in which even monarchs lived five or six centuries ago. Thus, Willielmus filius Willielmi de Alesburg, for a manor in Bucks, provided straw for the king's bed, and rushes to strew his chamber; paying, besides, three eels in winter, and two green geese thrice a year, for his Majesty's use. Richard Stanford paid a pair of tongs yearly into the royal exchequer. Bartholomew Peyteryn brought every Christmas a sextary—about a pint and a half—of gillyflower wine. The Lord Stafford held a manor in Warwickshire from Edward I. upon paying annually a pair of scarlet hose, to which we find the extravagant value of 3s. attached. Eustache de Corson paid to the king for his lands in Norfolk twenty-four herring-pies upon their first coming in. Walter Truvell held a Cornish acre—equivalent to about sixty statute acres—on condition of finding a boat and tackle to fish for the king so long as he resided in Cornwall. One Robert, the son of Alexander, was tenant of the manor of Wrencholm, from King John, for keeping the royal hogs during certain months of the year. The nature of the service and the absence of surname in this instance, prove that the tenant did not belong to the gentle races. Walter le Rus and his wife enjoyed twelve acres in Eggefield, for repairing the ironwork of the king's ploughs. William I. gave to Simon St. Liz, a noble Norman, the town of Northampton and whole hundred of Fathelcy, then together valued at £40 per annum, to provide shoes for his horses. As singular characteristics of the times, we notice that several estates were held upon the service of maintaining a certain number of "meretrices," which the interpreters translate into "laundresses," at the royal court or camp in London or elsewhere. Finally, we may remark that Henry I. gave a manor in Salop to Sir Ralph de Pickford, to hold by the service of providing dry wood for the great chamber in the royal castle of Bridgenorth "against the coming thither of his sovereign lord the king."
Religious, ceremonial, and comical services were tolerably frequent. T. Winchord, for lands in Leicestershire, was bound to repeat daily five Paternosters, and as many Ave Marias, for the souls of the king's predecessors. Johannes Russell, for two hides of land at Papsworth, in Cambridgeshire, was required to feed two poor persons, and pray for the souls of the royal progenitors. The market price of "Paternosters" is shown by another tenure, in which the five daily repetitions are conditioned as rent for land valued at only 5s. a year. Among the ceremonial observances, or what would now be termed peppercorn rents, were a silver needle, an arrow-head, a wicker basket, a curry-comb, a white dove, a red rose, a maple-wood drinking-cup, and many others. The Countess of Warwick, in the reign of Edward I., held the manor of Hokenorton (Hogsnorton?), in Oxfordshire, by carving at the king's Christmas-dinner, keeping, moreover, the knife used on the occasion by way of fee. But among the most ludicrous tenures was that of Rowland de Sarcere, who for one hundred and ten acres of land in Suffolk was bound every Christmas Day to come into the king's presence and there perform "unum saltum et unum sufflum,"—that is, to cut a caper and trumpet with his cheeks,—together with some other antics for his Majesty's diversion. This service was rendered to Edward I.; but afterwards, being considered indecorous—whether to the king or the performer, we are not told—was commuted for a fine of £1 8s. a year. The queen, when there was one, had her share in these services, receiving from all money fines ten per cent, under the denomination of "queen's gold," but sometimes enjoying her peculiar and especial privileges. For example, Peter de Baldewyn, for his estate in Surrey, was under obligation "to go wool-gathering for the queen among the thorns and briers," or, in the original law-Latin, "ad colligendam lanam per albas spinas." By this service seems to be intended the collection, for the queen's use, of the locks of wool left by the sheep when feeding
