The Hundreds

For centuries they formed the basic layer of government between the village and the shire (county), shaping taxation, justice, policing, military organisation and local identity. Although they have almost entirely disappeared from modern administration, their boundaries and names still survive in historical records, maps, place names and property law. The exact origins of the hundreds are uncertain, but they emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period, probably between the seventh and tenth centuries. They were especially associated with the kingdoms that eventually formed England, particularly Kingdom of Wessex and Kingdom of Mercia.

What Was a Hundred?

A hundred was a subdivision of a county or shire. The hierarchy looked roughly like this: A county might contain anywhere from a handful to dozens of hundreds. For example: • Kent historically had around 60 hundreds • Yorkshire used “Wapentakes” instead • Sussex divided its hundreds into “Rapes” The system varied regionally across England.

Why Were They Called “Hundreds”?

The name probably referred originally to: • an area containing one hundred “hides” of land or • an area able to supply one hundred fighting men A “hide” was an old unit roughly representing enough land to support a household. However, by the medieval period the sizes of hundreds varied enormously, so the term no longer corresponded to a fixed measurement.

The Hundred Court

The central institution of the hundred was the hundred court. These courts handled: • local disputes • minor crimes • taxation • land issues • policing responsibilities They usually met regularly at traditional gathering places such as: • hills • crossroads • large trees • standing stones • market settlements The meeting places themselves often gave hundreds their names. For example: • Blackheath Hundred (“black heath”) • Shamwell Hundred • Ossulstone Hundred The courts were a mixture of legal assembly, local government and communal obligation.

Anglo-Saxon Government

Hundreds formed part of a remarkably sophisticated Anglo-Saxon administrative system. This system included: • kings • earls/ealdormen • shire reeves (sheriffs) • hundred courts • tithings One important concept was “frankpledge,” where groups of households were collectively responsible for maintaining order. The hundred therefore acted partly as: • a judicial district • a tax district • a military district • a policing district

Regional Variations

England did not use a completely uniform system. Wapentakes (Danelaw) In northern and eastern England, especially areas settled by Vikings, hundreds were often called “wapentakes.” The word comes from Old Norse and roughly refers to the brandishing of weapons during assemblies. Wapentakes were common in: • Yorkshire • Lincolnshire • Nottinghamshire • Derbyshire These areas formed part of the old Danelaw - regions heavily influenced by Scandinavian settlement. Rapes (Sussex) Sussex developed an unusual system of large divisions called “rapes.” Each rape stretched from the coast northward inland and contained several hundreds. The rapes reflected Sussex’s strategic importance during the Norman period. Ridings (Yorkshire) Yorkshire was divided into: • North Riding • West Riding • East Riding The word “riding” comes from an Old Norse term meaning “third part.” Within these Ridings were wapentakes instead of hundreds.

The Domesday Book

The hundreds became especially important after the Norman Conquest. Domesday Book recorded landholdings, taxation and administration partly through the hundred system. The Normans largely kept the existing Anglo-Saxon local structure because it was efficient for: • taxation • military organization • legal control This continuity helped the medieval English state become unusually centralised compared with much of Europe.

Decline of the Hundreds

The importance of hundreds gradually declined from the late medieval period onward. Several developments weakened them: • stronger royal courts • growth of parishes • rise of boroughs and towns • county government expansion • industrialisation By the nineteenth century many hundred courts had become largely ceremonial or obsolete. Modern local government reforms eventually replaced them with: • districts • boroughs • administrative counties

Surviving Traces Today

Although the hundreds disappeared administratively, traces survive everywhere. You still find their names in: • place names • legal documents • church records • old maps • property descriptions Some parliamentary constituencies and ecclesiastical boundaries also followed old hundred lines. Historians and genealogists still use hundreds extensively when studying medieval and early modern England.