We are very lucky to have a list of householders in Langham in 1305. A survey was made in that year of the Countess of Cornwall’s possessions in Rutland including Oakham Lordshold and Langham. It even listed what duties each tenant owed to the Lord, but as each duty has a monetary equivalent attached it is thought that by then the duties had been commuted for cash. In 1305 most people did not have surnames, a man was known by his place of birth, by his occupation, by a nickname, by the place in the village where he lived, or as (for example) “John son of Richard.” (By the end of the 1300’s almost everyone had adopted a surname.) The survey shows that in Langham there were seven Free Tenants: Richard de Ware William de Okeham Thomas de Bokeland Gilbert Clere Henry Stele William in the Holme Hugh son of Christiane There is a note that “the community of the town” held one acre paying twelve pence a year. Was this a recreation ground? Then there were fifty-eight Bondmen, mostly described by their father or mother’s name. There were some nicknames such as: Thomas le Goude Agnes Garbod Millicent Syred Robert Spynke A few were identified by locality: Roger in le Lane Hugh a la Grene Henry Benethegate William Byeston Some tenants are women, including “Agnes who was the wife of Richard son of Simon son of Godwin”. Finally there were about thirty one Cottagers, tenants of a cottage and no more. They included: Robert atte Grene William Fynche The woman of Weston Beatrice Benerech