John Hughes wrote:
>Greg:
>
>> My understanding of a hide is that it's equal to the amount
>of land that a
>> single ox tem can plow in the available average time and
>land quality.
>> That is, 40 acres in spring, 40 in fall and 40 fallow.
>
>This definition fits in with Michael's recollection of 120
>acres. It's not
>surprising that with what was originally a qualitative measure
>of land - The
>OED defines it as an Anglo-Saxon term denoting the (variable)
>amount of land
>required to feed a family for a year, typically between 60 and
>120 acres -
>that variants appear when it later becomes legislated into a
>fixed area..
>
>For HW purposes, 120 acres seems the way to go, with the usual
>GM fiat that,
>in accordance with historical use, it can be 'as big as it
>needs to be'.
One of the positive uses of hides would be to calculate the size and style of a particular stead. A twenty hide stead, for example, would represent a small holding worth 10% to a 200 hide clan. A stead with 160 hides could be seen to be the main settlement of the clan. The knock on effect is that for each hide the stead has there will be a Carl and his family (whether you calculate the hides from the number of carls resident at the stead or the size of the stead lands first is entirely up to you). For each five-hide a stead has there will be a professional warrior, Housecarl or Weaponthane supported and having a relationship to although the Weaponthane may not be resident at the stead at the time. Should the exact number of acres be needed to be known then that can be easiler calculated from the 120(+/- 40) acres per hide depending on quaility of the terrain.
Cheers,
Darran Sims.
Assembly Rooms Duty Manager.
E-mail- Darren.Sims_at_....
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