As the State were the grantors, so also there appears to have been no restriction as to the persons of the grantees. Of course this does not include serfs, or others below the degree of freemen; although an emancipated serf may sometimes have been provided with an estate of folcland, by general donation. But there is no reason to doubt that every other class might obtain grants of folcland. Those of a duke and of various bishops have been mentioned; Wulfwold’s father was probably, at least a thane. But even the king himself could and did hold land of this description. The boundary of an estate is said to run to the king’s folcland; “ab occidente Cyninges folcland quod habet Wighelm et Wulfláf[547].” ----- Footnote 547: Cod. Dipl. No. 281. ----- At a very early period however it became a practice to carve hereditary estates out of the folcland, which thus became the private property of the individual, and could by him be given, sold, or devised at his pleasure; by which the reversion to the state was defeated, and the common stock insofar diminished. It was also usual to release such land from all the dues which had previously been rendered from it, and to make it absolutely free[548], with the exception of the three services which were inevitably incident to all landed possession, and which are consequently known by the names of _Communis labor_, _Generalis incommoditas_, _Onus inevitabile_, _Trinoda necessitas_, and similar expressions. These estates were always granted by book or charter, and hence bore the name of bócland: and it is questionable whether the two descriptions did not, at a very early period, comprise all the land in England, as the families of the first allodial possessors died out, and their possessions either reverted to the state, or became alienated under circumstances which included them in the category of bócland. ----- Footnote 548: Hence a free hide, _hida libera_, is properly called “án hiwisc ægefæles landes,” a hide of land that pays no gafol or tax. Cod. Dipl. No. 1070. -----