There is still earlier evidence of the prevalence of the system of food-rents where we should little expect to find it, viz., in the laws of King Ine. Ine being King of Wessex, and Wessex shading off as it [p211] were into the old British districts both south and east of the Severn, it was but natural that some old Welsh or British customs should have survived in certain places; as _Walisc_ men here and there survived amongst the conquering English. These Welshmen were allowed under Ine's laws to hold half-hides and hides of land. We have only to examine the Domesday Survey for Gloucestershire and Herefordshire to find traces even at that date of survivals of Welsh and Saxon customs in exceptional cases, even outside those districts which had only just been conquered. In some places where Saxon customs had long prevailed a little community of Welshmen remained under Welsh customs. In other places the customs were partly Welsh and partly English.[270] [p212] «Food-rents mentioned in the laws of Ine in the seventh century.» In precisely the same way survivals such as these must have existed in King Ine's time. There must have been then, as 400 years afterwards, at the date of the Survey, places in Wessex where Welshmen predominated and Welsh customs survived. There must have been, in other words, manors which paid Welsh gwestva instead of Saxon services. There is a remarkable passage in King Ine's laws which can only be thus explained. On the same page, and in the next paragraph but two to the law about the yard-land set _to 'gafol'_ and _to 'weorc,'_[271] there is a clause apparently out of place, which begins abruptly with this heading: '_Æt x. hidum to fostre_.'[272] In the Latin version this is rendered 'De x. hides ad corredium.'[273] Now, there is a passage in a charter of Louis VII. of France, anno 1157, given by Du Cange under the word '_Corredium_,' in which certain 'villas' are freed from the exaction of 'quædam convivia, quæ vulgo Coreede vel _Giste_ vocantur.' This definition of corredium and of 'giste,' as a contribution of food exacted from tenants, corresponds exactly to the Welsh 'gwestva.' And the Saxon word _fostre_ also means food. So that this heading to the passage in question may be translated--'from x. hides paying gwestva.' And so interpreted the following list [p213] becomes perfectly intelligible, for it describes what the gwestva consisted of. _From 10 hides_-- x. dolia of honey. ccc. loaves. xii. amphora of Welsh ale. xxx. of clear [do.] ii. oxen or x. wethers, x. geese. xx. hens. x. cheeses. A full amphora of butter. v. salmons of xx. pounds weight. c. eels.