The Isle of Axholme
Where You Live
Your Local History
Adapted by Anthony Catherall
THE NORMANS continued Justices under the Mowbray’s was in the shape of the Manor Court. It settled disputes between tenants. It had the power to try offending tenants and to condemn to death for theft. The Manor Court remained in operation long after the Mowbray’s. The counties of England were divided up by the King amongst his followers in return for armed service in time of war. The counties were divided up into Hundreds, and Hundreds divided into Manors. One hundred Manors made up a Hundred. The Manor land was divided up into the domain (Lord’s Land) and the villeins land. The villeins, as rent, had to plough four acres for the Lord and supply two oxen for the Lord for seven days a year and work three days a week on the lord’s land. He must follow the Lord to war and sit on his court of justice. He also had rights. He could not be ejected from his land as long as he performed his duties. These Villeins were called copyholders because they had their conditions of land tenure written down and they had a copy. Cottars held small parcels of land in return for a certain rent. Porcarii were free occupiers who rented the privilege of feeding pigs for payment. Servi had few rights and were almost slaves. Most of these social classes were set up in Saxon times and carried over into Norman times. The manor lands were divided up into three large fields. One was left fallow each year. The crops sowed on the others included wheat, hemp and flax. The whole village ploughed, sowed and reaped together each field. Despite this, the fields were divided into strips between the various tenants to ensure that no one hot all the poor land or all the good land. There were common fields for grazing. According to the Doomsday Book, Epworth Manor had sixteen acres of common meadowland and one square mile of woodland. In addition, the Epworth tenants had the deed of John de Mowbray that granted free use of the waste lands in the west of the parish. In 1795 an act of parliament was obtained to enclose the commons of Owston Ferry, Haxey, Belton and Epworth. There was a great deal of haggling about the division of the lands. The locals resisted the enclosure of the arable lands that of course, are still to some extent in strips in certain parts of Epworth and Haxey parishes. Bibliography: History of Everyday things 1066-1499 – Quennell Life in Old Britain – Robertson History and Topography of the Isle of Axholme – Rev. W.B. Stonehouse M.A. Reads History and Topography of the Isle Axholme – T.C. Fletcher.
Next month only in the Arrow, The Drainage of The Isle of Axholme
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