STRAY NOTES, PREHISTORIC, SAXON, AND NORMAN. 241
mill was granted to his son Robert before 1181. This mill, as we
have seen, was afterwards in the hands of Stephen. It then
descended in succession to Ralph and his son John, the former of
whom sold a half share, whilst the remaining half was sold by his
son John. In the fourteenth century the two halves were re-
purchased and bestowed on the Dean and Chapter by Canon, after-
wards Bishop, Barnet, whom I take to be the restorer and enlarger
of our Church. In later years the mill was occupied by Thomas
Shonke, and has ever since carried his name.
We shall to-day pass Shonke's Mill, which, though doubtlessly
rebuilt, probably stands on the site of that occupied, if not by
Richard, at least by Robert de Navestock before 1181.
Richard, son of Sabernus, bore a name which still survives in
Saberne's, Sabine's, or Savage Green.
Of John Wigar we find that he was one of the Jurors on the Sur-
vey, that he claimed hereditary right in the forest or wood called
Westwood, and possessed like privileges therein as Stephen did in
the Defence of Navestock. He held the Serjeantry of guarding the
woods of the D. and C. in Navestock, with which he parted to
Geoffrey the Dean some few years after the Survey.
We now come to the lands let out to the villeins and others and
called villenagium. Land was held in villenage, says Seebohm,23 at
the will of the lord and at customary services, but, as a matter of
fact, the entries in the rolls prove that these holdings were hereditary.24
The common form of surrender"' recited that the holding had re-
verted to the lord, who regranted it to new tenants as before in
villenage. The land in villenage was held mostly in virgates and
half-virgates (consisting in Navestock of 20 and 10 acres respec-
tively), and below these bordarii held smaller holdings, also in
villenage. In describing the tenants in villenage there is first a
statement that such an one holds a virgate (or as the case may be)
in villenage at such and such payments and services.20
The chief services may be classed under two heads :
1. The weekly work at ploughing, reaping, and carrying two days each week
and more at harvest time.
2. The precariae, or boon-days—sometimes called bene-works—special or extra
services which the lord has a right to require ; sometimes the lord providing food
for the day and sometimes the tenant providing for himself.
23 p. 22 24 p. 30. 25 p. 23
26 Seebohm, 33 and 34, 41.