next meeting. There are
constant complaints by the stewards that certain land "is of no value
because the tenants are all dead;" in one place that a water-mill is
worthless because "all the tenants who used it are dead," in another
that the rents are L7 14_s._ less than in the previous year because
fourteen holdings, consisting of 102 acres of land, are in the hands
of the lord, in still another that the rents of assize which used to
be L20 are now only L2 and the court fees have fallen from 40 to 5
shillings "because the tenants there are dead." There was also less
required service performed on the demesne lands, for many of the
villain holdings from which it was owed were now vacant. Last, and
most seriously of all, the lords of manors suffered as employers of
labor. It had always been necessary to hire additional labor for the
cultivation of the demesne farm and for the personal service of the
manor, and through recent decades somewhat more had come to be hired
because of a gradual increase of the practice of commutation of
services. That is, villain tenants were allowed to pay the value of
their required days' work in money instead of in actual service. The
bailiff or reeve then hired men as they were wanted, so that quite an
appreciable part of the work of the manor had come to be done by
laborers hired for wages.

After the Black Death the same demesne lands were to be cultivated,
and in most cases the larger holdings remained or descended or were
regranted to those who would expect to continue their cultivation.
Thus the demand for laborers remained approximately as great as it had
been before. The number of laborers, on the other hand, was vastly
diminished. They were therefore eagerly sought for by employers.
Naturally they took advantage of their position to demand higher
wages, and in many cases combined to refuse to work at the old
accustomed rates. A royal ordinance of 1349 states that, "because a
great part of the people, especially of workmen and servants, have
lately died in the pestilence, many, seeing the necessity of masters
and great scarcity of servants, will not serve unless they may receive
excessive wages." A contemporary chronicler says that "laborers were
so elated and contentious that they did not pay any attention to the
command of the king, and if anybody wanted to hire them he was bound
to pay them what they asked, and so he had his choice either to lose
his harvest and crops or give in to