160 MANORIAL ADMINISTRATION
carrying on assarting and ploughing; building a new ox-shed one
hundred feet long; or buying the crops standing on a neigh-
bouring manor. He foresees every need of his master, and lays
in lamb's fur for the winter, and 300 ells of cloth from Winchester
fair for his poor pensioners; provides plenty of malt for brewing
when required; sees that there is ample provision of wood for
burning, brewing and baking at the Bishop's London house;
gets a new wind-mill fitted up in time for the busy autumn
season: these and innumerable other details seem to cause him
no difficulty whatsoever and are all in the day's work. He has a
good eye for business: the price of live stock at West of England
fairs is no mystery to him; he arranges for the purchase of iron
and its transport to Gloucester, and then afterwards for its sub-
sequent carriage across England to Winchester at the least ex-
pense; he refrains from selling the Bishop's wine at Chichester
because there is too much cheap wine on the market; and he
suggests to the Bishop that he should think of getting his sheep
from the abbey of Valle Dei (Vaudey) in Yorkshire, and of
sending them down to his Sussex manors. His knowledge of men
seems equally comprehensive. He reports to his master with
obvious first-hand information on the notorious vicar of Munde-
ham who has two wives, or of one of his agents who has become
lukewarm in his service. He tells him of the frater from Vaudey
who is so excellent with the sheep, and of the serviens of one of
the manors whom he wishes to promote. He well may write at
the end of the harvest, with some complacency: " Know that the
crops on your manors are safely gathered, and are in the barns,
and that all your other affairs go on well." How could they do
otherwise with such a steward to direct them?1
Not all stewards were so attentive or so successful, no doubt,
and even this indefatigable servant failed to mention one most
important duty which devolved on him, namely the holding of
the Manor Courts. The steward was the dispenser of justice and
presided over the court in the place of his lord. We may easily
imagine how important he seemed to the peasant as he saw him
ride up to the manor house overnight, with his servants behind
him, and, closely following him, his clerk who carried in his
saddle-bags the precious Court Rolls on which were written
1 For all the above, see Sussex Arch. Soc. in, 35-76.