the text of Somner, Gavelkind, Appx., p. 197.) after Midsummer's masse-day, by Elfgare, Elfstane's son, which was, that he to me signified by my father's message, that I might by God's permission and by his, give my lands and my possessions as to me most expedient seemed, either for God and for the world. And of this answer is to witnesse Eadmund my brother, and Elfsige bishop, and Byrhtmer abbat, and Eilmer, Eluriche's sonne. Now pray I all the Wise-men which my will shall hear read, either clergie [clerks] and laity [laics] that they be of assistance that my will [testament] stand may, sith my father giveth leave for my will's standing. Now declare I that all those things which I to God, unto God's church, and God's servants given have, be don for my deer father's soule, Ethelred king, and for mine and Elfrithe my grandmother, that me fedd, and for all theirs that me to this goods [estates] helped. And he that this will [testament] through anything breaketh, let him give an accompt thereof to God Almighty, and to Saint Mary, and to Saint Peter, and to all those which God's name do laud." To these Wills we will add that eminent antiquary's (Lambard) observations "on the auncient estate of a Gentleman, and by what meanes Gentrie was obteined in the olde time."204 "Touching the estate and degree of this Testatour (Byɲhtɲic), I wil borow a few wordes of you. He himself here calleth Aelfric, his lorde, and naturall lorde, and saith further that Aelfere was father to this Aelfric. Now what Aelfere and Aelfric were it is not hard to finde; for all our auncient historians tell us, that in the daies of King Edgar, of King Edwarde the Martyr, and of King Ethelred, these men were by birth cousines of the bloud royall: by state Єopler, earls, which woorde we yet reteine in English, and which we commonly cal comites in Latine, for that at the first they were parteners and companions, as I may say, with the king, in taking the profites of the shire or countie: that they were also by dignitie Ealdoɲmen, that is, senators and gouernours of all Mercia or Middle England; and finally, that they were of such great power and credite, that Aelfer the father, immediately after the death of King Edgar, restored all such priests thorowout Midle England to their houses, as the king (by aduice of Dunstane the monke) had in his life expulsed, for the placing of his monkes; and that Aelfric the sonne resisted King Ethelred in that siege of Rochester, whereof you heard when we were there. Ι "For as much, therefore, as Aelfric was plafond, or lorde to our testator, and Plafond and Degn, that is to say, lorde and seruiteur, be woordes of relation, I gather that he was Degn, which signifieth, properly, a minister or free seruiteur to the king, or to some great personage; but usually at those times taken for the very same that wee cal now of the Latin woorde Gentilis, a gentleman, that is, a man well borne, or of a good stocke and familie. "And thus, I suppose, it is manifest that Byrthryc, our testator, was by condition a noble man, or (which in common acceptance abroade is all one with it) a gentleman. "Howbeit, to the ende that bothe this thing may haue the more authoritie and credite, and that it may withall appeére what degrees of nobilitie and gentrie there were in this realme before the comming in of the Normanes, and by what merits men might ascend and be promoted to the same, I will reach a little higher, and shew you another English or Saxon antiquitie, which I haue seene placed in diuers old copies of the Saxon Lawes, after the end of all, as a note or aduertisement. 201 Perambulation of Kent, p. 497. Dit per hpilum on Englalagum leod and lazum for begepincðum. And þa pæɲon leod pitan peoɲðƒcipes pýrða. æle be hir mæde. Eopl and Leopl. Degn Deoden. And gif Leonl zepeah he herde Fullice Fir hida agener lande. fif Linican Lycenan. Belhur. and Buɲhzeat. Setle. J jundennote on Lynger Dealle. ponne pær he panonfond Dezen-nighter-peoɲde. And if Ɖezn zeþeah. þhe penode Lynze, and hir radstefne rad on hip hipede. gif je ponne herde Dezn de him filigde. de to Lynger utpaɲe fi hida harde, and on Lýnzes serl his hlafond denode, and dripa mid hir æɲend zeroɲa to Lynze. Se most fiððan mid hir ropade hir hlafond arpelian. æt miɲlican neodan. And gif Ɖezn zedeah. phe peaɲde to Єople. ponne pær he ridðan Eorlɲihterpeopðe. And gif Marreɲe zeþeah ne fende prize ofer pid ræ be hir agenum cɲæfte. re per ponne fýððan Ɖegnnihter-peopde. And if leonnene zeþeah. þuph lane. he had hærde. and þenode xpe. je pær þonne siððan mæðe and munde pa micelɲe pynde rра pænto zebуnede. buton he "It was sometime in the English lawes, that the people and the lawes were in reputation [dignity]. And then were the wisest of the people worship-woorthie [worshipful] euerie one after his degree: Earle and Churle, Thein and under-Theign. And if a churle thriued so that he had fully fiue hides of his owne lande, a churche, and a kitchen, a belhouse, and a gate, a seate, and a seueral office in the king's halle, then was he thencefoorth the theinsright-woorthe [woorthie]. And if a theign did so thriue that he serued the king, and on his message [progresse, iourney] ryd in his housholde, if he then had a thein that followed [serued] him, the which to [toward] the king's iourney [expedition] fiue hides [plowlandes] had, and in the king's seat [palaice] his lorde serued, and thrice with his errande [message] had gone to the king, he [such an one] might afterwarde with his foreothe his lordes part playe at any great neede. And if a thein did thriue so that he became an earle, then was he afterwarde an earles rightworthy [the rightes of an earle]. And if a merchant so thriued that he passed thrice over the wide [broad] seas of his owne crafte [cunning science], "There were thus three degrees of freemen, that is to say, an earle or nobleman, a theyn or gentleman, and a churle or yeoman, the lowest. Bondservants were called villaines. The names of ealdonman, rcуnman, hepetoza, ridecundman, tpelf-hýndman, tpyhindeman, denote not difference in degrees, but the offices and dignities, or else the estimation and values of those to whome they be attributed; as alderman and shyreman signifie the earle or nobleman to whom the government and charge of a shyre or other precinct was committed; heɲetoga, that earle or great man that was the lieutenant of the field; procundman, that gentleman that had the manred, or the office to lead the men of a towne or parish; tpelf-hindman was a theyn or gentleman whose life was valued at twelve hundreth shillings (as in these dayes the lives of all sorts of men were rated at certain summes of money); and tpy-hindman was the churle or yeoman, the price of whose head was taxed at two hundreth shillings."206 205 Lamb. Peramb., p. 500, voc Mepham. 206 Lamb. Peramb. ut supra. DOMESDAY.207 MANY customs peculiar to Kent are noticed in Domesday ; we therefore add a few extracts from that interesting and authentic record-Title, CHENT. CANTVARIA. "IN CIVITATE CANTVARIA habuit Rex Edward' L I burgens'. reddentes gablu, alios cc 7 XII, sup' quos habebat sacă J socă, III molend' de XL sol'. Modo burgens' gablu reddentes sunt XIX. De XXXIIb alijs qui fuerant sunt uastati XI in fossato ciuitatis. 7 archiep's h't ex eis VII. 7 abb' S. Augustini alios XIIII p' excabio castelli. 7 adhuc sunt cc XII burgs' sup' quos h't rex sacă 7 soca III molend'. redd't c 7 VIII sol. J theoloneu redd. LXVIII sol. Ibi VIII acræ p'ti, quæ solebant e'e legator' regis m° redd't de censu XV sol. mille acræ siluæ infructuosæ, de qua exeunt XXIIII or solidi. Int'. totu T. R. E. 208 ualuit LI lib'. 7 t'ntd'. q'do uicec.' [haimo] recep'. 7 m° L lib'. app'ciat'. tam' qui ten'. nc. reddit xxx lib'. arsas 7 pensatas 7 XXIIII lib'. ad numerū. sup'. h’'. onia h❜t uicecom' cx sol. "In the city of Canterbury King Edward had fifty and one burgesses yielding rent, and two hundred and twelve others, over whom he had sac and soc, and three mills of forty shillings [rent]. The burgesses now paying rent are nineteen. Of thirtytwo others which were [formerly], eleven are laid waste in the ditch of the city; and the archbishop has seven of them, and the abbat of St. Augustine the other fourteen in exchange for the castle. And there are yet two hundred and twelve burgesses over whom the king has sac and soc, and three mills, yielding one hundred and eight shillings, and toll yielding sixty-eight shillings. There are eight acres of meadow, which used to belong to the king's lieutenants, now yielding of rent fifteen shillings, and one thousand acres of unproductive wood, from which arise twenty-four shillings. In the whole, in the time of King Edward [the Confessor] it was worth fifty-one pounds, and as much when the sheriff [Haimo] 207 See ante, p. 240, Sec. XVII of the Commentary. |