In early Saxon days, and at, and just after, the Norman Conquest, the estates of the chiefs and leaders were cultivated by the people attached to their different lands, the villeins, heretofore mentioned, who were practically slaves, and, in the very earliest times, passed with the estates on which they dwelt. In course of time the laud owners allowed them to occupy specific parts of {heir lands at will, yielding a return of corn, hay, of other portions of their crops ; and later they granted them the lands for a certain number of years, by which they were enfranchised, the owners reserving an annual return of ])ortions of the corn or other provisions. From this the lands thus granted were called farms, from tlie Saxon ■word feorni, which signifies provisions.' This return for the use of the land, was expressed by the Latin word redditus, which means ' return,' and from it comes our English word ' rent.'

Rents were of three kinds, 1. Rent service; that is payment of money or produce, and fealty, which was the only rent known to tlie common law and to which a right of distress was incident. 2. Rent charge ; when the rent was created by deed, no fealty was annexed and consequently there could be no distress in case of non-jjayment ; hence an express power of distress was inserted in the deed to cure the difficulty. I A rent so reserved was said to be charged with a distress, and hence called a rent charge. 3. Rent seek, or dry or barren rent ; this was simply a rent for the recovery of which no power of distress was given by the common law, or by the agreement of the parties. -