The villein and his wife and children worked from daybreak to dusk
in the fields, except for Sundays and holydays. He had certain
land to farm for his own family, but had to have his grain milled
at his lord's mill at the lord's price. He had to retrieve his
wandering cattle from his lord's pound at the lord's price. He was
expected to give a certain portion of his own produce, whether
grain or livestock, to his lord. However, if he fell short, he was
not put off his land. The villein, who worked the farm land as his
ancestor ceorl had, now was so bound to the land that he could not
leave or marry or sell an ox without his lord's consent. If the
manor was sold, the villein was sold as a part of the manor. When
his daughter or son married, he had to pay a "merchet" to his
lord. He could not have a son educated without the lord's
permission, and this usually involved a fee to the lord. His best
beast at his death, or "heriot", went to his lord. If he wanted
permission to live outside the manor, he paid "chevage" yearly.
Woodpenny was a yearly payment for gathering dead wood. Sometimes
a "tallage" payment was taken at the lord's will. The villein's
oldest son usually took his place on his land and followed the
same customs with respect to the lord. For an heir to take his
dead ancestor's land, the lord demanded payment of a "relief",
which was usually the amount of a year's income but sometimes as
much as the heir was willing to pay to have the land.
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