A HISTORY OF WORCESTERSHIRE on the feast day of St. Martin. If he has more hides, let them be free (from the due). And if that day should pass without payment {Jractus fuerit), he who has kept back the grain shall discharge (the obligation) eleven- fold, but shall first pay what he owes. And the abbot of Pershore himself has the forfeit from his (own) lOO hides, as he ought to have from his (own) land ; from the other 200 hides he has the (horse)load and the (full) dis- charge [perso/utionem), and the abbot of West- minster has the forfeit, because it is his land.* And the abbot of Evesham has the same {similiter) from his own land, and all the others similarly from their lands. THE LAND OF THE CHURCH OF EVESHAM X. In Evesham, the town where is situate (sedet) the abbey, are, and always were 3 hides free (from geld). There in (the) demesne are 3 ploughs, and (there are) 27 bordars, servants of the house {servientes curite), who have 4 ploughs. There is a mill worth (de) 30 shillings and 20 acres of meadow. The men dwelling there pay ^ 20 shillings a year. It was worth 60 shillings T.R.E., and 4 pounds afterwards; now no shillings. In FissESBERGE [Fishborough] Hund[ret] the church of Evesham has 65 hides ; of these hides, 12 are free.^ In that Hund[ret] there lie 20 hides of Dodentreu (Hundred) ; and (the) 15 hides of Wirecestre [Worcester] make up the hundred (hides).* This same Church holds Lenchewic [Lenchwick]. There is, and always was, I hide free (from geld) ; and in Nortune [Norton] are 7 hides. In (the) demesne are 5 ploughs, and there are 13 villeins and 11 bordars and i Frenchman [francigena). Be- tween (them) all they have 1 1 ploughs ; there ' That is to say that, on the Westminster manors, the abbot of Pershore was entitled to the full discharge of the debt, but the abbot of Westminster received the penalty {Jorisfactura) to which the defaulter became liable. ^ ' De censu hominum ibi manentium.' ' Namely, 3 at Evesham, i at Lenchwick, I at OfFenham, i at Aldington, 3 at Wick- hamford, and 3 at Ombersley. The abbey claimed to have formerly had 12 hides free at Ombersley alone, but there may have been confusion between this figure and the total entered above.
- This is a difficult passage and requires to
be discussed in the Introduction (p. 247). are 10 serfs, and 2 mills worth 22 shillings and 6 pence and 2,000 eels.* There are 12 acres of meadow. It was worth 7 pounds T.R.E. and no shillings afterwards ; now 7 pounds. In Oleberge [Oldberrow] are 12 acres of land, and there are 2 villein {rustici) swine- herds, and I ' lewede ' of wood. It is worth 5 shillings. This same Church holds Offenham [Offenham]. There is I hide free (of geld) ; and at Liteltune [Littleton] are 6 hides, and at Bratfortune [Bretforton] 6 hides. In (the) demesne are 3 ploughs ; and there are 25 villeins, with 7 ploughs ; and 2 ' rad- man ' {sic), and 2 Frenchmen {francigena) ; each of them has i plough.^ There are 25 bordars, and 20 acres of meadow, and a mill worth {de) 12 shillings and 6 pence. There are oxen for i plough, but they draw stone to the church. It was worth 8 pounds T.R.E. , and afterwards ; now 6 pounds and 10 shillings. To this manor belongs {Jacet) i ' Bere- wich,' Aldintone [Aldington]. There is i hide free (from geld, belonging) to the church ; and in (the) demesne are 2 ploughs, and there are 5 bordars with i plough. There are 4 serfs and a mill worth [de) 5 shillings. It was and is worth 40 shillings. This same Church holds Wiquene [Wick- hamford]. There are 3 hides free (from geld), and at Bratfortune [Bretforton] 6 hides. In (the) demesne are 4 ploughs ; and (there are) 16 villeins and 7 bordars with lO ploughs. There is a mill worth [de) 40 pence, and 10 acres of meadow. It was and is worth 6 pounds. This same Church holds Badesei [Badsey]. There were 6^ hides T.R.E. In (the) demesne are 2 ploughs ; and (there are) 12 villeins with 8 ploughs. There are 4 serfs and I widow.* It was worth 6 pounds ; now 3 pounds and 10 shillings. " I.e. a year. ® This passage is literally translated, but is slightly obscure. This is a remarkable entry. The oxen ' for I plough ' are, in Domesday, 8 in num- ber. Their employment for other than ploughing purposes is here entered as an exception.
- Such mention of a widow is exceedingly
rare in Domesday. 306
