234
NAVESTOCK IN OLDEN DAYS ;
their wives and children would represent a total bordering closely
upon 200 persons. There were 15 plough trains, 13 animalia, 2
horses, 116 sheep, 24 goats, woods sufficient to feed 934 pigs, and,
be it noted, 4 hives of bees. The total rental amounted to £14
per annum.
In reference to the seven liberi homines above spoken of, it is
interesting to note that they were probably Danes. Seebohm says :
''In the Domesday Survey for the greater part of England there is
no mention of free tenants, whether liberi homines or tenentes.
Nor, considering the extreme completeness of the Survey, is it easy
to explain their absence or any other hypothesis than that of their
non-existence." A glance at the map (in Seebohm's work) will show
that throughout those counties of England most completely under
Danish influence there were plenty of liberi homines, but nowhere
else. And that they and the sochmanni were distinctly and excep-
tionally Danish there is evidence in a passage in the laws of the
Confessor.17 We may therefore assume that the taking away and
unjust retention of the property of the Dean and Chapter had been
the work of Danish invaders, and thus the peculiar propriety of the
Hocktide ceremonies so far as Navestock was concerned.
An interesting note, occurring in "Liber L," of S. Paul's
Cathedral library, informs us that a certain Ralph de Marci acquired
a hide of land from a villein named Liverus, of Nastok S. Paul,
had seized half a hide, which was Sevul's, another villein, of the
same Manor, and had acted in like sort with the lands of Edwin and
Winim, etc. Mr. Round shows in his "Domesday Studies" that
this entry refers to aggressions of a very early date, but subsequent
to Domesday, say about or before 1120, the period of Ralph's death.
Whether such aggressions were prior or subsequent to that survey,
the entry no doubt gives us the names of two of the twelve villeins
referred to as settled in Navestock prior to the conquest, viz.,
Liverus and Sevul. Of Edwin and Winim I hope to speak again
later on.
But note further that Mr. Chisendale Marsh in his translation of
the Domesday of Essex expresses his belief that Navestock is
further referred to in that survey under the name Astoca. Thus
after describing certain possessions of Hamo he proceeds as follows :
"Astoca is held by the same Radulfus [de Marci] of Hamo. It was held by
Gotil or Gotild for a Manor, and for 80 acres in the time of King Edward. Then
17 Seebohm, pp. 36, etc.