acre area of land equivalent to 0.40 hectare. A modern association football pitch is 1¾ acres
agistment grazing rented to others; sometimes the rent paid for pasture
amercement a penalty in money levied in a manorial court, typically between 1d and 4d
assart cleared land, converting wooded or wasteland for agricultural production
aver adult cattle, but sometimes any large animal
bailiff official employed by a lord to manage one or more manors
bay unit of building, usually applied to timber buildings, about 15 feet by 15 feet, or 5m by 5m
bedrip, benrip reaping service owed to the lord of the manor. See boon
blade mill water mill equipped with a grindstone for sharpening blades, e.g of knives, scythes, or weapons
bloomery a forge producing blooms, that is lumps of iron, by smelting iron ore with intense heat from charcoal
bondman unfree tenant, also neif, villein, serf
boon collective labour service, owed to the lord of the manor by all tenants on a limited number of days, often in the harvest season. See bedrip
bushel unit of volume, for measuring grain, equivalent to 36 litres; one bushel of wheat would feed an individual for a month
butt a small parcel of land, usually a selion of short length
byre building to accommodate cattle
capon castrated male fowl
chamber room in a house often used for sleeping and storage
champart method of renting land, usually between peasants, by which the tenant owes a fraction of the crop, often a half or a third (‘the third sheaf’)
champion a type of landscape with extensive open fields (from the French word champ, meaning field). Champion settlements tend to be nucleated villages
chase a forest held by a lord other than the king; a private hunting reserve
chattels movable goods such as house furnishings or farm equipment
chevage (Latin capitagium) either a collective payment, often called a common fine, owed to a lord, or a payment by an individual serf for permission to live away from the manor
church house building near a church containing a large room for gatherings, often for holding church ales, built and managed by churchwardens
close See croft
common law the legal system practised by the royal courts
court roll document recording the business of a manorial court
croft (or close) a piece of enclosed agricultural land, often small, and often held by a single tenant
cruck a vertical timber forming a pair, usually curving, on which the timber structure of a building was based. Also called a fork (furca)
curtilage a small enclosed piece of land, containing a house or near to a house or cottage
customary law, custom the rules and legal system used by manorial courts, which varied locally
daywork small measure of land, usually a fraction of an acre
deed document recording a transfer of free land or rent
demesne land reserved for the use of a lord, either cultivated directly, but commonly leased to a tenant, often between a fifth and a third of the area of a manor
dower share of a holding retained by a widow, usually a feature of freeholdings
drage a spring-sown grain crop consisting of a mixture of barley and oats
engrosser an individual tenant who accumulated land by taking over previously separate holdings
entry fine payment to the lord by a tenant taking a customary holding which varied with the size of the holding and such factors as the demand for land. See relief
extent survey of a manor including both demesne and tenant land, valuing the assets
eyre court session held by itinerant royal justices
fallow cultivated land allowed to rest without a planted crop, usually for a year
farmer tenant holding an asset, often land, on lease (‘at farm’). From c.1380 many farmers were lessees of demesne land, often in excess of 100 acres each
Feldon the champion district of south and east Warwickshire, with open fields
feoffees trustees with legal responsibility for holding property
forge see bloomery
free bench the custom that a widow should hold her husband’s land after his death in her lifetime
frisc uncultivated land, previously arable
fulling mill water mill equipped with wooden hammers powered by a water wheel for treating woollen cloth to give it a close woven (felted) texture
furlong a subdivision of a field, consisting of at least ten strips or selions
fustale a drinking session organized by the lord, compulsory for tenants
gentleman lowest aristocratic rank, intermediate between yeomen and esquires
gentry the lesser aristocracy, including knights, esquires, and gentlemen
gleaning collecting ears of corn left after corn has been cut
glebe land and other assets held by a parish clergyman as part of a benefice
gout a tidal door, to enable water to flow into the sea, and to prevent seawater reaching the land; also applied to the channel leading to the door
hamlet a small rural settlement, often consisting of less than ten households
haulm stems and stalks left after threshing peas and beans, like the straw from grain crops
haverage the practice of granting access to outsiders’ animals on a common pasture
heckle a tool with iron teeth used in preparing flax and hemp fibres for spinning
heriot due on death or surrender by a tenant, usually the best beast or chattel, but sometimes more; later a cash payment
homage formal recognition of the superiority of a feudal lord, by extension a group owing allegiance to a lord, often a jury but also those attending a manorial court
hue and cry popular policing, by which a victim of crime ‘raises the hue’ by calling out their neighbours to pursue the offender
hurden cloth woven from hemp (so inferior to linen) used to make bed sheets
husbandman a category of peasants defined in terms of size of holding (6–50 acres) and other indicators of status, intermediate between labourer and yeoman
inhok (also hich) a part of a field, usually one designated as fallow, cultivated often in the short term, though sometimes every year
intercommoning an understanding between neighbouring settlements to share a common
inventory list of possessions, usually giving values
Justices of the Peace prominent local people, gentry and above, commissioned by the Crown to hold courts and enforce the law
lay subsidy royal tax based on the valuation of the goods of the laity
leirwite payment to a lord levied on servile women accused of incontinence
mainpast a household for whom a head had legal responsibility
manor organization to enable a lord to gain revenue from the land and tenants
manumission formal procedure for granting freedom to a serf
marl pit a pit dug to extract subsoil to be spread on arable land
marriage fine see merchet
maslin winter-sown grain crop, consisting of a mixture of rye and wheat
merchet a fine for a lord’s permission for the marriage of a female serf
messuage a house and associated buildings on a small plot of land, often with a yard, garden, etc.
mile unit of length, equivalent to 1.61km
mondayland tenant holding owing labour service on Mondays, usually a smallholding
neif (also nativus/nativa) bondman, serf, villein, so unfree individual
nucleated village a compact settlement, usually with ten or more households, common in champion and wold landscapes
open field an area under cultivation subdivided among tenants, without fences or hedges except on its perimeter, subject to agreed routines of cropping and fallowing
padstone single stone acting as foundation for a timber, for example, a cruck
pannage the practice of feeding pigs in the autumn in woods on acorns and beechmast, but also the payment for feeding pigs in this way
park a fenced area of grassland and woodland in the exclusive control of a lord, often to keep deer
partible inheritance inheritance custom by which a holding was divided among heirs
pill a creek or inlet in the Severn estuary, often modified for drainage purposes
pound a small enclosure in which animals straying or trespassing were confined
primogeniture inheritance custom by which the holding descended complete to the eldest son
principalia (or principal goods) chattels (agricultural and domestic) belonging to a customary holding, deemed to be the property of the lord
purpresture an enclosure of land, often waste, usually for agricultural use or for a building
putt wickerwork container attached to a fish trap, in which the fish were confined
quarter unit of volume for measuring grain, containing 8 bushels, equivalent to 290 litres
recognition a collective payment, similar to tallage, owed by customary tenants on the accession of a new lord
rector clergyman holding a parish as his benefice
reeve a lord’s official, himself a customary tenant, managing a manor, that is the cultivation of the demesne, and sometimes collecting tenants’ rents
relief payment to the lord by a new tenant of a free holding, the sum limited to one year’s rent. See entry fine
reversion by a process in a manorial court a would-be tenant could acquire a right to the holding in the future, after the tenant(s) had died or withdrawn
retting a process to place flax or hemp plants in water until the softer parts had rotted, allowing the fibres to be separated for spinning and weaving
rhine (or reen) a water course, often taking water from an area of wetland, and draining into an estuary or the sea
ridge and furrow the still visible earthworks of cultivation, reflecting the pattern of subdivision of the field into furlongs and strips and selions
royal forest area of land placed under forest law, administered by special officials and courts. Forests included woodland and waste sheltering deer for hunting, and also settlements and fields
selion a long narrow strip of land in an arable field with boundaries defined by wooden or stone markers at the end
serf also neif, bondman, villein, an unfree person, often a tenant
sheepcote (also sheep house) building for sheltering sheep, especially in winter
sill beam horizontal beam on which a timber frame for a building could be constructed
solar upper room in a dwelling
stint limit on the number of animals that could be grazed on common land
stocks timber device for detaining wrongdoers; a stock was a tree stump
surrender the legal procedure by which a tenant gave up a holding, initially to the lord, but usually a new tenant took the land
tallage collective payment to a lord by customary tenants, also called aid, larder silver, etc. It was used as a legal test of unfree status
timber and wood timber refers to substantial material used for building, implements, etc. wood from younger trees was used as fuel, fencing, wattling, etc.
tithe levy of one-tenth of all produce owed to the parish clergy
tithing a group of males aged 12 and over sworn to keep the peace and to report wrong-doing to the view of frankpledge
toft plot of land once for a building, but on which no building was standing
toll a fee paid on a sale in a market; payment owed to the lord when a customary tenant sold a horse or ox
tonsure distinctive hairstyle which identified ordained clergy
transhumance practice of driving animals from one pasture to another
trothplight a marriage contracted between the parties by mutual consent and exchange of promises
vert the vegetation in a royal forest protected under forest law
vicar clergyman holding a benefice that had been appropriated by a religious house, inferior in status and wealth to a rector
view of frankpledge (often just view) a court, often held by a lord annually, to hear presentments by tithings of petty crimes and public nuisances
village (also vill) a settlement often with between 10 and 50 households; also a unit of government and taxation (see hamlet and nucleated village)
wain heavy two-wheeled vehicle drawn by oxen; carts were horse-drawn
waste land not subject to cultivation, and not in separate ownership, often used as common pasture
wether adult castrated male sheep
wold originally, woodland, but in 1200–1540 a landscape on high ground, with much arable and often access to pasture
wintering providing pasture in winter for livestock (as distinct from summering)
woodward manorial official supervising and protecting woods
yardland (often called a virgate) a standard holding of land, often in the region of 30 acres of arable, though varying from place to place between 12 acres and 64 acres, with meadow and access to pasture and wood
yeoman from c.1400 the highest rank of peasant, superior to a husbandman, holding usually between 50 and 150 acres