Feudal Services
(A) G. Warner, Manors and Tenants (1924)
Serfs had to perform certain services for their lord; they work on his demesne land. The services are divided into 'week-work' (so many days each week) and 'boon-work' (certain extra days at the busy seasons of harvest and ploughing).
1. Look at Yalding Labour Service and Yalding Rents. Fill in details in your Family Information Chart (section 2) of how much you pay in rent or in labour service for the land that you use. Are you a serf or a free person?
2. Read source A. What is the difference between 'week-work' and 'boon-work'?
3. Look at Heriot Records and Mortuary Records. Fill in details in your Family Information Chart (section 8) of what you had to give to obtain your land.
4. Look at Tallage Payment and Lay Subsidy List. Fill in details in your Family Information Chart (section 10) of how much tax you paid in 1336.
5. Copy this table into your book. Look at the sheet Feudal Rent and Taxes (Y09). Fill in the empty columns. Select the right answer from the list at the bottom of the page.
| Labour Service | |
|---|---|
| Heriot | |
| Mortuary | Giving the lord of the manor your best animal in exchange for the right to hold land. |
| Merchet | |
| Tallage | A tax paid annually by the serfs to the lord of the manor. |
| Tallage | A tax paid to the lord of the manor when an animal has been sold. |
A tax paid by serfs to the lord of the manor when their daughters get married.
Giving the church your best animal in exchange for the right to hold land.
Work on the lord of the manor's land without pay.