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the freeman’s heir. 160 So the question is not so much whether such freemen were, at
one level or another, tenants, but what the terms of the tenure was and how it
compared with the status of tenants who were tenet de a tenant-in-chief. Although
the “Ralph holds of Robert” kind of subtenant may be expressed differently, it tells
us little about the different nature of the tenancy.
As most freemen are unnamed, we can only assume that they were mostly
English (or Anglo-Scandinavian). So we must bear this in mind when we look at the
“holds of” kind of subtenant. Having said this, I will now look at this kind of
subtenant in eastern Suffolk in 1086 (see Table 8).
Table 8: 1086 subtenants in eastern Suffolk.
Tenants-in-chief Subtenants (“Holds of”)
Robert Malet Durand, Edric, Fulcred, Gilbert, Gilbert Blunt,
Gilbert of Coleville, Gilbert of Wissant, Hubert,
Hubert of Mont-Canisy, Humphrey, Humphrey
son of R., Leornic, Norman, Norman the Sheriff,
Ranulf, Robert Claville, Walter son of Aubrey,
Walter, Robert, Robert son of Fulcred, Robert of
Glanville, Robert of Vaux, Robert Malet’s
mother, Tigier, Walter of Caen, Walter the
Crossbowman, Walter son of Richere, Walter
son of Grip, Walter de Risbou, William, William
of Émalleville, William Goulafre.
Count Alan Hamo of Valognes, Maynard
Roger Bigot Aitard, Akile, Ansketel, Cus, Godric the
Steward, Godwin, Hugh of Corbon, Norman,
Ralph, Ranulf son of Walter, Robert of
Blythburgh, Robert of Courson, Robert Malet,
Robert of Vaux, Robert son of Walter, Thurstan
son of Guy, William of Bosc
William of Beaufour bishop of Thetford Robert Malet.
Earl Hugh Bigot of Loges, Robert of Courson, Roger Bigot.
160 Ibid., fo. 333a.
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