medieval-atlas/economic-development/284

Transcription

Medieval land assessment There were various units of land assessment in early medieval Scotland; the principal were the davach, ounceland, pennyland and ploughgate. Davach is derived from the Gaelic dabhach 'a large tub or vat'; it probably represents the amount of land in respect of which a large vat ofgrain was paid as a render. Strictly a measure ofarable land, probably in the region of200 acres, davachs were situated in the most fertile locations of those parts of the country where they are found. It was commonly named and was a tangible, permanent unit whose shape was largely determined by natural boundaries. There was no significant difference between the davach in the north-east • davach (subdivision or multiple thereof) @ ounce land (subdivision or multiple thereof) and the west. Theounceland was simply thedavach by another name and was presumably the term applied to a unit of land which paid a tax in money or produce to the value of one ounce of silver. The pennyland also belonged to the davachlounceland system of land assessment. It represented the amount of land which paid tax to the value of one silver penny In the west Highlands and Islands the ounceland or davach comprised twenty pennylands. Pennylands were also grouped in twenties in the south-west, where place-name evidence indicates that the davach was once in use. In the Northern Isles and Caithness, there were eighteen penny lands in oneounceland. Davachs and ouncelands in Scotland kms 25 50 75 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 miles place-names containing davach element Davach names in south-west Scotland 284