inconvenientnetwork。Thelordhadnointeresttopreventsuchexchanges，whichcouldmanifestlyleadtoanimprovementofhusbandry，。andinregardtohisownstrips，hemusthaveperceivedsoonenoughthatitwouldbebettertohavetheminonecompactmassthanscatteredaboutinallthefields。Andstilltheopen-fieldintermixtureholdsitsgroundallthroughthemiddleages，andwefinditssurvivalsfarintomoderntimes。Thiscanonlymean，thatevenwhentheshifting，’ideal，’shareinthelandofthecommunityhadgivenwaytothepermanentownershipbyeachmemberofcertainparticularscatteredstrips，thispermanentownershipdidbynomeansamounttoprivatepropertyintheRomanorinthemodernsense。Thecommunalprinciplewithitsequalisingtendencyremainedstillastheefficientforceregulatingthewhole，andstrongenoughtosubjecteventhelordandthefreeholderstoitscustomaryinfluence。BysayingthisIdonotmeantomaintain，ofcourse，thatprivatepropertywasnotexistent，thatitwasnotbreakingthroughthecommunalsystem，andactingasadissolventofit。Ishallhavetoshowby-and-byinwhatwaysthisprocesswaseffected。Butthefactremains，thatthesystemwhichprevaileduponthewholeduringthemiddleagesappearsdirectlyconnectedinitsmostimportantfeatureswithideasofcommunalownershipandequalisedindividualrights。
Theseideasarecarriedoutinaveryroughwayinthemediaevalarrangementoftheholding，whichismorecomplicatedinEnglandthanonthecontinent。Accordingtoaverycommonmodeofreckoning，thehidecontainsfourvirgates，everyvirgatetwobovates，andeverybovatefifteenacres。Thebovateoxgang
showsbyitsverynamethatnotonlythelandistakenintoaccount，buttheoxenemployedinitstillage，andtherecordsexplainthehideorcarucate23*tobethelandoftheeight-oxenplough，thatissomuchlandasmaybecultivatedbyaploughdrawnbyeightoxen。Thevirgate，oryard-land，beingthefourthpartofahide，correspondstoone-fourthpartoftheplough，thatis，totwooxen，contributedbytheholdertothefullplough-team；thebovateoroxgangappearsasthelandofoneox，andtheeighthpartofthehide。24*Suchproportionsare，asIsaid，verycommonlyfoundintherecords，buttheyarebynomeansprevalenteverywhere。OnthepossessionsofGlastonburyAbbey，forinstance，wefindvirgatesoffortyacres，andahideof160；andthesamereckoningappearsinmanorsofWetherallPriory，Westmoreland，25*oftheAbbeyofEynsham，Oxfordshire，26*andmanyotherplaces。
Theso-calledDomesdayofSt。Paul’sreports，27*thatinRunwelleightyacresusedtobereckonedtothehide，butincourseoftimenewlandwasacquiredfortillageandmeasured，andsothehidewasraisedto120acres。Altogetherthesuppositionofanuniformacre-measurementofbovates，virgates，hides，andknights’feesalloverEnglandwouldbeentirelymisleading。Theoxenwereanimportantelementinthearrangement，but，ofcourse，nottheonlyone。Theformationoftheholdinghadtoconformalsotothequalityofthesoil，thedensityofthepopulation，etc。Wefindinanycasethemostvaryingfigures。Theknight’sfeecontainedmostlyfourorfivefullploughsorcarucates，andstillinLincolnshiresixteencarucateswenttotheknight’sfee。28*Thecarucatewasnotidenticalwiththehide，butcarucateandhidealikehadoriginallymeantaunitcorrespondingtoaplough-team。Fourvirgatesweremostlyreckonedtothehide，butsometimessix，eight，sevenaretaken。29*Theyardlandsvirgatesorfulllands，astheyaresometimescalled，becausetheywereconsideredasthetypicalpeasantholdings，consistoffifteen，sixteen，eighteen，twenty-four，forty，forty-eight，fifty，sixty-two，eightyacres，althoughthirtyisperhapsthefigurewhichappearsmoreoftenthananyother。30*Bovatesoften，twelve，andsixteenacresaretobefoundinthesamelocality。31*Wecannotevenseizeholdoftheacreastheoneconstantunitamongthesemanyvariables；thesizeoftheacreitselfvariedfromplacetoplace。Inthiswayanyattempttoestablishanormalreckoningoftheholdingswillnotonlyseemhazardous，butwillactuallystandincontradictionwithpatentfacts。
Anothercircumstanceseemsofyetgreaterimport：evenwithintheboundariesofoneandthesamecommunitytheequalitywasanagrarianoneanddidnotamounttoastrictcorrespondenceinfigures。Itwasobviouslyimpossibletocutupthelandamongtheholdingsinsuchawayastomakeeveryonecontainquitethesamenumberofacresastherest。IntheCartularyofRamseyitisstated，thatinoneofthemanorsthevirgatecontainssometimesforty-eightacresandsometimesless。32*TheHuntingdonHundredRollsmentionsalocalitywheresomeofthehalf-virgateshavegothousesontheirplotsandsomehavenot。33*IntheDorsetshiremanorofNewton，belongingtoGlastonbury，wefindareductionofthedutiesofoneofthevirgatesbecauseitisasmallone。34*AcuriousinstanceissuppliedbythesameGlastonburysurveyastotheWiltshiremanorofChristianMalford：oneofthevirgateswasformedoutoftwoformervirgates，whichwerefoundinsufficienttosupporttwoseparatehouseholds。35*
Thislastcasemakesitespeciallyclearthattheobjectwastomakethesharesonthesamepatterninpointofquality，andnotofmerequantity。Itisonlytoberegrettedthatmanorialsurveys，hundredrolls，andotherdocumentsofthesamekindtaketoolittleheedofsuchvariations，andconsiderthewholearrangementmerelyinregardtotheinterestsofthelandlord。
Forthispurposearoughquantitativestatementwassufficient。
Theygiveverysparingindicationsastothefactsunderlyingthesystemofholdings；theiraimistoreduceallrelationstoartificialuniformityinordertomakethemafitterbasisforthedistributionofrentsandlabourservices。Butverylittleattentionisrequiredtonoticeaverygreatdifferencebetweensuchfiguresandreality。Inmostofthecases，whenthevirgateisdescribedinitscomponentparts，wecomeacrossirregularities。Again，eachcomponentpartismoreorlessirregular，becauseinsteadoftheacresandhalf-acrestherealgroundpresentsstripsofaverycapriciousshape。Andsowemustcometotheconclusion，thatthehide，thevirgate，thebovate，inshorteveryholdingmentionedinthesurveys，appearsprimarilyasanartificial，administrative，andfiscalunitwhichcorrespondsonlyinaveryroughwaytotheagrarianreality。
Thisconclusioncoincideswiththemostimportantfact，thatthereckoningofacresinregardtotheplough-teamisentirelydifferentinthetreatisesonhusbandryfromwhatitisinthemanorialrecordsdrawnupforthepurposeofanassessmentofdutiesandpayments。WalterofHenleyandFletareckon180acrestotheploughinathree-fieldsystem，and160inatwo-fieldsystem。Nowthesefiguresarequiteexceptionalinsurveys，whereas120acresismostusualwithoutanydistinctionastothecourseofrotationofcrops。Therelationbetweenthethree-fieldploughlandof180acresandthehideof120suggeststheinferencethattheofficialassessmentstartedfromtheprevalenceofthethree-fieldrotation，anddisregardedthefallow。Buttheinferenceishardlysufficienttoexplainthefactsofthecase。ThewaytowardsasolutionoftheproblemisindicatedbytheterminologyoftheElysurveysintheBritishMuseum。Thesedocumentsveryoftenmentionvirgatesandfullyardlandsoftwelveacresdeware；ontheotherhand，theCourtRollsfromEdwardI’stimetillElizabeth’s，andasurveyofthereignofEdwardIII，showthevirgatetoconsistoftwenty-fouracres。36*Thevirgatedewarecorrespondsusuallytoone-halfoftherealvirgate；Isayusually，becauseinonecaseitisreckonedtocontaineighteenacresintheplaceoftwenty-fourmentionedintherollsandthelatersurvey。37*Such’acreware’aretobefound，thoughrarely，inothermanorsbesidesthoseofElyminster。38*Thecontradictionbetweenthedocumentsmaybetakenatfirstglancetooriginateinadifferencebetweenthenumberofacresunderactualtillageandthenumberofacrescomprisedintheholding：perhapsthefirstreckoningleavesoutthefallow。ThisexplanationhasbeentriedbyMrO。Pell，thepresentownerofoneoftheElymanorshestarteditinconnexionwithanetymologywhichbroughttogether’ware’and’warectum’：onthisassumptiontwelveacresappearedinsteadoftwenty-four，becausethefallowofthetwo-fieldsystemwasleftoutofthereckoning。Butthisreadingoftheevidencedoesnotseemsatisfactory。Itisone-sidedattheleast。Whyshouldtheholdingfromwhichthe’warectum’hasbeenleftoutgetitsnamefromthe’warectum’？Howisonetoexplaineitherfromthetwo-fieldorfromthethree-fieldsystemthecasewheneighteen’acreware’correspondtotwenty-fourcommonacres，ortheevenmoreperplexingcasewheneighteenacresof’ware’gotothefulllandandtwelvetohalf-a-fullland？39*Infact，thislastinstancedoesnotadmitofanyexplanationfromnaturalconditions，becauseinthenaturalcourseofthingstwelvewillnevercometobeone-halfofeighteen。Thuswearedriventoassumethatthe’ware’reckoningisanartificialone：assuchitcould，ofcourse，treatthehalf-holdingsinadifferentwayfromthefullholdings。Nowtheonlypossiblebasisforanartificialdistributionseemstobetheassessmentofrentsandlabour。
Startingfromthisassumptionweshallhavetosaythatthevirgate’dewara’representsaunitofassessmentinwhichtwelvereallyexistingacreshavebeenleftoutofthereckoning。Theassessmentstretchesonlyoverhalftheareaoccupiedbytherealholding。
Theconclusionwehavecometoiscorroboratedbythemeaningoftheword’wara。’Theetymologicalconnexionwithwarectumisnotsound；themeaningmaybebestbroughtoutbyacomparisonwiththoseinstanceswherethewordisusedwithoutadirectreferencetothenumberofacres。Weoftenfindtheexpression’adinwaram’inDomesday，anditcorrespondstotheplain’adgildamRegis’。Ifamanorissaidtocontainsevenhidesadinwaram，itismeantthatitpaystothekingforsevenhides，althoughtheremayhavebeenmorethansevenploughteamsandploughlands。Anotherexpressionoflikeimportis，’prosextemhidissedefenditergaRegem。’TheBurtonCartulary，theearliestsurveyafterDomesday，employedtheword’wara’inthesamesense。40*Itisnotdifficulttodrawtheinferencefromtheabove-mentionedfacts：theetymologicalconnexionfor’wara’istobesoughtintheGermanwordfordefence——’wehre。’Themanordefendsitselforanswerstothekingforsevenhides。Theexpressioncouldgetotherspecialsignificationsbesidestheonediscussed：wefinditforthepoll-tax，bywhichafreemandefendshimselfinregardtothestate，41*andfortheweir，whichpreventsthefishfromescapingintotheriver。42*
Thisoriginanduseofthetermisofconsiderable。
importance，becauseitshowstheartificialcharacterofthesystemanditscloseconnexionwiththetaxationbytheState。
Thisisadisturbingelementwhichoughttobetakenintoaccountbythesideoftheagrarianinfluence。Therecannotbetheslightestdoubtthattheassessmentstartedfromactualfacts，fromexistingagrarianconditionsanddivisions。Thehide，theyardland，theoxgangexistednotonlyinthegeld-rolls，butinfactandontheground。Butingeld-rollstheyappearedwitharegularitytheydidnotpossessinrealfact；therollsexpressallmodificationsinthemodesoffarmingandallexemptions，notintheshapeofanyqualificationorlighterassessmentofsingleplots，butbywayofstrikingofffromthenumberoftheseplots，orfromthenumberofacresinthem；theobjectwhichinmoderntimeswouldbeeffectedbytheregistrationofa’rateablevalue’
differingfromthe’actualvalue’waseffectedinancienttimesbytheregistrationofa’rateablesize’differingfromthe’actualsize’；lastly，thesurveysandrollsofassessmentdonotkeeptimewiththeactualfacts，andoftenreflect，bytheirfiguresandstatistics，theconditionsofbygoneperiods。Thehidesofthegeldorofthe’wara’tendtobecomeconstantandrigid：itisdifficultfortheking’sofficerstoaltertheirestimates，andthepeoplesubjectedtothetaxtryineverywaytoguardagainstnoveltiesandencroachments。Therealagrarianhide-areaischangingatthesametimebecausethepopulationincreases，newtenementsareformed，andnewlandisreclaimed。
Wefindateverystepinourrecordsthattheassessmentandtheagrarianconditionsdonotcoincide。Ifamanorhasbeengiventoaconventinfreealmoigninliberametperpetuameleemosynam，thatis，freefromalltaxesandpaymentstotheState，thereisnoreasontodescribeitinunitsofassessment，andinfactsuchpropertyoftenappearsinmanorialrecordswithoutany’hidation’orreckoningofknight-fees。43*TheRamseyCartularytellsusthatthelandinHulmewasnotdividedintohidesandvirgates。44*Thereareholdings，ofcourse，andtheyareequal，buttheyareestimatedinacres。Whenthehidationhasbeenlaidonthelandandtaxesarepaidfromit，thesmallersubdivisionsaresometimesomitted：theartificialsystemoftaxationdoesnotgoverydeepintodetails。Evenifmostpartofthelandhasbeenbroughtundertheoperationofthatsystem，someplotsareleftwhichdonotparticipateinthecommonpayments，andthereforearesaidtobe’outofthehide’。45*Suchbeingthecase，therecanbenowonderthatoneoftheRamseymanorsanswerstothekingfortenhides，andtotheabbotforelevenanda-half。46*