Volume 1

The history and antiquities of the county of Dorset / Compiled from the best and most ancient historians, inquisitions post mortem, and other valuable records and mss. in the public offices, and libraries, and in private hands. With a copy of Domesday book and the Inquisitio Gheldi for the county: interspersed with some remarkable particulars of natural history; and adorned with a correct map of the county, and views of antiquities, seats of the nobility and gentry, &c. By John Hutchins, M.A.

  • John Hutchins
Date:
1774
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history and antiquities of the county of Dorset / Compiled from the best and most ancient historians, inquisitions post mortem, and other valuable records and mss. in the public offices, and libraries, and in private hands. With a copy of Domesday book and the Inquisitio Gheldi for the county: interspersed with some remarkable particulars of natural history; and adorned with a correct map of the county, and views of antiquities, seats of the nobility and gentry, &c. By John Hutchins, M.A. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    106/804 (page 6)
    The general face of the county at this time was divided into arable, expreffed by thd carucates and the number of carucce, or ploughs, meadow [pratum], pafturage [pafiura], and woodland [filva]. In one inftance we find pafture and arable oppofed by the ftyle of pafcualis and feminabilis<> and in another the church of Abbotfbury is faid to hold fix acres mefjis, by which we mull underftand either corn or a certain referved rent or proportion of money paid in lieu of it. This laft is mold probable from its being joined with four cirifcets, or chirchfcots, which here fignify the other provilions paid in kind to that houfe. The woodland is divided into filva minuta, or coppice wood, called nemufculum in Exeter Domef¬ day; filva modica, perhaps brufhwood, coppice half grown, or underwood; Jiiva infrufiuofa, oppofed to maft-bearing trees as oak and beech. Mention is made of Bo ficus de Havocumbe and Forejla de Winburn, which laft occurs twice. Virgultum occurs once, p. xxv. Broca is by Du Cange explained pars nemorisz; or perhaps it means heath, which under the article Cranborn is called Brueria, and of which there is now l’o large a quantity in the E. part of this county. There is once mention made of gardens [orti] ; and at Durwefton vineyards, which gave it the antient name of Dervinejlonc. A few parcels are fet down wafte [vajla]. The different value of the lands in the Confeffor’s and the Conqueror’s time is exprelt by the terms Valuit & valet, alfo by T. R. E. tempore regis Edwardl, and T. R. W. tempore regis Wil- lelmi, and in one inltance tempore Heraldi, who is not allowed the title of king. There is alfo fometimes expreft a difference in the value of land when the tenant received or had it firft granted [<quanldo recepit] and at the time of the furvey. In Exeter Domefday the land is faid to pay fo much, & quando recepit 20 s. fol. &c. plus. Some lands appear to have been mortgaged [in vadimonio], or made over [prcefiitee, or in prceflito], and fome redeemed [adquietatre and refumpft] ; others to have different claimants, as a mill for the king’s ufe [molin’ calumniaf efi ad opus Regis], and a parcel of land by a private tenant [111 hidas calumniat’ Jilius Odoms] j others were held by a number of tenants in equal parts [in par agio]. Lands in Wadone [Wotton] were exchanged for others of double the value; Hanc terram cambivit Hugo Jilius Grip BriEluino: quod modo tenet comes Moriton. & ipj'utn fcambium valet duplum. In Gillingham, Hugh rented a piece of land of the king, accepit defiirma regis, and gave it to Cranborn abbey. Another piece was held de dominica jirma monacborum de Cerne. Some tenants are ftiled cenfores, or farmers, qui cenfum reddunt, in other records cenfarii a; and in Exeter Domefday [article Taveftock], Gabulatores. Of Bingeham [Tineham] it is faid Anfchetil pre¬ tended he held it of the Queen, but after her death did not petition the king for it. Regem non requifivit. Among the lands of the bifhop of Salifbury there are four virgates in Stalbridge in the te¬ nure of one ManaJJes, who by his name feems to have been a Jew. In the Inquilitio Gheldi he is ltyled quocus or cocus. William the king’s fon took them away from the church without the confent of the bifnop and monks. This land was probably given to the tenant by Rufus in return for fome kindnefs received from him. Some other inftances of fuch unjuft feifure and forcible detention of church-lands are frequently charged on Harold and on Hugh fon of Grip and his wife. Befides the lands, the mills paid a certain proportion of the tax : and we have one inftance in which a tenant paid for one-third and one-fourth of a mill. Upon the manor of Melbury [Melejberie] we find a fmith [unus faber] particularized. The meafures in this furvey are, 1. The hide, manfeh, or family of the Saxons. Agriculture is the foundation of towns, parifihes, and of the whole kingdom, and from hence all meafures have been taken from the earlieft anti¬ quity. The hide of the Saxons and carucate of the Normans fignify the fame, and are what we call a plough-land, as much arable as could be tilled and managed by one plough and the beafts belonging thereto in a year; having meadow, pafture, and houfes for the houfe- holders and cattle belonging to it. This is the great meafure of Domefday Book in moft coun¬ ties ; for in t'hofe of Nottingham, Derby, and Lincoln, only carucates are mentioned. In this county we have both. The hide is efteemed to contain 100 acresc, and fometimes i2od; but both certainly differed according to the lightnefs or ftiffnefs of the foil, whereof a plough might difpatch more or lels e. Some hides even confided of 240 acres f. Selden, in his notes upon Heng- ham, proves the hide confided of that number till 9 R. I. when in the fivefhilling aid it was fixed z Ke readers Brocaria, dumeta. Fr. BroJJailes. aDu Cange, voce Census. Cenfaria, a farm; Tenures t. E. III. bDomus artel manjio leein to be diilinguiihed, but wherein the difference confilled is not eafy to fay. Spelman explains manjio both by hula and bojpitium, Du Cange by contignatio, or ftory. Was it then larger than domus ? In Exeter Domefday Book it is ufed for masurium x In the lnquifitio Gheldi (Hund. deLodre), and in the charter of Grofmont priory,Yorklhire, (Mon. Ang. III. 16.) it is a certain quantity of ground. c Hida, a prlmitlva inftitutione ex ioo acris conftat. Lib. Nig. d An old book intituled Rejlauratio ecclejue de Ely, quoted by Mr. Agard, has una hida per fexies xx acras fe1 2 hidas duodecies xx areas before the Conqueit, and the fame in an inquilaion 14 E. I. there recorded. Antiq. Difc. I, p 47. e Thoroton’s Nottinghnmlhire. f Lib. Elienf. i. I. c. 14. at s