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The virgate, yardland, or yard of land (Template:Lang-la [terrae]) was an English unit of land. Primarily a measure of tax assessment rather than area, the virgate was usually (but not always) reckoned as ¼ hide and notionally (but seldom exactly) equal to 30 acres. It was equivalent to two of the Danelaw's oxgangs.

Name

The name derives from the Old English gyrd landes ("yard of land"),^[1] from "yard"'s former meaning as a measuring stick employed in reckoning acres (cf. rod). The word is etymologically unrelated to the yard of land around a dwelling.^[2] "Virgate" is a much later retronym, anglicizing the yardland's latinized form virgāta after the advent of the yard rendered the original name ambiguous.^[3]

History

The virgate was reckoned as the amount of land that a team of two oxen could plough in a single annual season. It was equivalent to a quarter of a hide, so was nominally thirty acres.^[4] In some parts of England, it was divided into four nooks (Template:Lang-enm; Template:Lang-mla).^[5] Nooks were occasionally further divided into a farundel (Template:Lang-enm; Template:Lang-ang, "fourth deal, fourth share").^[6]

The Danelaw equivalent of a virgate was two oxgangs or ‘bovates’.^[7] These were considered to represent the amount of land that could be worked in a single annual season by a single ox and therefore equated to half a virgate. As such, the oxgang represented a parallel division of the carucate.

References

^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "yardland, n.". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1921.
^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "yard, n.²". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1921.
^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "virgate, n.". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1917.
^ D. Hey ed., Oxford Companion to Local and Family History (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996), 476.
^ "Noca - nook (measure of land)" R. W. Latham, Revised Medieval Latin Word-list (Oxford University Press, London: for British Academy 1965), 312.
^ Bosworth, Joseph; T. Northcote Toller (1882). An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 281.
^ Stephen Friar, Batsford Companion to Local History (Batsford, London 1991), 270.

[1] Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "yardland, n.". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1921.

[2] Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "yard, n.²". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1921.

[3] Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "virgate, n.". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1917.

[4] D. Hey ed., Oxford Companion to Local and Family History (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996), 476.

[5] "Noca - nook (measure of land)" R. W. Latham, Revised Medieval Latin Word-list (Oxford University Press, London: for British Academy 1965), 312.

[6] Bosworth, Joseph; T. Northcote Toller (1882). An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 281.

[7] Stephen Friar, Batsford Companion to Local History (Batsford, London 1991), 270.

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-{{Anthropic_Farm_Units}}
 {{hatnote|'Yardland' redirects here. Not to be confused with [[yard (land)]].<br>For the use of 'virgate' in reference to rod-like stems and ribs, see [[virgate (botany)]].}}
+{{Anthropic_Farm_Units}}
 The '''virgate''', '''yardland''', or '''yard of land''' ({{lang-la|virgāta}} [''{{lang|la|terrae}}'']) was an [[English units|English unit]] of land. Primarily a measure of [[tax assessment]] rather than [[area]], the virgate was usually (but not always) reckoned as ¼&nbsp;[[hide (unit)|hide]] and notionally (but seldom exactly) equal to 30 [[acre]]s. It was equivalent to two of the [[Danelaw]]'s [[oxgang]]s.
 __NOTOC__
 {{anchor|Etymology}}
 ==Name==
-The name derives from the Old English ''{{lang|ang|gyrd landes}}'' ("yard of land"),<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st&nbsp;ed. "yardland, ''n.''". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1921.</ref> from "yard"'s former meaning as a measuring stick employed in reckoning [[acre]]s (cf. [[rod (unit)|rod]]). The word is etymologically unrelated to the [[yard (land)|yard]] of land around a dwelling.<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st&nbsp;ed. "yard, ''n.<sup><small>2</small></sup>''". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1921.</ref> "Virgate" is a much later [[retronym]], [[anglicizing]] the yardland's [[latinized]] form ''{{lang|mla|virgāta}}'' after the advent of the [[yard]] rendered the original name ambiguous.<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st&nbsp;ed. "virgate, ''n.''". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1917.</ref>
+The name derives from the Old English ''{{lang|ang|gyrd landes}}'' ("yard of land"),<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st&nbsp;ed. "yardland, ''n.''". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1921.</ref> from "yard"'s former meaning as a measuring stick employed in reckoning [[acre]]s (cf. [[rod (unit)|rod]]). The word is etymologically unrelated to the [[yard (land)|yard]] of land around a dwelling.<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st&nbsp;ed. "yard, ''n.<sup>2</sup>''". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1921.</ref> "Virgate" is a much later [[retronym]], [[anglicizing]] the yardland's [[latinized]] form ''{{lang|mla|virgāta}}'' after the advent of the [[yard]] rendered the original name ambiguous.<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st&nbsp;ed. "virgate, ''n.''". Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1917.</ref>
 ==History==
-The virgate was reckoned as the amount of land that a team of two [[oxen]] could plough in a single annual season. It was equivalent to a quarter of a [[Hide (unit)|hide]], so was nominally thirty [[Acre#Historical origin|acres]].<ref>D. Hey ed., ''Oxford Companion to Local and Family History'' (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996), 476. </ref> In some parts of England, it was divided into four nooks ({{lang-enm|noke}}; {{lang-mla|noca}}).<ref>"Noca - nook (measure of land)" R. W. Latham, ''Revised Medieval Latin Word-list'' (Oxford University Press, London: for British Academy 1965), 312.</ref>  Nooks were occasionally further divided into a farundel ({{lang-enm|ferthendel}}; {{lang-ang|fēorþan dǣl}}, "fourth deal, fourth share").<ref>{{cite book |title=An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary |last=Bosworth |first=Joseph |authorlink=Joseph Bosworth |author2=T. Northcote Toller  |year=1882 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=281 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=oXlii1KgDngC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false}}</ref>
+The virgate was reckoned as the amount of land that a team of two [[oxen]] could plough in a single annual season. It was equivalent to a quarter of a [[Hide (unit)|hide]], so was nominally thirty [[Acre#Historical origin|acres]].<ref>D. Hey ed., ''Oxford Companion to Local and Family History'' (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996), 476.</ref> In some parts of England, it was divided into four nooks ({{lang-enm|noke}}; {{lang-mla|noca}}).<ref>"Noca - nook (measure of land)" R. W. Latham, ''Revised Medieval Latin Word-list'' (Oxford University Press, London: for British Academy 1965), 312.</ref>  Nooks were occasionally further divided into a farundel ({{lang-enm|ferthendel}}; {{lang-ang|fēorþan dǣl}}, "fourth deal, fourth share").<ref>{{cite book |title=An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary |last=Bosworth |first=Joseph |authorlink=Joseph Bosworth |author2=T. Northcote Toller  |year=1882 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=281 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=oXlii1KgDngC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false}}</ref>
-The [[Danelaw]] equivalent of a virgate was two [[oxgang]]s or ‘bovates’.<ref>Stephen Friar, ''Batsford Companion to Local History'' (Batsford, London 1991), 270.  </ref> These were considered to represent the amount of land that could be worked in a single annual season by a single ox and therefore equated to half a virgate. As such, the oxgang represented a parallel division of the [[carucate]].
+The [[Danelaw]] equivalent of a virgate was two [[oxgang]]s or ‘bovates’.<ref>Stephen Friar, ''Batsford Companion to Local History'' (Batsford, London 1991), 270.</ref> These were considered to represent the amount of land that could be worked in a single annual season by a single ox and therefore equated to half a virgate. As such, the oxgang represented a parallel division of the [[carucate]].
 ==References==