FINES PAID ON THREE MANORS IN NORTHUMBERLAND[541]
1567. 1585. Acklington £57, 3s. 8d. or £3, 3s. 4d. £87, 10s. 0d. or £4, 17s. 2d. per tenant. per tenant. High Buston £11, 14s. 0d. or £2, 18s. 6d. £18, 0s. 0d. or £4, 10s. 0d. per tenant. per tenant. Birling £43, 7s. 6d. or £4, 6s. 9d. £72, 0s. 0d. or £7, 4s. 0d. per tenant. per tenant.
FINES PER ACRE PAID ON SIX MANORS[542] IN WILTS AND ONE IN SOMERSET
1520-39, average fine per acre for each of 42 tenants 1s. 3d. 1540-49, " " " 28 " 2s. 11d. 1550-59, " " " 36 " 5s. 6d. 1560-69, " " " 29 " 11s. 0d.
[540] Maitland, _English Historical Review_, vol, ix., "The History of a Cambridgeshire Manor."
[541] _Northumberland County History_, vol. v.
[542] Roxburghe Club, _Surveys of Pembroke Manors_. The manors are South Newton, Washerne, Donnington, Winterbourne Basset, Estoverton and Phipheld, Byshopeston (all Wilts), and South Brent and Huish (Somerset).
The figures show a steady upward movement during the third and fourth decades of the century of a little over 100 per cent., a rather less rapid rise between 1549 and 1559, and another rise of 100 per cent. between 1559 and 1569. They are of course too small to be the basis of a wide generalisation, but perhaps they may be held to offer some documentary confirmation of a grievance which bulks large in the literature of the period. The elasticity of fines at any rate corrects the impression which would be formed of the tenants' position from looking only at the comparatively stationary rents. The same tendency is suggested by the details of individual copies. It was a not uncommon practice for a tenant who was in possession and had an estate for life to buy at a later date the right of his heir to succeed him. When this was done we have an opportunity of comparing the fines paid at different periods, and the complaints of contemporaries about unreasonable and excessive fines become intelligible. This may be illustrated by a few extreme instances taken from the manors of Estoverton and Donnington in Wiltshire, and of South Brent in Somersetshire.
1. 6/8 (1537) £5 (1563) 2. 40/? " £13, 6s. 8d. (1566) 3. 54/4 " £23 (1561) 4. 60/? " £30 (1565) 5. 20/? " £10 (1561) 6. 20/? (1529) £40 (1563) 7. 33/4 (1542) £20 (1565) 8. 66/8 (1522) £20 (1563) 9. 13/4 (1516) £13, 6s. 8d. (1563) 10. 40/? (1513) £40 (1565) 11. 46/8 (1531) £20 (1563) 12. 6/8 (1545) £20 (1565) 13. 13/4 (1522) £5, 6s. 8d. (1558) 14. £9 (1532) £12 (1557)