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his offspring to be at liberty to choose themselves masters where they would , & c . Sometimes a woman redeemed herself , as Edith , at Exeter , the daughter of Leofric Locce , bought herself and her offspring for four and twenty pennies , thus preventing any claim on children born afterwards .
A freeman often redeemed a female theow before contracting marriage with her . We have several instances of this . The following is curious .: — " Sweger , the baker , at Exeter , redeemed Edith , daughter of Godric Oocraed , out of Clist-land , of Grodfrey Bishop , for thirty pennies , evermore free and sac-less , she and all her offspring , and
Godfrey Bishop was lord over Clist-land in those days ; and thereto is witness Colswin , and Roger de Bain , and Herbert de Clist , and Edric Onion : and whoever undo this may he have Grod ' s wrath ever without end . Amen . " It appears a subsequent lord of Clist-land endeavoured to establish his claim to Edith . " Here is made known in
this book , that Hubert , of Clist , brought an action to claim a woman named Edith , the wife of Sweger , unjustly , because Sweger bought her freedom of Grodfrey Bishop , as a man ought ( to make ) free woman , and as it was right in those days for every free man , with thirty pennies ; and Hubert lost the woman for his unjust action ,
then and evermore , her and all her offspring : and thereto is witness "William de Buhuz , and Ruold the Knight , and Osborn Eadera , and Humphrey de Tetteburn , and Alward the Portreeve , and John the Knight , and Ralph Eolcard . And this cause was debated in the house of William de Buhuz , at Exeter . "
The foregoing entries of manumission , although written in Anglo-Saxon , are of a date posterior to the Norman Conquest . In every instance the name of the serf manumitted is Saxon , the seller only is sometimes a Norman . It is probable that the Conquest had very little effect for a long period upon the servile portion of the population . The enactments of the Conqueror on the subject are very brief .
He prohibited any man being sold " out of his country , " i . e ., removed from the land on which he was born ; also , " If any one have the intention of liberating his serf , he shall deliver him by the right hand to the sheriff' in full court , that he shall then proclaim him quit of the yoke of servitude by manumission , and show him free ways and doors , and give him free arms , namely , a spear and sword ; after
which he shall be free : " and farther , that serfs remaining unclaimed in a city , borough , walled town , or castle , a year i | nd a day , shall from that day for ever be free . These appear to have been all Anglo-Saxon customs . Eor the sentiments entertained by the Normans towards the servile
class , it will be necessary to look back to the period of the dissolution of the Roman Empire . The Eranks , who settled in the Gallic provinces , nominally adopted , at least , the Roman laws regarding to the Roman coloni , who still formed the mass of the servile population , although this class was looked upon as a conquered race , and regarded with greater contempt than the Anglo-Saxon tJieows . The Nc ^ rmans , who again came as conquerors , surpassed the Eranks tl ^ em-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
his offspring to be at liberty to choose themselves masters where they would , & c . Sometimes a woman redeemed herself , as Edith , at Exeter , the daughter of Leofric Locce , bought herself and her offspring for four and twenty pennies , thus preventing any claim on children born afterwards .
A freeman often redeemed a female theow before contracting marriage with her . We have several instances of this . The following is curious .: — " Sweger , the baker , at Exeter , redeemed Edith , daughter of Godric Oocraed , out of Clist-land , of Grodfrey Bishop , for thirty pennies , evermore free and sac-less , she and all her offspring , and
Godfrey Bishop was lord over Clist-land in those days ; and thereto is witness Colswin , and Roger de Bain , and Herbert de Clist , and Edric Onion : and whoever undo this may he have Grod ' s wrath ever without end . Amen . " It appears a subsequent lord of Clist-land endeavoured to establish his claim to Edith . " Here is made known in
this book , that Hubert , of Clist , brought an action to claim a woman named Edith , the wife of Sweger , unjustly , because Sweger bought her freedom of Grodfrey Bishop , as a man ought ( to make ) free woman , and as it was right in those days for every free man , with thirty pennies ; and Hubert lost the woman for his unjust action ,
then and evermore , her and all her offspring : and thereto is witness "William de Buhuz , and Ruold the Knight , and Osborn Eadera , and Humphrey de Tetteburn , and Alward the Portreeve , and John the Knight , and Ralph Eolcard . And this cause was debated in the house of William de Buhuz , at Exeter . "
The foregoing entries of manumission , although written in Anglo-Saxon , are of a date posterior to the Norman Conquest . In every instance the name of the serf manumitted is Saxon , the seller only is sometimes a Norman . It is probable that the Conquest had very little effect for a long period upon the servile portion of the population . The enactments of the Conqueror on the subject are very brief .
He prohibited any man being sold " out of his country , " i . e ., removed from the land on which he was born ; also , " If any one have the intention of liberating his serf , he shall deliver him by the right hand to the sheriff' in full court , that he shall then proclaim him quit of the yoke of servitude by manumission , and show him free ways and doors , and give him free arms , namely , a spear and sword ; after
which he shall be free : " and farther , that serfs remaining unclaimed in a city , borough , walled town , or castle , a year i | nd a day , shall from that day for ever be free . These appear to have been all Anglo-Saxon customs . Eor the sentiments entertained by the Normans towards the servile
class , it will be necessary to look back to the period of the dissolution of the Roman Empire . The Eranks , who settled in the Gallic provinces , nominally adopted , at least , the Roman laws regarding to the Roman coloni , who still formed the mass of the servile population , although this class was looked upon as a conquered race , and regarded with greater contempt than the Anglo-Saxon tJieows . The Nc ^ rmans , who again came as conquerors , surpassed the Eranks tl ^ em-