Vill

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Vill is a term used in English history to describe a land unit which might otherwise be described as a parish, manor or tithing.

The term is is used in the period immediately after the Norman conquest and into the late medieval. Land units in Domesday are frequently described as vills.

Traditionally, amongst legal historians, a vill referred to the tract of land of a rural community, whereas 'township' was referred to when the tax and legal administration of a rural community was meant. [1]

An unfree inhabitant of a vill was called a villein.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Winchester, Angus (2000). Discovering Parish Boundaries. Shire Publications, pp. 21-29. ISBN 0-7478-0470-2.