Extranei and the tenure of customary land on a Westminster Abbey manor in the fifteenth century

This article attempts, through a case study of a fifteenth-century Essex manor, to explore both the extent of and reasons for outside investment in customary land. The article identifies certain sectors of society and economy from which such outside investment may have issued and discusses developments within the manor which may have encouraged such investment. It is a contention of the article that a softening of seigneurial policy was a significant stimulus to the incursion of outsiders, extranei, into the market for customary land. In turn, the long-cherished policies of landlords were, by the dose of the period, challenged by the expectations of the new wealthy and high status tenants.