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are described in which no villeins are mentioned, but only a small number
of bordars; for example, Stelling in Bridge hundred where in demesne is
one bordar. The bordars were often associated with the villeins in
ploughing. The cottars occur less frequently ; 60 appear at Ickham, but as
a rule none is mentioned, or, if they appear at all, the number rarely
exceeds ten. More interesting are the servi. Of these the Kentish
Survey records a very considerable number, but shows them distributed on
relatively few manors, on only 170 of the nearly 400 manors entered in the
Survey. If the geographical distribution of the serfs be examined, it will
be found that they were more common in the west and in the long-settled
districts ; they seem to be less common in the weald and marsh region. The
greatest number are found in the hundreds of Eyhorne, Larkfield, Ruxley (Helmestrei),
Faversham, Twyford, and Maidstone; their occurrence is very rare in the
east and south. Most of them were soon to be assimilated to the class of
ordinary Kentish peasant.
In the matter of geographical distribution, the exact reverse will be
found true of the remaining class of Kentish peasants, the sokemen. Except
for one in Chart hundred, two in Longbridge hundred, and. one in
Bewsborough hundred, they all fell within the hundreds in Romney Marsh and
those adjoining it. A study of the sokemen of Kent is interesting not only
from the point of view of their geographical distribution, but also from
the point of view of the changes in status resulting. from the Conquest,
which they reveal. There is mentioned terra sochemannorum in
Battle lands in Wye,77 and also there are enumerated in the
Survey 87 sokemen in the county in the time of King Edward, of whom some clearly survived until the time of the
Survey, but others, the greater number, had evidently become assimilated
to the class of villeins or even of bordars. Twelve in Newchurch hundred,
five in Blackburne, one in Bewsborough who had himself held of King
Edward,78 are definitely said to hold ‘now’ (modo), and
of some fourteen others a question might be raised ; in the remaining
cases, however, it seems fairly clear that men of lower status held the
same lands in the time of King William. Thus in Longbridge hundred, a virga
held by a sokeman of King Edward is ‘now’ held by a bordar,79
a half jugurn in Newchurch hundred once held by a sokeman is ‘now’
held by two .bordars,80 three juga and a half virga in
Ham hundred once held by eleven sokemen are ‘now’ apparently in the
hands of villeins with bordars,81 while in Newchurch hundred in
Romney Marsh,’ a tenement of half of one jugurn, half of which
was once held by two sokemen, and the other half by two villeins, is ‘now’
held by four villeins.82 There seems to have been in this part
of Kent a very clear depreciation of status. Moreover, it is clear that
the sokemen were confined to the marsh or the district adjoining it, and
almost entirely to the lands granted to Hugh de Montfort. The only
exception to the first statement is the one sokeman ascribed to ‘Summerden’
hundred, an entry which has been questioned for other reasons ; 73
otherwise the sokemen are distributed by hundreds as follows: in
Newchurch, 32 ; in Newchurch with Blackburn, 6 ; in Blackburn alone, 5 ;
in Aloesbridge, 14 in Ham, 11 ; in Lamport, 6 ; in Stowting, 5 ; in
Street, 3 in Longbridge, the furthest removed, 2 ; in Chart and
77 See p.
242b. 78 See p.
249b. 79 See p. 250b.
80 See p. 247a.
81 See p.
248b. 81 See p. 247a.
83 See p. 241a.
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