In West Derby Hundred the following places are named[56] as places
where there was land under such cultivation or occupation as to render
it rateable: Roby, Knowsley, Kirkby, Maghull, Aughton, Huyton, Torbock,
Toxteth, Sefton, Kirkdale, Walton-on-the-Hill, Litherland, Ince
Blundell, Thornton, Meols, Little Woolton, Smithdown (now Liverpool),
Allerton, Speke, Childwall,[57] Windle, Much Woolton, Wavertree,
Bootle, Formby, Ainsley, Down Hollard, Dalton, Skelmersdale, Raven's
Meols, Orrell, Lathom, Hurleston (in Scarisbrick), Melling, Lydiate,
Altcar,[58] Barton, Halsall. At this time Lancashire between the Ribble
and the Mersey was divided into six hundreds, viz., West Derby, Newton,
Walintone (_i.e._, Warrington), Blackburn, Salford, and Leyland. The
places just named, with the addition of Newton and Warrington, are all
that were recognised in the Great Survey, and many of these were manors
held in the time of Edward by Thanes whose names are not given; others
were doubtless in the hands of Saxons, Danes or Anglo-Saxons, who had
stuck to their holdings through all changes. Some of the surnames at
once suggest this; for example, we find Godiva, the widow of Leofric,
Earl of Mercia, returned as having three carucates of land in Melling.
Amongst the other tenants _in capite_ are Dot, Uetred, Chetel, Wibert,
etc. Edward the Confessor had in West Derby one manor and six berewicks
(sub-manors), a forest 3 miles long and 1½ miles wide,[59] and an aerie
of hawks. The whole of the land between the Ribble and the Mersey had
been given to Roger de Poictou as a reward for his services to the
Conqueror, but was forfeited to the Crown shortly before this date.
All the manors were rateable to the danegeld, but fifteen of them paid
nothing to the royal exchequer except that geld. The customary tribute
for the manors was two hora or ores of pennies for each carucate of
land;[60] the owners of the manors had also to assist in making and
keeping up the King's houses, fisheries, hays, and stations in the
forest; they were also to find mowers to reap the King's corn, to
attend the hundred court, and do other small services, under certain
fixed penalties for omission.
Roger de Poictou had granted land here to eight men, whose holding was
twenty-four carucates, and they had forty-six villeins, one radman,
and sixty-two _bordarii_, two serfs, and three maids. Their wood was
4½ miles long. The _bordarii_ at this time formed about thirty per
cent. of the entire population; their exact status has never been very
clearly defined. They were probably identical with the _cotarii_,
and were a class somewhat above the _villeins_ and _servi_, and were
allowed a _bord_ or cottage, and rendered occasional service to the
demesne lord.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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