THE HOLDERS OF LANDS This same Church holds Liteltune (Little- ton). There were 7 hides T.R.E. In (the) demesne are 2 ploughs ; and (there are) 1 5 villeins and i Frenchman {francigena) with 2 villeins ; between (them) all they have 7 ploughs. There are 3 serfs, and 8 acres of meadow. It was worth 4 pounds and 10 shillings ; now 70 shillings. This same Church holds Huniburne [Church Honeybourne]. There were 2^ hides T.R.E. In (the) demesne are 4 ploughs ; and (there are) a priest and 1 o villeins and 4 bordars with 4 ploughs. There are 4 serfs. It was worth 3 pounds ; now 4 pounds. There are 1 1 acres of meadow. This same Church holds Ambreslege [Ombersley]. This (land) was of old {anti- quitus) free for 3 hides,* as the charters of the church say, but it was reckoned at [numerata pro) 15 hides T.R.E., what with wood and field,^ and of these, 3 hides are free (of geld). There, in (the) demesne are 5 ploughs, and (there are) 30 villeins and I2 bordars and 2 priests and 2 ' radmanni ' and 10 oxmen bovarii). Between (them) all they have 20 ploughs. There is a fishery and a half, ren- dering 2,000 eels, and 2 mills worth {de) 8 shillings, and 4 acres of meadow. There are 2 ' lewedes ' of wood(land), and in (Droit)- wich I saltpan. It was worth 18 pounds T.R.E. and afterwards ; now 16 pounds. In Oswoldeslau Hund[ret] The same Church holds Hantun [Hamp- ton by Evesham]. There were 5 hides T.R.E. In (the) demesne are 3 ploughs ; and there are 15 villeins and 5 bordars, and i French- man {francigena) with 4 bordars. Between (them) all they have 7 ploughs. There are 8 serfs, and i o acres of meadow ; and a newly-planted {novella) vineyard is there, and 2 mills worth (de) 20 shillings. It was worth 100 shillings ; now 6 pounds. This same Church holds 4 hides at Be- ningeorde [Bengeworth], and a 5th hide is held by Urse. Abbot Walter proved his right to {diratiocinavit) these 5 hides at Ilde- berga* [ ] in (a court of) 4 shires
- Was quit of paying on more than 3
hides.
- See note on p. 300 above.
' In the Evesham account of this suit {Chronkon Abbatia Eveshamensis [Rolls Series], p. 97), this place is called ' Gildeneberga,' Mr. Macray, the editor of the Chronicle, before the bishop of Bayeux and other barons of the King.* There are 2 ploughs ; and (there are) 5 villeins and 2 bordars with 2 ploughs. There are 6 serfs. It was worth 60 shillings T.R.E. and 50 shillings afterwards;* now 60 shil- lings. In Esch Hund[ret] This same Church holds Mortune [Abbot's Morton]. There were 5 hides T.R.E., but a large part of them has been leased out {prestita forts). In (the) demesne is i plough ; and (there are) 7 villeins and 2 oxmen {bovarii) with 4 ploughs. There are 15 acres of meadow. The wood(land) is 3 furlongs long and i furlong in width. It was and is worth 30 shillings. Rannulf^ holds it of the Abbot. This same Church holds Achelenz [Atch Lench]. There are 4^ hides. In (the) demesne is i plough and (there are) 3 vil- leins and 4 bordars with i plough. There are 2 serfs, and 6 acres of wood(land). It was worth 25 shillings T.R.E., and 20 shil- lings afterwards ; now 15 shillings. This same Church holds Buintun ' [Bev- ington]. There is i hide and i plough and 3 bordars and 3 acres of wood. It was worth 20 shillings, and 15 shillings afterwards ; now 10 shillings. This same Church holds Circelenz [Church Lench]. There were 4 hides T.R.E. In (the) demesne are 2 ploughs ; and there are a hesitated, as to its identity, between Peter- borough (the ' Golden Borough ') and ' gild beorh,' a boundary mark of Evenlode (Wore), as the locality. I adopt without hesitation the latter, which is found in a charter of 969 (Heming's Cartulary, p. 214), for I identify it with the ' four shire stone ' which marks to this day the northern extremity of Evenlode. The 4 shires which there meet are Worcester, Warwick, Oxford, and Gloucester.
- These lands at Bengeworth and Hamp-
ton are also mentioned above (p. 297) in the survey of the bishop of Worcester's fief. The story of the dispute concerning them is discussed in the Introduction (pp. 253-6). 6 Probably when abbot Walter obtained it. ® This appears to be Rannulf, abbot Wal- ter's brother, who was enfeoffed by him, according to the Evesham Cartulary (Harl. MS. 3,763), at Littelton and Bretforton. ' I make this to be Bevington, in Warwick- shire, adjoining Morton and the Lenches. 307
