These terms are valuable for their definition of rights. Over the holder of land 'de soco' the lord had (1) 'saca et soca', (2) 'commendatio et (3) servitium'. If the land was thegnland then the Abbot received 'omnem consuetudinem' as well.[52] We will first deal with the latter class, those from whom the Abbot received 'consuetudo', and then those who held 'de soca'.
For contemporary (indeed, slightly earlier) evidence, we must turn to the Ely _placitum_ of 1072-75.[53] The special value which this _placitum_ possesses is found in its record of the services due from _sochemanni_, and even from freemen. It thus helps to interpret the bald figures of Domesday, to which it is actually anterior. The first two instances it affords are these:
In breuessan tenet isdem W. terram Elfrici supradicte consuetudinis. In brucge tenet ipse W. terram etfled ejusdem modi.
Ita proprie sunt abbati ut quotienscunque preceperit prepositus monasterii ire et omnem rei emendationem persolvere. Et si quid de suo voluerint venundare, a preposito prius licentiam debent accipere.
The corresponding entries in the I.E. run thus:
'In Brugge una libera femina commend' S. Ædel. de lxxx. ac. pro manerio.
In Beuresham ten[uit] Ælfricus i. liber homo commed' S. Ædel.[54] lx. acras pro manerio' (p. 165).
Thus we obtain direct evidence of the services due from commended freemen owing 'consuetudines'. Turning now to those of _sochemanni_, we have this important passage:
Willelmus de Warena tenet quadraginta quinque socamans in predicta felteuuella qui quotiens abbas preceperit in anno arabunt suam terram, colligent et purgabunt segetes, adducent et mittent in horrea, portabunt victum monachorum ad monasterium, et quotiens eorum equos voluerit, et ubicunque sibi placuerit, totiens habebit, et ubicunque forsfecerint abbas forsfacturam habebit, et de illis similiter qui in eorum terram forsfecerint.
Item Willelmus de uuarenna tenet triginta tres socamans, istius consuetudinis in Nortuuolda.
Item W. tenet quinque socamans istius modi in Muddaforda.
Supradictus Walterus et cum eo Durandus, homines hugonis de monte forti, tenent xxvi. socamans supradicte consuetudinis in Maraham.
Collating as before from the I.E. the relative entries, we find they run thus: