Vill is a term used in English, Welsh and Irish history to describe a basic rural land unit, roughly comparable to that of a parish, manor, village or tithing.[1][2]
The vill was the smallest territorial and administrative unit—a geographical subdivision of the hundred and county[3]—in Anglo-Saxon England. It served both a policing function through the tithing, and the economic function of organising common projects through the village moot.[4] The term is the Anglicized form of the word villa, used in Latin documents to translate the Anglo-Saxon tun.[5]
The vill remained the basic rural unit after the Norman conquest—land units in the Domesday Book are frequently referred to as vills[6]—and into the late medieval era. Whereas the manor was a unit of landholding, the vill was a territorial one—most vills did not tally physically with manor boundaries[7]—and a public part of the royal administration. The vill had judicial and policing functions, including frankpledge, as well as responsibility for taxation, roads and bridges.[8] It would also organise the communal pastures, the seasonal chronology of rural agriculture, and the three-field system.[9]
With the Angevin growth of royal, as opposed to feudal, government, new duties were imposed upon the vill. By the early 12th century, the reeve and four villagers were required to attend the hundred court "on behalf of all";[10] in the 1166 Assize of Clarendon, "four of the more lawful men of each vill" were required to present malefactors.[11] Four men and the reeve were again called on for tax assessment in 1198; the Ordinance of 1242 on policing provided for "continuous watch ... in every vill by six men or four or less according to the number of the inhabitants".[12]
At the same time, the vill emerged as a legal entity in its own right, taking oppressive lords of the manor to court, or suing other vills, or purchasing privileges from the Crown, as well as repairing bridges and churches as required.[13] While retaining and even extending its hierarchical and socially stratified nature to the end, the medieval vill always remained a vibrant part of local rural life.[14]
Legal and other usageEdit
Traditionally, among legal historians, a vill referred to the tract of land of a rural community, whereas "township" was referred to when the tax and legal administration of a rural community was meant.[15]
The word would later develop into ville and village, while an unfree inhabitant of a vill was called a villein.
^"Archaeology in Wales - Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Dyfed - Dyfed Archaeological Trust". dyfedarchaeology.org.uk.
^Graham, B. J. (1988). "Medieval Settlement in County Roscommon". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Section C: Archaeology, Celtic Studies, History, Linguistics, Literature. 88C: 19–38 – via JSTOR.
vill, term, used, english, welsh, irish, history, describe, basic, rural, land, unit, roughly, comparable, that, parish, manor, village, tithing, contents, medieval, developments, legal, other, usage, also, notes, external, linksmedieval, developments, editthe. Vill is a term used in English Welsh and Irish history to describe a basic rural land unit roughly comparable to that of a parish manor village or tithing 1 2 Contents 1 Medieval developments 2 Legal and other usage 3 See also 4 Notes 5 External linksMedieval developments EditThe vill was the smallest territorial and administrative unit a geographical subdivision of the hundred and county 3 in Anglo Saxon England It served both a policing function through the tithing and the economic function of organising common projects through the village moot 4 The term is the Anglicized form of the word villa used in Latin documents to translate the Anglo Saxon tun 5 The vill remained the basic rural unit after the Norman conquest land units in the Domesday Book are frequently referred to as vills 6 and into the late medieval era Whereas the manor was a unit of landholding the vill was a territorial one most vills did not tally physically with manor boundaries 7 and a public part of the royal administration The vill had judicial and policing functions including frankpledge as well as responsibility for taxation roads and bridges 8 It would also organise the communal pastures the seasonal chronology of rural agriculture and the three field system 9 With the Angevin growth of royal as opposed to feudal government new duties were imposed upon the vill By the early 12th century the reeve and four villagers were required to attend the hundred court on behalf of all 10 in the 1166 Assize of Clarendon four of the more lawful men of each vill were required to present malefactors 11 Four men and the reeve were again called on for tax assessment in 1198 the Ordinance of 1242 on policing provided for continuous watch in every vill by six men or four or less according to the number of the inhabitants 12 At the same time the vill emerged as a legal entity in its own right taking oppressive lords of the manor to court or suing other vills or purchasing privileges from the Crown as well as repairing bridges and churches as required 13 While retaining and even extending its hierarchical and socially stratified nature to the end the medieval vill always remained a vibrant part of local rural life 14 Legal and other usage EditTraditionally among legal historians a vill referred to the tract of land of a rural community whereas township was referred to when the tax and legal administration of a rural community was meant 15 The word would later develop into ville and village while an unfree inhabitant of a vill was called a villein See also EditPeatling Magna SokeNotes Edit Archaeology in Wales Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Dyfed Dyfed Archaeological Trust dyfedarchaeology org uk Graham B J 1988 Medieval Settlement in County Roscommon Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy Section C Archaeology Celtic Studies History Linguistics Literature 88C 19 38 via JSTOR Maitland Frederic William 1897 Domesday Book amp Beyond Cambridge University Press p 10 G O Sayles The Medieval Foundations of England London 1967 pp 188 127 128 Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Vill Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 28 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 67 G O Sayles The Medieval Foundations of England London 1967 p 246 G O Sayles The Medieval Foundations of England London 1967 p 247 Paul Vinogradoff in The Cambridge Medieval History Vol III Cambridge 1922 p 483 R D Davies The Age of Conquest 1987 p 130 G O Sayles The Medieval Foundations of England London 1967 p 443 Quoted in R Wickson The Community of the Realm in Thirteenth Century England London 1970 p 92 Quoted in R Wickson The Community of the Realm in Thirteenth Century England London 1970 p 101 and cf pp 40 41 R Wickson The Community of the Realm in Thirteenth Century England London 1970 pp 32 33 C Dyer The English Village Community and its Decline Journal of British Studies 33 1994 pp 407 429 Winchester Angus 2000 Discovering Parish Boundaries Shire Publications pp 21 29 ISBN 0 7478 0470 2 External links Editvill Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vill amp oldid 1166938546, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
