A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE other portions namely, Hemel Hempstead, (King's) Langley and land in Shenley passed to the Conqueror's other brother, Robert count of Mortain. 1 A second factor in his fief consisted of 7 hides in Pentley, Wigginton, Gubblecote and Dunsley, which (Domesday says) he had filched from Tring (sumpsit de Tredunge)^ to which they had belonged in Ingelric's time. Only 6| hides out of these are accounted for under his fief, but the missing one-sixth of a hide is found further on (fo. 142) as the solitary Hertfordshire holding of ' Manno the Breton,' lord of Wolver- ton in Bucks and a great Domesday baron. Let us now turn to the third factor in count Robert's fief, which lay together, roughly speaking, up the valley of the Gade. Berkhampstead is of interest in many ways : historically for its early mention in English times and as the place where the Norman Conquest ' received,' in Mr. Freeman's words, ' the formal ratification of the conquered ' ; 2 archaeologically for the earthworks of its castle ; and feudally as the head of a well-known ' honour ' carved from the mighty fief of count Robert of Mortain. In Domesday it is entered in a way that suggests that it was his personal residence ; a servant or serjeant of the count is mentioned ; a ' fossarius ' points to the existence and importance of the castle ditches ; and a vineyard is, in my opinion, one of the surest signs that a Norman lord resided on the spot and was striving to grow his own wine. It is also highly suggestive of the count's personal residence that, doubtless around his castle, there is found in 1086 a ' burbium ' containing what was then the rather considerable number of 52 burgesses, who were worth to him 4 from the 'toll,' a composition perhaps for market dues. 8 In spite however of that prosperity which the residence of the king's brother ought to have brought to Berkhampstead, its annual value is found to have dwindled from 24 to jC 2 an d then to 16. At Pevensey in Sussex (fo. 20^), another of his strongholds, the burgesses had greatly increased since he obtained possession ; he had 60 there of his own in 1086, and the ' toll ' was worth to him, as at Berkhampstead, 4 a year ; but there is no mention under Berkhampstead of that rent (gablum) which was usually received from burgesses, and which amounted to nearly 2 from the 60 he held at Pevensey. In view of the earthworks of the castle and our ignorance as to its origin, one is naturally anxious to learn something of its tenure before the Conquest. But Domesday only tells us of Berkhampstead that it had been held by ' Edmar, a thegn of earl Harold.' Lower down however we read of the count's manor of Gaddesden that ' this manor was held by Edmer (attile) * and was an appendage of (BereivicK in) Berkhampstead.' With this clue we at once identify the Domesday holder of the chief 1 See pp. 27678 above for remarks on the separation of the lord's land from that of his men.
- Norman Conquest (znd ed.), iii. 544. The fact comes from the jfngh-Saxon Chronicle, where
the place is styled ' Beorhhamstede.' 8 Mr. Page is of opinion that 5 2 is perhaps an error of the scribe for 1 2, as the latter number occurs there subsequently.
- This word is interlined.
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