Turning now to the other class, the _aillts_ or _taeogs_--who in the Latin translations of the laws are called _villani_--the key to their position was their non-possession of tribal blood, and therefore of the rights of kindred. They were not free-born Welshmen; though, on the other hand, by no means to be confounded with _caeths_, or slaves. They must be sworn men of some chieftain or lord, on whose land they were placed, and at whose will and pleasure they were deemed to remain.[237] Each of these taeogs had his _tyddyn_--his homestead, with corn and cattle yard. In his tyddyn he had cattle of his own. In South Wales several of these taeogs' homesteads were grouped together into what was called a _taeog-trev_. Further, the arable fields of the 'taeog-trev' were ploughed on the open-field system by the taeogs' [p197] common plough team, to which each contributed oxen. «Equality in the taeog-trev.» But the distinctive feature of the taeog-trev was that an _absolute equality_ ruled, not between brothers or cousins of one household, as in the case of the family land of the free tribesmen, but _throughout the whole trev_. Family relationships were ignored. All adults in the trev--fathers and sons, and strangers in blood--took equal shares, with the single exception of _youngest sons_, who lived with their fathers, and had no tyddyn of their own till the parent's death. This principle of equality ruled everything.[238] The common ploughing must not begin till every taeog in the trev had his place appointed in the co-tillage.[239] Nor could there be any escheat of land in the taeog-trev to the lord on failure of heirs; for there was nothing hereditary about the holdings. Succession always fell (except in the case of the youngest son, who took his father's tyddyn) to the whole trev.[240] When there was a death there was a re-division of the whole land, care, however, being taken to disturb the occupation of the actual tyddyns only when absolutely needful.[241] «_Per capita_ no account of blood relationship.» The principle upon which the taeog's rights rested was simply this: where there was no true Welsh blood no family rights were recognised. In the absence of these, equality ruled between individuals; they shared 'per capita,' and not 'per stirpes.' «Their register land.» The land of a taeog-trev was, as already said called 'register land'[242]--_tir cyfrif_. [p198] There were other incidents marking off the taeog from the free Welshman. He might not bear arms;[243] he might not, without his lord's consent, become a scholar, a smith, or a bard, nor sell his swine, honey, or horse.[244] Even if he were to marry a free Welsh woman, his descendants till the fourth, and in some cases the ninth degree, remained taeogs. But the fourth or ninth descendant of the free Welsh woman, as the case might be, might at last claim his five free strips, and become the head of a new kindred.[245] «Incidents to their tenures.»