“Ralph and Arnold hold of Hugh in Berulvestone (i.e. Barlestone) 3 carucates of land, less 1 virgate. There is land for 2 ploughs. 6 villans with 2 bordars have these ploughs there. There is woodland 3 furlongs long and 2 furlongs broad. It was worth 10s; now 40s.
Geoffrey holds of Robert 1 carucate of land and 1 virgate in Berulvestone. There is land for 1½ ploughs. There are 2 villans with 3 bordars having 1 plough. It was worth 8s; now 10s.”
Some explanations:
Carucate = the area that could be ploughed with an 8-ox team
Virgate = one quarter of a carucate
Villan = a villager who was subject to the lord of the manor but enjoyed certain rights
Bordar = a cottager who was of lower social status than a villan
The values, in shillings, relate to what the land was deemed to be worth before the Norman conquest in 1066 and what it was worth at the time of the survey, according to the commissioners .
Today, my home village of Barlestone is home to about 2,500 people. It has a school, two pubs, three churches, a village shop, a doctor’s surgery, a dental practice, a fish-and-chip shop, an Indian restaurant, a Chinese takeaway, two hairdressers, a football club, a bowls club, and regular buses to Leicester and other neighbouring towns and villages.
It has come on a lot since 1086! However, it is still surrounded by farmland and the odd bit of woodland.
© John Welford
No comments:
Post a Comment