THE BAILIFF 163
Bailiff or sergeant, whatever his title, the holder stood apart
from the other dwellers on the manor. Not only was he a free
man, but he was invested with the prestige arising from his
position as the mouthpiece of the lord. When he first came on to
the manor he brought letters with him from his patron com-
mitting the manor into his charge, and commanding all to show
him respect and obedience.1 Sometimes these letters set out
his duties at some length, as when the monks of Canterbury
appointed a bailiff
for our manor of C. there to cause the land to be ploughed, sown,
reaped, manured and cultivated, and all the wagons and ploughs and
cattle together with the sheep, lambs, hogs, and all other head of
stock there to be managed and tended as shall seem best for our profit,
rendering thereof such an account as it behoves bailiffs to render, and
receiving, for him and his man, what other bailiffs holding the same
office in past time received.2
This formal authorisation was necessary, for we find men pre-
tending to be bailiffs for their own ends.3 The official position of
the bailiff was emphasised by the formalities which took place
before the steward at the first Manor Court held after a new
appointment, at which the bailiff took the oath of fealty, swearing
to " behave honestly toward the county, toward rich and poor",
and to guard the lord's rights.4 Not so highly paid as the sene-
schal, he still could look forward to a stipend far above that of the
other manorial servants. For example, the bailiff for Droxford
had an annual wage of six pounds, while a ploughman only got
eight shillings and a shepherd had to be content with half that
amount.5
His position was further emphasised by the fact that he dwelt
in the manor house at the expense of the lord, residing in "the
chamber which the farm-bailiffs are accustomed to have", and
from which he could superintend the activities of the whole
manor, and could keep a sharp eye on the manorial servants who
lived in the outbuildings attached to the manor house. His own
1 See examples of such letters in Reg. Pontissara, 465,589; Wykeham's Reg.
270, 427. For appointment, see Hist. MSS. Com. Bath, Nos. 707, 742, 749.
2 Lit. Cant, n, 309, and cf. I, 146.
8 CaL Inquis. Misc. I, 419; Hales Rolls, 92; Wakefield Rolls, I, 125, 281.
4 Selden Soc. iv, 77; Wakefield Rolls, n, 41.
8 Levett, op. cit. 163. Cf. Davenport, op. cit. 22; Min. Ace. 1143/18.
11-3