Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert
That did depend on the time and place. Sometimes it was pretty easy for the landlord to evict renters. At other times it was next to impossible, sometimes even if they didn't pay their rents for extended periods.
Also, there were people who paid rents, but who weren't entirely free to leave the land. These situations and others could result in extended legal battles over whether someone was free or not, and sometimes they'd be counted as free for some purposes and unfree for others.
|
Also, just to confuse matters - and as suggested by Hal's model village - you could hold a mixture of servile and free tenancies - your net status would probably be unfree, with various consequent duties, but you might well not owe customary service for all your land.