The History of Romney Marsh

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1849 edition. Excerpt: ... was not entirely closed; but the water was become so shallow, that the vessels of largest bulk delivered their cargoes at the new port. The lesser branch of the Lymen brought but little water to its assistance, and that little was now every year becoming less and less. In 1080 A. D., which is the date of Doomsday Book, I find that Newchurch had been added to our first island of the Romans, being situate to the north-west of Blackmanstone. Soon after the Conquest, Hope belonged to the family of De Montford, to whom also was given Blackmanstone. In addition to the fifty burgesses in the town of Romney, which were owned by Robert of Romney, it appears, according to Doomsday Book, that eighty-five belonged to the Archbishop's manor of Aldington. I have stated that Robert of Romney had fifty, and the Archbishop of Canterbury eighty-five, burgesses in the town of Romney at the time of drawing up Doomsday Book, which was in 1080 A.d.--and here it may be well to observe what is the meaning of the expression that these two great men had together 135 burgesses in the town. Does it imply that they were the slaves or villeins of these lords, and that they held over them the power of life and of death?--or does it only imply that these burgesses were under their special protection? On inquiry, I think we shall find that the latter was the case. In the time of the Saxons, and afterwards of the Normans, the peasants who cultivated the soil were called villeins, that is, vile, low, base men; they were (like the serfs in Russia to this day) adscripti gleba, attached to the soil, part and parcel of the estate on which they worked, and transferred with the estate, like cattle, from one owner to another; in short, they were slaves. There were in the earlier...