A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE that church, as the whole shire-moot (syra) testifies, and attached it to his manor of Hiz [Hitchin] 3 years before king Edward's death. King William holds MENLESDENE [Mins- den]. 1 It is assessed at 4 hides. There is land for 8 ploughs. In the demesne there are 2 hides and 2^ virgates, and on it there are 3 ploughs. A priest with 8 villeins and 2 cottars have 3 ploughs between them, and there could be 2 more. There are 6 serfs. Meadow is there sufficient for i plough team, and pasture suffi- cient for the live stock of the vill. There is woodland 8 to feed 30 swine. This manor belonged and still belongs to (jacuit et jacet in) Hiz [Hitchin]. Earl Harold held it. fo. I3b IN THE HALF-HUNDRET OF Hiz [HITCHIN 3 ] King William holds Hiz [Hitchin]. It is assessed at 5 hides. There is land for 34 ploughs. In the demesne is i hide, and on it are 6 ploughs ; and 41 villeins with 17 bordars have 2O ploughs between them. There could be 8 more. There are 22 cottars and 12 serfs, and 4 mills worth 53 shillings and 4 pence. Meadow is there suffi- cient for 4 plough teams, pasture sufficient for the live stock of the vill, and woodland to feed 600 swine. This manor earl Harold held. Of these 5 hides 2 belong to the minster (monasterium) of this vill. There is land (in them) for 4 ploughs. In the demesne is i hide and a half, and there is I plough on it and there could be another ; and 4 villeins have 2 ploughs between them, and there are 7 cot- tars. Meadow is there sufficient for 2 oxen, pasture sufficient for the live stock. These 2 hides are worth 6 pounds ; when received they were worth 40 shillings ; T.R.E. worth 4 pounds. This manor earl Harold held. King William holds WELEI [ ]. 4 It is assessed at 2 hides. There is land for 7 ploughs. In the demesne is i hide ; 2 ploughs are on it ; and 8 villeins with 5 bordars have 4 ploughs between them, and there could be a fifth. There are 2 cottars and 4 serfs. Pasture is there sufficient for the live stock of the vill, and woodland to feed 300 swine. Earl Harold held this manor, and it belongs (jacet in) to Hiz [Hitchin], to which it belonged (jacuit) T.R.E. 1 AKas Minsdenbury. The ruins of Minsden chapel remain (J.H.R.). 2 ' Silva ' (translated ' woodland ' throughout). 3 Now part of Dacorum Hundred.
- See Introduction, p. 297.
King William holds WESTONE [Weston]. 5 It is assessed at 5 hides. There is land for 14 ploughs. In the demesne are 2 hides, and on it are 2 ploughs ; and 16 villeins with 3 bordars have 5 ploughs between them, and there could be 5 more. 6 There are 4 serfs. Meadow is there sufficient for 7 plough teams, pasture sufficient for the live stock of the vill, woodland to feed 400 swine, and worth 3 shillings besides. This manor earl Harold held, and it belonged, and still belongs, to Hiz [Hitchin]. But its 'wara' (place of its assessment) was in Bedfordshire T.R.E., in the Hundret of Maneheue [Manshead], and there the manor to which it belonged is and always was ; and after king Edward's death it ceased to pay the King's geld. King William holds WALDENEI [King's Walden]. It is assessed at 2 hides. There is land for 20 ploughs. 7 In the demesne are 2 virgates, and 2 ploughs are on it. A priest with 13 villeins and 4 bordars have 6 ploughs between them, and there could be 2 more. There are 2 cottars and 4 serfs. Meadow is there sufficient for half a plough team, pasture sufficient for the live stock of the vill, wood- land to feed 400 swine. Its total value is and was 8 pounds ; T.R.E. 10 pounds. Leueva held this manor of earl Harold and could sell without obtaining his consent. In the King's service it finds (invert) i ' avera ' (carrying service of i load) and i ' inward ' (bodyguard service), 8 but this is perforce and by injustice, as the shire-moot (scyra) testifies. Of these 2 hides a widow, Asgar's wife, holds I hide of the King as i manor ; and she has there i plough, and 17 villeins and 7 bordars. These have 6 ploughs between them, and there could be 3 more. There are 5 cottars. Meadow is there sufficient for a half-plough team, woodland to feed 400 swine, pasture sufficient for the live stock of the vill. Its total value is and was 4 pounds ; T.R.E. 8 pounds. The same woman held this manor T.R.E. of earl Harold and could sell without obtaining his consent, and it used to find, (but) 5 This has been identified by Hertfordshire historians as the manor of Weston Argentine in Weston in Broadwater Hundred, but I feel sure that it is Westoning in Bedfordshire, which was and is in Manshead Hundred, and to which the suffix ' ing ' was only added later (J.H.R.). 6 These details do not tally with the given total or ploughlands (J.H.R.) 7 This entry needs explanation. There were here 2 distinct manors, each assessed at I hide and each containing 10 ploughlands. They are separately surveyed in this entry (J.H.R.).
- See, for these services, Introduction, pp. 269-7 1 .
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