rted by those who
had joined the earl, and it is curious to read in the valuation of land
and property that was taken soon after this event, how many houses are
recorded as "_void_" both in the burgh or that part of the city under the
jurisdiction of the king and earl, as well as in other portions subject
to other lords, for it would seem that the landlords of the soil on which
stood the city were three, the king or earl of the castle, the bishop,
and the Harold family, relatives of him who fell at Hastings. Clusters
of huts then congregated round the base of the hill and constituted the
feudal village; its inhabitants consisting of villains, of which there
were two classes, the husbandmen or peasants annexed to the manor or
land, and a lower rank described in English law as villains-in-gross, in
simple terms, absolute slaves, transferable by deed from one owner to
another, whose lives, save for the ameliorations of individual
indulgences, were a continued helpless state of toil, degradation and
suffering; the socmen or tenants holding land by some _service_, (not
knightly) and bordars or boors, who occupied a position somewhat above
the serfs or villains, and held small portions of land with cottages or
_bords_ on them, on condition they should supply the lord with poultry,
eggs, and other small provisions for his board and entertainment.

Freemen seem to have included all ranks of society holding in military
tenure; they lived under the protection of great men, but in their
persons were free; the rural labourers were divided into ploughmen,
shepherds, neat-herds, cow-herds, swine-herds, and bee-keepers. The
"haiae" belonging to the manor houses were enclosed places, hedged or
paled round, into which beasts were driven to be caught. At the time of
the survey in William's reign the estimate of the tenants and fiefs of
the earl and king is taken as one thousand five hundred and sixty-five
burgesses, Englishmen paying custom to the king, one hundred and ninety
mansions void, and four hundred and eighty _bordars_; the bishop's
territory contained thirty-seven burgesses, and seven mansions void; and
on the property of the deceased Harold, there were fifteen burgesses and
seven mansions void.

After the banishment of Earl Ralph, the castle was given to Ralph Bigod,
who was styled the Constable, as was usual when any castle was committed
to a baron or earl, and he exercised royal power within the jurisdiction
of the castl