cmen　of　ancient　demesne。　In　most　cases　only　the　negative　side；　namely　the　absence　of　a　charter；　is　mentioned；　but　there　are　entries　which　disclose　the　positive　side；　and　speak　of　tenants　or　even　free　tenants　holding　without　charter　by　ancient　tenure。（46*）　It　is　to　be　added；　that　we　find　such　people　in　central　and　western　counties；　that　is　outside　of　the　Danelagh。　In　Domesday　their　predecessors　were　entered　as　villains；　but　their　tenure　is　nevertheless　not　only　a　free　but　an　ancient　one。　　　　　It　must　also　be　added　that　it　is　not　only　free　socmen　that　one　finds　outside　the　ancient　demesne；　bond　socmen　are　mentioned　as　well。　Now　this　seems　strange　at　first　sight；　because　the　usual　and　settled　terminology　treats　villain　socage　as　a　peculiarity　of　ancient　demesne；　My　notion　is　that　it　is　not　'bond'　that　qualities　the　'socmen；'　but　vice　versa。　To　put　it　in　a　different　way；　the　documents　had　to　name　a　class　which　held　by　certain　custom；　although　by　base　service；　and　they　added　the　'socman'　to　qualify　the　'bond'　or　the　'villain。'　　　　　Two　cases　from　the　Hundred　Rolls　may　serve　as　an　illustration　of　this　not　unimportant　point。　The　vill　of　Soham　in　Cambridgeshire　（47*）　was　owned　in　1279　partly　by　the　King；　partly　by　the　Earl　Marshall；　and　partly　by　the　Bishop　of　Ely。　There　are　two　socmen　holding　from　the　King　thirty　acres　each；　fourteen　socmen　holding　fifteen　acres　each；　and　twenty…six　'toftarii'　possessed　of　small　plots。　No　villains　are　mentioned；　but　the　socmen　are　designated　on　the　margin　in　a　more　definite　way　as　bond　socmen。　The　manor　had　been　in　the　possession　of　the　Crown　at　the　time　of　the　Conquest；　and　it　is　to　be　noticed；　to　begin　with；　that　the　chief　population　of　the　part　which　remained　with　the　King　appears　as　socmen　　a　good　illustration　of　the　principle　that　the　special　status　did　not　originate　when　the　manor　was　granted　out　by　the　Crown。　The　sixteen　peasants　first　mentioned　are　holders　of　virgates　and　half…virgates；　and　form　as　it　were　the　original　stock　of　the　tenantry　　it　would　be　impossible　to　regard　them　as　a　later　adjunct　to　the　village。　Their　status　is　not　a　result　of　commutation　　they　are　still　performing　agricultural　work；　and　therefore　bond　socmen。　The　Domesday　Survey　speaks　only　of　villains　and　'bordarii；'　and　it　is　quite　clear　that　it　calls　villains　the　predecessors　of　the　'bond　socmen'　of　the　Hundred　Rolls。　And　now　let　us　examine　the　portion　of　the　manor　which　had　got　into　the　hands　of　the　Earl　Marshall。　We　find　there　several　free　socmen　whose　holdings　are　quite　irregular　in　size：　they　pay　rent；　and　are　exempted　from　agricultural　work。　Then　come　five　bond　socmen；　holding　thirty　acres　each；　and　nine　bonds　holding　fifteen　acres　each：　all　these　perform　the　same　services　as　the　corresponding　people　of　the　King's　portion。　And　lastly　come　twenty…two　tofters。　Two　facts　are　especially　worth　notice：　the　free　socman　appears　by　the　side　of　the　bond　socman；　and　the　opposition　between　them　reduces　itself　to　a　difference　between　rent…paying　people　and　labourers；　the　holdings　of　the　rent…payers　are　broken　up　into　irregular　plots；　while　the　labourers　still　remain　bound　up　by　the　system　of　equalised　portions。　The　second　significant　fact　is；　that　the　term　'socman；'　which　has　evidently　to　be　applied　to　the　whole　population　except　the　tofters；　has　dropped　out　in　regard　to　the　half…virgate　tenants　of　the　Earl　Marshall。　If　we　had　only　the　fragment　relating　to　his　nine　bondmen；　we　might　conclude　perhaps　that　there　was　no　certain　tenure　in　the　manor。　The　inference　would　have　been　false；　but　a　good　many　inferences　as　to　the　social　standing　of　the　peasantry　are　based　on　no　better　foundation。　In　any　case　the　most　important　part　of　the　population　of　Soham；　as　far　as　it　belonged　to　the　king　and　to　the　earl；　consisted　of　socmen　who　at　the　same　time　are　called　bondmen；　and　were　called　villains　in　Domesday。　　　　　Soham　is　ancient　demesne。　Let　us　now　take　Crowmarsh　in　Oxfordshire。（48*）　Two…thirds　of　it　belonged　to　the　Earl　of　Oxford　in　1279；　and　one…third　to　the　Lord　de　Valence。　At　the　time　of　the　Domesday　Survey　it　was　in　the　hands　of　Walter　Giffard；　and　therefore　not　ancient　demesne。　On　the　land　of　the　Earl　of　Oxford　we　find　in　1279　nine　servi　socomanni　holding　six　virgates；　there　are　a　few　cotters　and　a　few　free　tenants　besides；　the　remaining　third　is　occupied　by　two　'tenentes　per　servicium　socomannorum；'　and　by　a　certain　number　of　cotters　and　free　tenants。　It　can　hardly　be　doubted　that　the　opposition　between　servi　and　liberi　is　not　based　on　the　certainty　of　the　tenure；　the　socmen　hold　as　securely　as　the　free　tenants；　but　they　are　labourers；　while　these　latter　are　exempted　from　the　agricultural　work　of　the　village。　The　terms　are　used　in　the　same　way　as　the　'terra　libera'　and　the　'terra　operabilis'　of　the　Glastonbury　inquest。　　　　　I　need　not　say　that　the　socmen　of　ancient　demesne；　privileged　villains　as　Bracton　calls　them；　are　sometimes　subjected　to　very　burdensome　services　and　duties。　Merchet　is　very　common　among　them；　it　even　happens　that　they　have　to　fine　for　it　at　the　will　of　the　lord。（49*）　But　all　the　incidents　of　base　tenure　are　to　be　found　also　outside　the　ancient　demesne　in　connexion　with　the　class　under　discussion。　If　we　take　the　merchet　we　shall　find　that　at　Magna　Tywa；　Oxon；（50*）　it　is　customary　to　give　the　steward　a　sword　and　four　pence　for　licence　to　give　away　one's　daughter　within　twenty　miles　in　the　neighbourhood；　in　Haneberg；　Oxon；（51*）　a　spear　and　four　pence　are　given　in　payment。　The　socmen　of　Peterborough　Abbey　（52*）　have　to　pay　five　shillings　and　four　pence　under　the　name　of　merchet　as　a　fine　for　incontinence　（the　legerwite　properly　so…called）；　and　there　is　besides　a　marriage　payment　（redempcio　sanguinis）　equal　for　socmen　and　villains。　The　same　payment　occurs　in　the　land　of　Spalding　Priory；　Lincoln。（53*）　The　same　fact　strikes　us　in　regard　to　tallage　and　aids；　i。e。　the　taxes　which　the　lord　had　a　right　to　raise　from　his　subjects。　In　Stoke　Basset；　Oxon；（54*）　the　socmen　are　placed　in　this　respect　on　the　same　footing　with　the　villains。　The　Spalding　Cartulary　adds　that　their　wainage　is　safe　in　any　case。（55*）　On　the　lands　of　this　priory　the　classes　of　the　peasantry　are　generally　very　near　to　each　other；　so　that　incidents　and　terms　often　get　confused。（56*）　　　　　And　not　only　socmen　have　to　bear　such　impositions：　we　find　them　constantly　in　all　shapes　and　gradations　in　connection　with　free　tenantry。　The　small　freeholder　often　takes　part　in　rural　work；（57*）　sometimes　he　has　to　act　as　a　kind　of　overseer；（58*）　and　in　any　case　this　base　labour　would　not　degrade　him　from　his　position。（59*）　Already　in　Bracton's　day　the　learned　thought　that　the　term　'socage'　was　etymologically　connected　with　the　duty　of　ploughing：　　a　curious　proof　both　of　the　rapidity　with　which　past　history　had　become　unintelligible；　and　of　the　perfect　compatibility　of　socage　with　labour　services。　Merchet；　heriot；　and　tallage　occur　even　more　often。（60*）　All　such　exactions　testify　to　the　fact　that　the　conceptions　of　feudal　law　as　to　the　servile　character　of　particular　services　and　payments　were　in　a　great　measure　artificial。　Tallage；　even　arbitrary　tallage；　was　but　a　tax　after　all；　and　did　not　detract　from　personal　freedom　or　free　tenure　in　this　sense。　Then　heriot　often　occurs　among　free　people　in　the　old　Saxon　form　of　a　surrender　of　horse　and　arms　as　well　as　in　that　of　the　best　ox。（61*）　Merchet　is　especially　interesting　as　illustrating　the　fusion　of　different　duties　into　one。　It　is　the　base　payment　par　excellence；　and　often　used　in　manorial　documents　as　a　means　to　draw　the　line　between　free　and　unfree　men。（62*）　Nevertheless　free　tenants　are　very　often　found　to　pay　it。（63*）　In　most　cases　they　have　only　to　fine　in　the　case　when　their　daughters　leave　the　manor；　and　this；　of　course；　has　nothing　degrading　in　it：　the　payment　is　made　because　the　lord　loses　all　claim　as　to　the　progeny　of　the　woman　who　has　left　his　dominion。　But　there　is　evidence　besides　to　show　that　free　tenants　had　often　to　pay　in　such　a　case　to　the　hundred；　and　the　lords　had　not　always　succeeded　in　dispossessing　the　hundred。（64*）　Such　a　fine　probably　developed　out　of　a　payment　to　the　tribe　or　to　a　territorial　community　in　the　case　when　a　woman　severed　herself　from　it。　It　had　nothing　servile　in　its　origin。　And　still；　if　the　documents　had　not　casually　mentioned　these　instances；　we　should　have　been　left　without　direct　evidence　as　to　a　difference　of　origin　in　regard　to　merchet　or　gersum。　Is　it　not　fair　to　ask；　whether　the　merchet　of　the　villains　themselves　may　not　in　some　instances　have　come　from　a　customary　recompense　paid　originally　to　the　community　of　the　township　into　the　rights　of　which　the　lord　has　entered？　However　this　may　be；　one　fact　can　certainly　not　be　disputed：　men　entirely　free　in　status　and　tenure　were　sometimes　subjected　to　an　exaction　which　both　public　opinion　and　legal　theory　considered　as　a　badge　of　servitude。　　　　　The　passage　from　one　great　class　of　society　to　the　other　was　rendered　easy　in　this　way　by　the　variety　of　combinations　in　which　the　distinguishing　features　of　both　classes　appear。　No　wonder　that　we　hear　constantly　of　oppression　which　tended　to　substitute　one　form　of　subjection　for　another；　and　thus　to　lower　the　social　standing　of　intermediate　groups。　The　free　socmen　of　Swaffham　Prior；　in　Cambridgeshire；（65