A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE one who held three-quarters of a hide was ' of king Edward's soke,' and so he 'used to find three-quarters of an avera or ^d. for the sheriff' (fo. 141). Again, in the same vill 2 sokemen, ' men' of earl Leofwine, but ' of king Edward's soke,' ' used to find I avera or $d. a year for the sheriff' (fo. 134). Is then the aver a here commuted for more than 4</. ? No; we find that their holding was 13 hides, from which the sum due would be $d. as recorded. Advancing a step we find that, of an estate in this vill held by 4 sokemen, half a hide was held by one of them, a ' man ' of Leofwine 'scova,' who 'used to find half an avera or zd. for the sheriff' (fo. 134^). Why? Because, we reply, he was a king's sokeman, though the fact is not stated. Let us take a further step. Lower down in the same column we read that there had been annexed to Clothall ' 2 sokemen, men of archbishop Stigand, holding 2 hides and 3 virgates, who did not belong to the manor T.R.E. . . . and who rendered by custom i id. a year to the sheriff.' Why? Because, we reply, they were king's sokemen, liable for an avera or 4^. from each hide, and therefore for i id. from their holding (2f hides). With this clue to guide us we are enabled to detect a greatly increased number of king's sokemen. Of 7 hides at Stanstead held by 14 sochemanni 3 hides were held by 7, ' who rendered by custom to the king's sheriff izd. a year' (fo. 138^). At Newsells a sokeman, who was the 'man ' of Ealdred, held i virgate and ' rendered id. a year to the sheriff' (fo. 139). In Thorley Edzi, 'a man of Coded,' held half a hide and 'used to render zd. to the sheriff' (fo. 134). At Hinxworth 4 'men ' of .flLthelmasr of Bennington had i hide and i virgate and ' used to render 5</. a year' (fo. 141^). This entry is vague enough, and yet we may confidently say that they were ' of the king's soke ' and that they rendered this sum to the sheriff as a commutation for avera. So too with the 7 sochemanni who held 3 hides and a virgate at Hormead and ' rendered 1 3</. a year to the sheriff' (fo. 142). Even ' jElfward of Mardley(bury),' who figures in Domesday among king William's thegns, is proved in this way to have held as a sokeman his land ' in Rodenehangre,' for what he held there was 3 virgates, and ' he used to render to the sheriff 3*/. a year' (fo. 142^). There are cases, no doubt, in which at first sight the avera is not reckoned as worth 4^. At Knebworth, for instance, a ' man ' of Aschil ' used to find i avera when the king came "into the shire, and used to render $d. if he did not ' (fo. 139). But as his holding was i hides the Atd. rule proves correct. Again at Lilley a sokeman, who was a ' man ' of Harold, 'rendered in Hitchin i avera or T,d.' (fo. 140) ; but when we find that his holding was 3! virgates we see that the rate here also was 4</. from the hide. These cases are accounted for by the scribe writing ' r avera ' instead of ' avera ' simply. The right calculation is seen at such places as Widiall, where 7 sokemen ' had 2 hides and i virgate,' and ' found yearly for the sheriff yd. or 2 averee and the fourth part of i avera ' (fo. 141^). The commutation of the avera for 4^. a hide in Hertfordshire contrasts strangely with the rule in Cambridgeshire, 270
