294
THE SAXONS IN ENGLAND.
[book I.
repair of roads, bridges and fortifications. But
besides these, there were dues payable to the king,
and the geréfa; watch and ward on various occa-
sions ; aid in the royal hunting ; convoy of messen-
gers going and coming on the public service, from
one royal vill to another ; harbouring of the king,
his messengers and huntsmen ; lastly provision for
his hawks, hounds and horses. In addition to these,
there were heavy payments in kind, which were to
be delivered at the royal vills, to each of which,
various districts were apparently made appurtenant,
for this purpose ; and on which stores, so duly de-
livered, the king and his household in some degree
depended for subsistence. These were comprised
under the name Cyninges-feorm, or Firma régis.
It is from the occasional exemptions granted by
the authority of the king and his witan, that we
learn what burthens the folcland was subject to : it
may therefore be advantageous to cite a few exam-
ples, which will make the details clear.
Between 791 and 796, eighty hides of land at
Westbury and Hanbury were relieved by Offa from
the dues to kings, dukes and their subordinates ;
except these payments, that is to say, the gafol at
Westbury (sixty hides), two tuns full of bright
ale, and a comb full of smooth ale, and a comb full
of Welsh ale, and seven oxen, and six wethers, and
forty cheeses, and six IangSero (?), and thirty am-
bers of rough corn, and four ambers of meal, to the
royal villɪ.
* God. Dipl. No. 166. Here, by the way, the comb is used as a
liquid measure ; very probably of thirty-two gallons, the amount of the
сн, xi.]
Fololand and bo,cland.
295
In 863, an estate at Marsham was to pay by the
year, twenty staters of cheese, forty lambs, forty
fleeces, and two days’ pastus1 or feorm, which last
might be commuted for thirty silver shillings (ar-
gentea)2.
In 877, Bishop Tunberht, with the consent of his
chapter, appropriated lands at Nursling to the use
of the refectory. His charter says he grants it,
“ Iiberam ab omnibus terrenis difficultatibus om-
nium gravitudinum, sive a pastu régis, principis,
exactoris ; et ab omni aedificiorum opere, tributo,
a paraveredis, a taxationibus quod dicimus wite-
rædene ; omnium rerum Saecularium perpetualiter
libera sit, excepta expeditione et pontis aedifica-
tione3.” As he could not do this by his own au-
thority, he probably only means to record that they
had been so freed by the Witena-gemot.
In 883, twenty years later, a monastery is freed
from all which the monks were still bound to pay
to the king’s hand, as Cyningfeorm, both in bright
ale, beer, honey, oxen, swine and sheep, in short
from all the gafol, much or little, known or un-
known, that belongs to the lord of the nation4.
The dues from the monastery at Taunton were
as follows : a feorm of one night for the king, and
old barrel of ale, (the present barrel is thirty-six gallons). So to this
day the hogshead is sixty-four gallons or twice thirty-two, the comb ;
as the quarter is sixty-four gallons, or two combs of dry measure. Even
now in some parts of Surrey and Sussex, the peasants use peck for
two gallons of liquid measure : I have heard them speak of a peck, and
even half a bushel, of gin, brandy, beer, etc.
' The pastus régis is the gite du, roi well known in French history.
2 Cod. Dipl. No. 288, see also No. 281.
3 Cod. Dipl. No. 10β3. 4 Ibid. No. 313.