and Jurymen, this record will afford much pleafing and fatisfactory information; and the curious cuftoms enregistered in thefe volumes will much elucidate the common Law of the Land, the Manners of our Forefathers, the State of the Boroughs, Towns, and Villages, the Agriculture, Population, and Commerce of the kingdom.

"In the reign of our English Juftinian, Edward Ift. a Survey of the Kingdom, on a much more extenfive fcale, was inftituted, and completed. He had furnished the commiffioners delegated for this investigation with numerous legal and civil questions, which were all regularly entered in the roll, and to each of which a separate and diftinct answer was returned, from each hundred and county court. Fortunately for British hiftory, and the inveftigator of our ancient laws and cuftos, (if our Legiflature, or the Society of Antiquaries, inftantly embrace the opportunity of having thefe almoft perifhed rolls decyphered,) the furveys of four counties, Lincoln, Oxford, Huntingdon, and Cambridge, have been discovered in the records of the Tower of London. But many parts of thefe are at prefent almost illegible; the parchment and writing are both brown, only of different fhades, and being in rolls, not bound in volumes, as Domefday, thefe Surveys, expofed continually to the air, will foon perish, and their lofs may hereafter be juftly regretted by Britons, even more than the volumes of Livy. The importance of thefe rolls is much increafed by their constant reference to preceding Placita, entered under the head of Calumniatores in Domesday, and as regularly confolidating the links of the Saxon, Norman, and Roman law into one body, from the reign of Edward the Confeffour, in 1066, (in fome inftances from the reign of Cnut,) through the fucceive Norman Princes, till the adoption of the Roman code, by this wife, learned, and magnanimous Prince, at the conclufion of the thirteenth century. For an opulent and enlightened nation, whofe ftatsfmen and lawyers are Princes, to neglect an opportunity of recovering fuch a Survey of four Counties, at this æra, (perhaps more might be difcovered,) will justly attach an eternal ftigma to their name in the fight of pofterity.

"To the County of Kent a Map is annexed, and the published Specimens and Parts of South Britain give the modern correfponding terms. For the County of Surrey a Summary Table of the ancient and modern names of hundreds, &c. is given, as a criterion by which the editors may eftinate the public difpofition to patronize information on fubjects of this national importance. If this tranfla◄ tion is ever completed, and the writers would engage (if encouraged) to give a fimilar volume each four months, a general copious introduction will be given with the laft number. This work will lay a folid foundation for an authentic Hiftory of South Britain, will correct a thoufand errors of former writers, and enable pofterity con nectedly to trace the conftitution, laws, customs, and manners of their country, from the ages of barbarity and flavery to the refined inftitutes of the most enlightened, wife, opulent, and happy nation in the univerfe." Pp. 3-6.

We

• We have always been accustomed to confider Dugdale as one of our beft antiquaries and topographers, yet, in his Hiftory of Warwickshire, he obferves, that it is impoffible to make out one half of the modern hundreds of a county from Domesday. Here, however, we find the ancient names. of the fifty-two hundreds of Kent, and the twelve of Surrey, though it is remarkable that Byrcholt is only entered feven times, yet fpelt fix different ways. This tranflation will enable any Latin fcholar eafily to decypher and read the original, and there are conftant references to the folio and column of the printed copy, which, confequently, may be confulted without difficulty, if the fidelity of its contents are doubted. We had formerly fuppofed that this autograph could never have been made fo readable to an Englishman, but we will give fome extracts that contain much curious hiftoric information, and will begin with its firft page:

"Dover, in the time of King Edward, rendered eighteen pounds, of which fum Edward had two portions, and Earl Godwin a third. Befides this, the Canons of St. Martin had another moiety. The Burgeffes provided twenty fhips for the Monarch once each year for fifteen days, and in each fhip were twenty-one men. They rendered this fervice because the King had liberated them from Sac and Soc. When the Mediengers of the Monarch came to this port, they paid three-pence in the winter, and two-pence in the fummer, for the tranfportation of a horfe; but the Burgelles found a pilot, and ano, ther affiftant; and if more were required, they were furnished at the Royal expence.

"From the festival of St. Michael to St. Andrew, the Royal peace was eftablished in the village. Whoever violated this, the fuperintendant of the Monarch received the common forfeiture..

"Every refident inhabitant, that rendered the Royal customs, was quit of toll throughout the realm of England. All thefe customs exifted, when King William came to this country. At his first arrival, this village was deftroyed by fire; and therefore its value could not be eitimated, nor its worth afcertained, when the Bishop of Baieux received it. At the prefent period it is valued at forty pounds, yet the Mayor pays fifty-four pounds. To the Mcnarch twenty-four pounds, of twenty pence, in the ore; to the Earl thirty pounds in tale. In Dover there are twenty-nine manfions, of which the King has loft the customary payments. Of these Robert Romney has two, Ralph Crookthorn three, William Fitz. tydald one, Willian Fitz-oger one, William Fitz-tedold and Robert Black fix, William Fitz-geoffrey three, in which was a Guildhall of Burgeffes. Hugh Montfort has one houfe, Durand one, Ralph Col. ville one, Wadard fix, Fitz-modbert one, and ali thefe appeal to the Bishop of Baieux as their protector, deliverer, and giver.

"Of

"Of the manfion which Ralph Colville occupies, that was the property of an exile, it is agreed, that one half of it appertains to the Monarch. Roger of Wefterham erected a certain house upon the King's water, and has held, to the prefent period, the regal cuftons. This house exifted not in the reign of Edward. There is a mill at the entrance of the harbour of Dover, which wrecks almost every fhip by the violence of the tides current; and occafions great damage to the Sovereign and his fubjects. It exifted not in the days of the Confeffour. On this fubject the nephew of Herbert declares, that the Bishop of Baieux granted permiflion to his uncle Herbert Fitz-ivo for the erection of it.

"The annexed laws were unanimously fanctioned by the teftimony of the four Laths, that is, the Laths of the Borough, or St. Auguf. tine's, Eatrye, Liming, and Wye.

"If any perfon make a fence, or a ditch, by which the Royal road is narrowed; or cut down a ftanding tree to crofs the way; or bear away a bough or a branch; for each mifdemeanor he fhall forfeit to the King one hundred fhillings: and if he fhall proceed home without feizure or bail, yet the officer of the Monarch fhall purfue him, and he fhall compenfate with one hundred fhillings. If any one violates our established laws; and was attached on the high-way; or hath given bail for his appearance; he fhall make amends to the King with eight pounds. But if he is not under the cognizance of the King, he is ftill refponfible to his Lord for other forfeitures, as of Grith-break, and fhall make amends with one hundred fhillings.

"The King has the fubfequent forfeitures over all the allodial. tenants of the county of Kent, and their Knights or Dependants: and when an allodial tenant dies, the King has relief from the land, except the land of the Holy Trinity, St. Auguftine, and St. Martin, Godric of Bourne, and Godric Carlefone, and Alnod Cilt, and Sbern Commiffary, and Siret of Chilham, and Turgis, and Norman, and Azor. Of thefe, the King, at prefent, participates only of the forfeitures relative to capital offences, and receives relief from the lands of those who enjoy their appropriate Courts for fines and fuit. And of thefe lands, Gofelaches, Buckland, a fecond, and third Buckland, and Hurft, and one yoke of ore, Schildriceham, Macheheve, Ernulfi tone, Oflachitone, two Peries, Brulege, Ofpring, Horton, the King has thefe forfeitures; intrinfic fervices of ploughing and others, the violation of the peace, and extrinfic fuit. Throughout the whole county of Kent, except the dictricts appertaining to the Holy Trinity, St. Augustine's, and St. Martin's, an adulterer is the property of the Crown, an adultrefs of the Archbishop.-The King has half the chattels of a condemned felon.-The receiver of an exile, returned without the King's permiffion, is at his mercy.-From the lands before recited of Alnod Cilt, and his Peers, the Sovereign is guarded, fix days at Canterbury, or at Sandwich; and the men receive provi fions and liquor at the monarch's charge. Should they be not supplied, they may return without forfeiture. If thefe Peers were fummoned

to a fhire-mote or affize, they shall attend at Pinneden, but at no place more diftant. Should they not attend, they shall forfeit to the King, for this and other offences, one hundred fhillings, except the violation of the King's peace, which is compenfated at eight pounds. Of highways as before recited." Pp. 1-4.

To the tranflation illuftrative notes are fubjoined.

In the county of Suffex we will exhibit the state of the town of Lewes, a Borough of Earl William de Warene :-

"The rent and toll of the borough of Lewes, in the time of King Edward, yielded fix pounds three fhillings, and three half-pence. Here King Edward had one hundred and twenty-feven Burgeffes in domain.

"These were their Customs, or Common Law.

"If the King wished to fend an armament to guard the feas, with out his perfonal attendance, twenty fhillings were collected from all the inhabitants, without exception or refpect to particular tenure, and these were paid to the men at arms in the fhips.

"The feller of a horfe within the borough pays one penny to the Mayor, and the purchaser another; of an ox a halfpenny; of a man four-pence, in whatfoever place he may be bought within the rape. "A murderer forfeits feven fhillings and four-pence.

"A ravisher forfeits eight fhillings and four-pence.

"An adulterer forfeits eight fhillings and four pence, an adultress the fame; the King has the adulterer, the Archbishop the adultrefs. "A runaway or vagabond that is recovered, pay's eight fhillings and four-pence.

"When a new coinage takes place, every mafter of a mint pays twenty fhillings.

"Of all thefe forfeitures the King received two parts, the Earl a third.

"At the prefent period the borough pays all its customary duties as ufual, and thirty-feven pounds additional.

"There are thirty-nine inhabited houses, and twenty uninhabited, in the rape of Pevenfea, from which the King receives twenty-fix fhillings and fix-pence, and from thefe William de Warene has his moiety. The entire value in the reign of the Confeffour was twentyfix pounds. The King had one moiety, the Earl another. At the prefent period the value is thirty-four pounds, and at a new coinage, one hundred and twelve shillings. Of all thefe emoluments and produce William has one moiety, the King another." Pp. 183, 184.

In Surrey we find this account of a part of Southwark :--"The Bishop has in Stuthwark a Monaftery and one tide-way. King Edward held them at the day of his death. The proprietor of the church held of the King. From the produce of the port, where fhips frequent, the King had two moieties, Earl Godwin the third. But the Norman and English Juries of the hundred testify, that the

Bishop of Baieux inftituted a fuit against Ralph the Viscount, relative to them, but the Viscount understanding that the cause would not be conducted with juftice, or to the King's advantage, did not attend the Court. The Bishop, however, gave the church and tide. way first to Adelold, then to Ralph in exchange for a houfe. The Vifcount denies ever having received the command or fignet of the King on this fubject. The homagers of Southwark testify, that in the reign of King Edward no perion received toll, on the Strand and the vicinity of the river, except the King; and if any one committed a trefpafs there and was challenged, he made compenfation to the King; but if he returned to the jurifdiction of the Lord to whom he owed fuit and fervice without being challenged, the Lord received fatisfaction from the offender. The homagers of Southwark have claimed a house and its toll as a moiety of the farm (or manor) of Chingeftone. Earl Euftace held it. The total value of the Royal domain in Southwark is estimated at fixteen pounds." P. 228.

There are feveral inftances of pleas being litigated, both in inferior Courts, hundred Courts, and fhire Motes. Thus there was a difpute betwixt the Bishop of Baieux and the Abbot of St. Auguftine's, relative to the manor of Bas

mere:

"The Abbot of St. Auguftine's claims this manor, as its proprieta in the time of the Confeffour, and the hundreds bear tefti mony in his favour; but the fon of the man, or homager, declares that his father could chufe what patron he pleased, but this the Monks do not allow." Pp. 72, 73.

In a fubfequent entry we find it decided in favour of the Abbot "The SHIRE teftifies that Bafiere appertained to St. Auguftine's in the reign of Edward, and that the Abbot received fuit, fervice, and forfeitures from the person who held it." P. 95.

We obferve that the tranflators have not relied folely on the printed copy of Domefday, but have had recourse to the original autograph, as the fubfequent note and its tranflation. fully prove :

"This paffage is much mutilated in the original, it is printed in the edited copy Hoc M ten... teigni de Rege E. & tres manebant ibi affidu.....tenebant inde duos Solins in Paragio fed non..... nt ibi. In the firft Hiatus we have diftinguished the Autograph to be tenebant Ve, in the fecond affidui.. et 112°, in the third non manebant." P. 83, note.

"Five thanes held this manor of King Edward, and three re fided there continually, and two held two fowlings as Peers, but did not refide there." P. 83.

The