Labour
Service: All the land in Yalding is owned by Hugh de Audley.
People living in Yalding rent land from him. The free men and women
pay for this land with rent money. Other people in the village are
unfree and are called serfs or villeins. Serfs do not pay rent money.
Instead they provide labour service. This involves working several
days a week on Hugh de Audley's land without pay. The lord of the
manor's land is called the demesne. As well as free labour, the serfs
also have to provide the oxen plough-team or
any equipment that is needed when working on the demesne.
Individual
Freedom: Serfs are not allowed to leave Yalding without
first obtaining permission from Hugh de Audley or John Giffard. Serfs
also have to pay a fee to Hugh de Audley when they leave Yalding.
Free men and women in Yalding are usually allowed to leave the village
when they want to. However, during harvest time, all villagers have
to remain in Yalding.
Heriot:
When the head of a family dies in Yalding, the land is usually passed
on to another member of the family - usually the eldest son. If the
eldest son is under twenty years of age, the land will be rented by
the dead man's wife. If the man's wife is dead and he has no sons,
the land is passed on to his eldest daughter. Before giving permission
to rent this land, the new tenant has to pay a fee called 'heriot'
to Hugh de Audley. Like most lords of the manor, Hugh de Audley usually
insists that the villagers give him their best animal before he grants
them permission to hold this land.
Mortuary:
When the head of the family dies the church has the right to claim
the dead person's second best animal. This tax is called mortuary.
Merchet:
Serfs have to pay 'merchet' to the lord when their daughters get married.
The head of the family also has to pay a fine called 'leyrwite' if
one of his or her daughters has a child outside marriage.
Tallage:
Once a year, the heads of all the unfree families living in Yalding
have to pay Hugh de Audley a tallage tax. The amount of tallage that
each person pays depends on how much land they rent and how many animals
they own.
Toll
Tax: If the people of Yalding want to sell an animal they
have to first ask Hugh de Audley if he wants to buy it. If they sell
the animal to someone else,
they have to pay a toll tax to Hugh de Audley.
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