Great Britain -- Economic conditions; Great Britain -- Social conditions
Also, if any man may be taken at nighttime in the field with cart or
with bearing of any other carriage in unreasonable time between bell and
bell [he shall] pay 40d. to the church, save as thus, if any man in peas
harvest, he and his servants, in furthering of his work and saving of
his corn, bind at morning or till it be moonshine, all other works at
nighttime except, save this.
Also, all manner labourers that dwell in the town and have commons among
us shall work harvest work and other works for their hire reasonable as
custom is, and not to go to other towns but if they have no work or else
no man speak to them, so that they may be excused, for if they do, they
shall be chastised as the law will.
Also, no man or woman that works harvest work bear home no sheaves of no
man's, but if [_i.e._ unless] they be given them well and truly, for if
it may be wist, for each sheaf that they bear home without leave [they]
shall pay a penny to the church.
Also, no man or woman glean no manner of corn that is able to work for
his meat and twopence a day at the least to help to save his neighbour's
corn; nor no other gleaners, that may not work, glean in no manner of
wise among no sheaves, for if they do, they shall lose the corn and a
penny to the church for each burden.
Also, neither common herd nor shed herd come in the wheat cornfield
till the corn be led away, nor in the peas cornfield in the same wise
till the peas be led away, and the common herd and shed herd may go
together as they should do, on pain of each beast a penny to the church.
Also, that no man take away his beasts from the common herd from
Michaelmas tide to Yule to go in the wheatfield to 'lose' the wheat, for
if any man may take any beast therein, they shall pay for each beast a
penny to the church as often as they may be taken destroying the corn,
and the herd [shall pay] his hire.
Also, if our hayward pen a flock of neat of the country, he shall take
six pence, for a flock of sheep four pence, and for each horse a penny.
And that our wold be laid in several at Candlemas, for if any herd let
his beasts come thereon after, [he shall] pay for each time four pence
to the church.
Also, whosoever has any meadows within the corns, my lord or any man
else, let make them to 'dele' them out and take a profit of them on
God's behalf, and whoso trespass, let make amends.[120]
[Footnote 119: _i.e._ Thrown open for grazing.]
[Footnote 120: This document is defective, and at the best its bucolic
English is hard to interpret.]
5. LEASE OF A MANOR TO THE TENANTS [_Cart. Rams._ II, 244], 1279.
To all Christ's faithful who shall see or hear the present writing,
William, by the grace of God Abbot of Ramsey, greeting in the Lord.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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