Ballard, A: Seven Somerton Court Rolls (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Seven Somerton Court Rolls

Village Community, every one has become acquainted with the principles of the open field system if the land of a village was cultivated on the three field system, all its arable was divided into three fields, of which two were cultivated every year, while the third lay fallow the most remarkable feature of this system was that these three fields were cut up into strips of a (nominal) acre in extent, and that the usual holding of a tenant in these fields was a virgate, consisting of a number of strips scattered throughout these fields in such a way that one-third of his strips lay in each field. The normal virgate comprised 30 of these strips, but as the number varied from manor to manor, it would be very hazardous to make any assertion as to the number of acres in the virgate of Somerton in 1573. The Hundred Rolls Show that in 1279 the area of the demense, the land in the occupation of the Lord of the Manor of Somerton, was 4 carucates, perhaps some 480 acres, while the tenants occupied about 34 virgates and a comparison of the Hundred Rolls with the record of this Court of the Supervisor shows that in the three centuries which divide them, the position of the tenants had considerably altered at the earlier period, the villein tenant, whose successor afterwards became the copyholder, paid 38. 8d. Rent for his virgate, and worked, paid talla e, and redeemed his sons at the will of the Lor The works of 48 villeins were valued at £36 88. 1d. In In 1573 the average rent of a virgate was 14s., and the tenant was exempt from all work and tallage.

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