F. A. Mason* gives us the original Latin
for the first relevant entry:
Ipfe com ten MERESBERIE cu. V. bereuuich.7
Rainald de eo. Rex. E. tenuit. Ibi.vii hidae geld.7 Ibi fecit.
Rainald caftellu LVVRE. In dnio ht. II car.7 x Walenfes cu pbro
hntes. Vii, Car ahus. Ci. Car poffent. Ee,Ibi aeccta. Ibi. Iiii.
Bouarij. Ibi filus parua nil redd. De ipfa tra ten Robt dimid
hid.7 Hengebald. Ii. Hid 7 hnt. Ii car. Huic ..ptin MERSETE hund.
T.R.E. erat wast. Modo ut XI. Fol.
The Penguin Books translation:
The earl himself holds MAESBURY [Meresberie]
with 5 Berewicks and Reginald [holds] of him. King Edward held
it. There are 7 hides paying geld,, and there Reginald had built
the castle of OSWESTRY [Luvre]. In demesne he has 2 ploughs; and
10 Welshmen with a priest having 8 ploughs, and there might be
6 ploughs more. There is a church. There are 4 oxmen. There is
a little wood rendering nothing.
Of this land Robert holds half a hide and
Hengebald 2 hides, and they have 2 ploughs. To this manor pertains
"MERSET" Hundred. [emphasis added] TRE it
was waste; now it is worth 40s.
Or in plain English:
The earl himself holds Maesbury [Meresberie]
with 5 outlying estates and Reginald holds it from him. King Edward
held it before 1066. There are 7 households with land paying tax,
and there Reginald had built the castle of LUVRE [now Castle Bank,
Oswestry]. In the land whose produce goes directly to the Lord,
instead of the tenants, he has 2 ploughs; and 10 Welshmen with
a priest having 8 ploughs, and there might be 6 ploughs more.
There is a church. There are 4 oxmen. There is a little wood rendering
nothing.
Of this land Robert holds half a household
with land and Hengebald 2 households with land, and they have
2 ploughs. The Hundred of Mersete belongs to this manor. In the
reign of King Edward it was paying no tax, now it is worth 40s.
Assuming each household had 3 generations,
with an average of 5 people per household, and each Welshman had
his family with him, this could give a total population of over
100 in the main settlement. Perhaps the same again in the 5 outlying
estates. Not far off the 1851 population for the whole Maesbury
Township of 249.
Maesbury was apparently the only fortified
settlement in Mersete - ie: the only 'berie/bury'. It was also
the only settlement where a church was mentioned, or where the
Welsmen had a priest. There was no mention of a mill, which other
settlements did have, but it was there by 1407 when Oswestry School
owned the land.
The rest of Mersete:
The earl himself holds WHITTINGTON [Wititone]
with 8 1/2 Berewicks. King Edward held it. There are 18 hides
paying geld. There is land for 25 ploughs. In demesne are 6 ploughs;
and 15 villans and 6 bordars with 12 ploughs. There are 12 oxmen,
and some Welshmen pay 20s, and there is a mill rendering 5s. [There
is] 1 league of woodland. TRE it was waste; now it renders £15
15s. In the time of Æthelræd, father of King Edward,
these 3 manors rendered half a knight's farm.
IN "MERSET" HUNDRED
The same Reginald holds HALSTON [Halstune,
Haustune - this presumably refers to Halston Hall, near Whittington,
rather than Halston near Pontesbury, as the latter is clearly
not in Merset.]. Eadric held it with 3 Berewicks. There are
7 hides paying geld. There is land for 8 1/2 ploughs. There 2
Welshmen and 1 Frenchman with two men have 1 1/2 ploughs. It is
worth 4s. It was waste, and he found it waste.
The same Reginald holds WESTON RHYN [Westone].
Siward held it. There are 5 hides paying geld, with 5 Berewicks.
There is land for 15 ploughs. There are 2 Welshmen with 2 ploughs.
Of this land Robert holds 1 hide, and has
there 1 plough, with 3 villans. It was waste, and he found it
waste, now it is worth 10s.
The same Reginald holds MORTON [Mortune]
and "AITONE". Siward held them as 2 manors. There are
5 hides. There is land for 8 ploughs. 5 men have 2 ploughs. There
is a small laund of woodland. It was waste: now it renders 64d.
The same Reginald holds MAESBROOK [Meresbroc].
Leofnoth held it TRE. There are 2 hides. There is land for 4 ploughs.
There is 1 Welshman with 1 plough, and he pays 5s.
The same Reginald holds 'TIBETONE'.Wulfgeat
held it TRE. There is 1 hide. There is land for 2 ploughs. 2 Welshmen
there have 1 plough and pay 4s. These manors were waste, like
many others.
The same Reginald holds MELVERLEY [Meleurlei].
Eadric heald it TRE. There is 1 hide. There is land for 2 ploughs.
2 Welshmen there have 1 plough and they pay 32d.
The same Reginald holds WESTON COTON [Westune].
Siward held it TRE. There is 1 hide paying geld. There is land
for 3 ploughs. In demesne are 2 ploughs and 4 oxmen; and 4 Welshmen
with 1 plough, and they pay 4s. The whole is worth 10s; and these
were waste.
The same Reginald holds WOOTTON [Udetone]
of the earl, and Robert [holds] of him. Eadric held it with 2
Berewicks. There are 2 hides [...] There is land for 4 ploughs.
In demesne is 1 plough and 2 oxmen; and 8 Welshmen with 1 plough.
It is worth 15s. There are 2 leagues of woodland.
The same Reginald holds WOOLSTON [Osuluestune]
[in West Felton] and a knight [holds] of him. Woolfric held it
TRE with 1 Berewick. There are 1 1/2 hides. There is land for
3 ploughs. 4 Welshmen there have 1 plough. It is worth 6s.
The same Reginald holds WEST FELTON [Feltone]
and a knight holds it of him. Siward held it. There is half a
hide. There is land for 1 plough. It was and is waste.
The same Reginald has in Wales 2 districts,
CYNLLAITH [an area in eastern Powys - Ysgol Bro Cynllaith school
is in Llansillin] and EDEIRNION [further west, the area
around Llandrillo] . From one he has 60s as farm and from
the other 8 cows from the Welshmen. [these are some way further
west, not directly in Merset though probably bordering it....]
The same Reginald holds OSBASTON [Sbernestune]
and KYNASTON [Chimerestun]. Siward and Alwig held them as 2 manors.
There are 2 hides. There is land for 6 ploughs. There are 2 leagues
of woodland. They were and are waste.
IN BASCHURCH HUNDRED [presumably an
error somewhere as this is clearly in MERSET]
The same Robert holds [?] ASTON [now in
Oswestry] [Estone]. Wulfric held it. [...]There are 2 hides [...]
There is land for 4 ploughs. There 12 Welshmen have 2 ploughs.
It was worth 3s, now 10s.
IN "MERSET" HUNDRED
Ernucion holds KINNERLEY [Chenardelei]
of the earl. Dunning and Algar held it as 2 manors. There is 1
hide paying geld. There is land for 2 ploughs. 1 Welshman there
renders 1 hawk as farm, and there is half a league of woodland.
IN "MERSET" HUNDRED
Madoc holds HALSTON [Halstune, Haustune
- are the editors getting confused with the 2 Halstons? it
seems odd to repeat it] and "BURTONE"
of the earl. Siward held them. There are 2 hides paying geld.
There is land for 4 ploughs. It is waste.
IN "MERSET" HUNDRED
Iward holds "NEWETONE" of the
earl. Thorgot held it. There is half a hide paying geld. There
is land for 2 ploughs, 2 villans and 2 bordars have half a plough
there. It was worth 7s; now 5s.
IN "MERSET" HUNDRED
Earl Roger holds "WLFERESFORDE".
King Edward held it. There are 2 hides [...] There is land for
6 ploughs. It was and is waste. There is a little wood.
Glossary
Berewick - An outlying estate
Bordar - a cottager, a peasant of lower economic status
than a Villan
Castle - the fortified residence of a Lord
Demesne - land whose produce is devoted to the Lord rather
than his tenants
Farm - never an agricultural unit as in modern usage. Means
an amount of produce or money to be paid.
Geld - the English land tax assessed on the Hide
Hide - the standard unit of assessment to tax, especially
Geld. Notionally the amount of land which would support a household.
League - a Gaulish measure of of 1 1/2 Roman miles of 1,000
paces.
Manor - an estate.
TRE - Tempore Regis Edward - in the time of King
Edward
Villan - a villager
Waste - land which does not render tax, for various reasons
