THE DOMESDAY SURVEY so contrary to accepted views, that one would not venture to advance it without adducing strong and concurrent evidence in its favour. In the first place, a great reduction is insisted on, we have seen, by Professor Maitland, and the figures available point to that reduction having even exceeded the fifty per cent, which he thought probable. In the second place, if my theory be right, it at once brings this district into line with the other hidated counties, lying to its south and east, by assigning its vills for their old assessment arbitrary sums of five and ten ; for the law of ' the five-hide unit,' enunciated in my Feudal 'England, has received general acceptance. Thirdly, we shall find reason to believe that in other parts of the county also the so-called ploughlands of Domesday had once been units of assessment. On crossing the Nen we enter a fresh belt of Hundreds — Guils- borough, Newbottle, Spelho, and Hamfordshoe. Here we can no longer trace so clear a ratio ; but there is a typical assessment, of which I will give some instances. GuiLSBOROUCH Newbottlegrove Hides Ploughlands Hides Ploughlands Cold Ashl Creek . Thornby ' Nortot • Watford Welford 'y 4 3l I 2 2 4 8 8 2 4 4 8 Church Bram Dallington Duston East Haddon Teton . Whitton . pto n 4' 4 4 3 2 I 8 8 8 6 4 2 Spelho Hamfordshoe Hides Ploughlands , Hides Ploughlands Abington Billing Magna . Billing Parva Pisford . . . Spratton . 4 4 4 Z 4i 8 i 8 8 1 Ashby Mares . . . Earls Barton . Dodington Ecton Wilby
4 4 4 7 8 8 8 7 Here, I think, we may similarly detect a reduction, not indeed of sixty, but of fifty per cent.^ In Guilsborough Hundred, indeed, two- thirds of the entries in which we can be sure of our figures show us the hides standing to the ploughlands in a ratio of exactly i to 2. A further question, however, arises : Why was the typical number of ploughlands in this district eight, while south of the Nen it was ten .?
- Less 5 acres.
^ It is very noteworthy that in the 'geld-roll' the Rutland portion of the county {* Wicceslea ') is reckoned at the nominal amount of i6o hides. On the 1130 Pipe Roll it is reckoned at 80 hides (i6o shillings), a reduction of exactly fifty per cent. 265
