printed for the use of the Members of Parliament, and also be deposited in all the public libraries in the kingdom. The counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Durham, are not described in Doomsday Book, probably owing to the desolation in which they were at that time involved. Through all ages this “book of judicial verdict” will be held in estimation, not only for its antiquity, but also for its intrinsic value. At the time it was completed, it afforded the king an exact knowledge of his own land and revenue; while the rights of his subjects in all disputed cases were settled by it; and to the present day, it serves to show what manor is, and what is not ancient demesne. As the various parish histories of this county contains frequent extracts from this document, it may be necessary to explain the land measures and other obsolete feudal terms used at the time to which it refers. A _perch_, five yards and a half; an _acre_, 160 square perches; an _ox gauge_, or _bovate_, as much as an ox can till, or 28 acres; a _virgate or yard of land_, 40 acres; a _carucate_, _carve_, or _plough land_, generally eight ox gangs; a _hide_, as much as one plough would cultivate in one year; a _knight’s fee_, five hides, or 200 acres of land; _berewicks_ are manors within manors; _merchet_, or _maiden’s rent_, a fine anciently paid by inferior tenants for the liberty to dispose of their daughters in marriage; a _heriot_, a fine paid to the lord on the death of a landholder; _tol_, a tribute for liberty to buy and sell; _theane_, a liberty to a lord of a manor for judging bondmen and villeins in his own court; _infangtheof_, a privilege of certain lords of manors to pass judgment of theft, committed by the servants within their district; _thelonia_, a writ lying for one who has the king’s demesne in fee-farm to recover reasonable toll; _sockmen_, tenants who hold by servile tenure; _borderers_, cottagers; _villein_, a member belonging to a manor. In the time of the Conqueror _Earls_ began to be _feudal_, _hereditary_ and _patrimonial_; and these, as appear by Doomsday, were styled simple Earls, as Earl Hugh, Earl Roger, &c. Afterwards Earls were created with an addition of the name of the place over which they had jurisdiction, or of the principal seat where they resided; and they had, as had been customary, the _third penny_ from the county where they resided for their support. Soon after the conquest they began to be created by charter, without any ceremony further than the delivery of it. King John is the first mentioned who used the girding of the sword, by which they were said to be invested with this honour. Thereupon the Sheriff had command to make livery unto them the third penny of the plea of the county, after which the Earl had a certain sum only allowed him out of the profits of his county, as expressed in the patent for his better support and dignity, and sometimes great possessions were given in lands for the same purpose.