Note 103 — Chapter II · THE ENGLISH OPEN FIELD SYSTEM TRACED BACK TO THE DOMESDAY SURVEY—IT IS THE SHELL OF SERFDOM—THE MANOR WITH A VILLAGE COMMUNITY IN VILLENAGE UPON IT.
Reading edition
The following are instances of the villein plough teams:—
The holders of 40 virgates hold 22 plough teams.
The holders of 20 virgates hold 12 plough teams.
The holders of 20 virgates hold 9 plough teams.
The holders of 8 virgates hold 2 plough teams.
There seems to have been as nearly as possible one plough team to each two virgates, which at two oxen the virgate would give four oxen to the plough instead of eight. Speaking generally, it may therefore be said that there were on the Peterborough manors the greater ploughs of the lord's demense with their separate teams of eight oxen belonging to the lord, and the lesser ploughs of the villani, to work which two clubbed together, for which four oxen made a sufficient team; and it would seem, further, that not only had the villani to work at the great manorial ploughs, but also to do service for their lord with their own lesser ploughs in addition. This seems to explain the expressions used in the Gloucester cartulary that the demesne land of this or that manor can be ploughed with so many ploughs of eight head of oxen in the team 'cum consuetudinibus villatæ;' and also the mention in Fleta of the 'carucæ adjutrices' of the villani.