words。 'Ou il poie dire qe il est soen vileyn et soen astrier et demourrant en son villenage。' There can be no doubt that residence on the lord's land is meant； and the term astrier leads even further； it implies residence at a particular hearth or in a particular house。 Fleta gives the assize of novel disseisin to those who have been a long time away from their villain hearth* （'extra astrum suum villanum；' p； 217）。 If the term 'astrier' were restricted to villains it would have proved a great deal more than the 'villain regardant' usually relied upon。 But it is of very wide application。 Britton uses it of free men entitled to rights of common by reason of tenements they hold in a township （i； 392）。 Bracton speaks of the case of a nephew coming into an inheritance in preference to the uncle because he had been living at the same hearth or in the same hall （in atrio or astro） with the former owner；* and in such or a similar sense the word appears to have been usually employed by lawyers。* On the other hand； if we look in Bracton's treatise for parallel passages to those quoted from the Fleta and Britton about the villain astrier； we find only a reference to the fact that the person in question was a serf and holding in villainage and under the sway of a lord；* and so there is nothing to denote special condition in the astrer。 When the term occurs in connexion with villainage it serves to show that a person was not only a bondman born； but actually living in the power of his lord； and not in a state of liberty。 The allusion to the hearth cannot possibly mean that the man sits in his own homestead； because only a few of the villains could have been holders of separate homesteads； and so it must mean that he was sitting in a homestead belonging to his lord； which is quite in keeping with the application of the term in the case of inheritance。 The facts we have been examining certainly suppose that in the villains we have chiefly to do with peasants tilling the earth and dependent on manorial organisation。 They disclose the working of one element which is not to be simply deduced from the idea of personal dependence。 It may be called subjection to territorial power。 The possession of a manor carries the possession of cultivators with it。 It is always important to decide whether a bondman is in the seisin of his lord or not； and the chief means to show it is to trace his connexion with the territorial lordship。 The interposition of the manor in the relation between master and man is； of course； a striking feature and it gives a very characteristic turn to medieval servitude。 But if it is not consistent with the general theory laid down in the thirteenth century law books； it does not lead to anything like the Roman colonatus。 The serf is not placed on a particular plot of land to do definite services under the protection of the State。 He may be shifted from one plot within the jurisdiction of his lord to another； from one area of jurisdiction to another； from rural labour to industrial work or house work； from one set of customs and services to another。 He is not protected by his predial connexion against his lord； and in fact such predial connexion is utilised to hold and bind him to his lord。 We may say； that the unfree peasant of English feudalism was legally a personal dependant； but that his personal dependence was enforced through territorial lordship。
NOTES：
1。 Thorold Rogers； History of Agriculture and Prices； i。 70； Six Centuries of Work and Wages； 44。 Cf Chandler； Five Court Rolls of Great Cressingham in the county of Norfolk； 1885； pp。 viii； ix。
2。 Stubbs； Seventeen Lectures； 304； 305； Maitland； Introduction to the Note…book of Bracton； 4 sqq。
3。 Dial。 de Scacc。 Ii。 10 （Select Charters； p。 222）。 Cf i。 10； p。 192。
4。 Glanville； v。 5； Bracton； 4； 5； Fleta； i。 2； Britton； ed。 Nichols； i。 194。
1。 Bracton； 5； Britton； i。 197。 Pollock； Land…laws； App。 C； is quite right as to the fundamental distinction between status and tenure； but he goes too far； I think； in trying to trace the steps by which names originally applying to different things got confused in the terminology of the Common Law。 Annotators sometimes indulged in distinctions which contradict each other and give us no help as to the law。 The same Cambridge MS。 from which Nichols gives an explanation of servus； nativus； and villanus （i。 195） has a different etymology in a marginal note to Bracton。 'Nativus dicitur a nativitate…quasi in servitute natus； villanus dicitur a villa； quasi faciens villanas consuetudines racione tenementi； vel sicut ille qui se recognoscit ad villanum in curia quae recordum habet； servus vero dicitur a servando quasi per captivitatem； per vim et injustam detentionem villanus captus et detentus contra mores et consuetudines juris naturalis； （Cambr。 Univers。 MSS。 Dd。 vii。 6。 I have the reference from my friend F。W。 Maitland）。
2。 Placita Coram Rege； Easter； 14 Edw。 I； m。 9： 〃Willelmus Barantyn et Radulfus attachiati fuerunt ad respondendum Agueti de Chalgraue de placito quare in ipsam Agnetem apud Chalgraue insultum fecerunt et ipsam verberaverunt； vulneraverunt et male tractaverunt； et bona et catalla sua in domibus ipsius Agnetis apud Chalgraue scilicet ordeum et avenam； argentum； archas et alia bona ad valenciam quadraginta solidorum ceperunt et asportaverunt； et ipsam Agnetem effugaverunt de uno mesuagio et dimidia virgata terre de quibus fuit in seysina prr predictum Willelmum que fuerunt de antiquo dominico per longum tempus； nec permiserunt ipsam Agnetem morari in predicta villa de Chalgraue； et eciam quandam sororem ipsius Agnetis eo quod ipsa soror eam hospitavit per duas noctes de domibus suis eiecit； terra et catalla sua abstulit。 Et predicti Willelmus et Radulfus veniunt。 Et quo ad insultacionem et verberacionem dicunt quod non sunt inde culpabiles。 Et quo ad hoc quod ipsa Agnes dicit quod ipsam eiecerunt de domibus et terris suis； dicunt quod predicta Agnes est natiua ipsius Willelmi et tenuit predicta tenementa in villenagio ad voluntatem ipsius Willelmi propter quod bene licebat eidem Willelmo ipsam de predicto tenemento ammouere。 Juratores dicunt。。。。 quod predicta tenementa sunt villenagium predicti Willelmi de Barentyn et quod predicta Agnes tenuit eadem tenementa ad voluntatem ipsius Willelmi。' Cf。 Y。B。 12/13 Edw。 III （ed。 Pike）； p。 233 sqq。； 'or vous savez bien qe par ley de terre tout ceo qe le vileyn ad si est a soun seignour；' 229 sqq。； 'qar cest sa terre demene； et il les puet ouster a sa volunte demene。'
1。 Coram Rege； Mich。； 3/4 Edw。 I； m。 I： 'Ricardus de Assheburnham summonitus fuit ad respondendum Petro de Attebuckhole et Johanni de eadem de placito quare； cum ipsi teneant quasdam terras et tenementa de predicto Ricardo in Hasseburnham ac ipsi parati sunt ad faciendum ei consuetudines et servicia que antecessores sui terras et tenementa illa tenentes facere consueverint； predictus Ricardus diversas commoditates quam ipsi tam in boscis ipsius Ricardi quam in aliis locis habere consueverint eisdem subtrahens ipsos ad intollerabiles servitutes et consuetudines faciendas taliter compellit quod ex sua duricia mendicare coguntur。 Et unde queruntur quod； cum teneant tenementa Sua per certas consuetudines et certa servicia； et cum percipere consueverunt boscum ad focum et materiam de bosco crescente in propriis terris suis； predictus Ricardus ipsos non permittit aliquid in boscis suis capere et eciam capit aueria sua et non permittit eos terram suam colere。 Ricardus dicit； quod non debet eis ad aliquam accionen respondere nisi questi essent de vita vel membris vel de iniuria facta corpori suo。 Dicit eciam quod nativi sui sunt； et quod omnes antecessores sui nativi fuerunt antecessorum suorum et in villenagio suo manentes。'
2。 Note…book of Bracton； pl。 1237： 'dominus Rex non vult se de eis intromittere。'
3。 It occurs in the oldest extant Plea Roll； 6 Ric。 I； Rot。 Cur。 Regis； ed。 Palgrave； p。 84： 'Thomas venit et dicit quod ipsa fuit uxorata cuidam Turkillo； qui habuit duos filios qui clamabant libertatem tenementi sui in curia domini Regis。。。 et quod ibi dirationavit eos esse villanos suos； et non defendit disseisinam。。。 Et ipsi Elilda et Ricardus defendunt vilenagium et ponunt se super juratam；' etc。
1。 Maitland； Select Pleas of the Crown （Selden Soc。 I）； pl。 3： 'Quendam nativum suum quem habuit in vinculis eo quod voluit fugere。' Bract。 Notebook； pl。 1041： 'Petrus de Herefordia attachiatus fuit ad respondendum R。 fil。 Th。 quare ipse cepit Ricardum et eum imprisonauit et coegit ad redempcionem I marce。 Et Petrus venit alias et defendit capcionem et imprisonacionem set dicit quod villanus fuit；' etc。 It must be noted； however； that in such cases it was difficult to draw the line as to the amount of bodily injury allowed by the law； and therefore the King's courts were much more free to interfere。 In the trial quoted on p。 45； note 2； the defendants distinguish carefully between the accusation and the civil suit。 They plead 'not guilty' as to the former。 And so Bishop Stubbs' conjecture as to the 'rusticus verberatus' in Pipe Roll； 31 Henry I； p。 55 （Constit。 Hist。 I。 487）； seems quite appropriate。 The case is a very early one； and may testify to the better condition of the peasantry in the first half of the twelfth century。
2。 As to the actual treatment experienced by the peasants at the hands of their feudal masters； see a picturesque case in Maitland's Select Pleas of the Crown （Selden Soc。）； 203。
1。 Stubbs； Constitutional History； ii。 652； 654； Freeman； Norman Conquest； v。 477； Digby； Introduction to the Law of Real Property； 244。
1。 Sir Thomas Smith； The Commonwealth of England； ed。 1609； p。 123； shows that the notion of two classes corresponding to the Roman servus and the Roman adscriptus glebae had taken root firmly about the middle of the sixteenth century。 'Villeins in gross； as ye would say immediately bond to the person and his heirs。。。 （The adscripti） were not bond to the person but to the mannor or place； and did follow him who had the mannors； and in our law are called villains regardants （sic）； for because they be as members or belonging to the mannor or place。 Neither of the one sort nor of the other have we any number in England。 And of the first I never knew any in th