[PaulB]

I'm reading a book about the history of England and came across this sentence

....clearly tough enough (and canny enough too) to oversee law and order in the often dizzy world of pilot politics where neighbours' frictions over minor strip infringements and buildings rules, or simply perceived insults, could flare up an any time into feuds.

I changed one word in my mind as I read it as it reminded me of pilot forums.

The real word is "peasant" (please don't read anything into that) and it's about a man called Roger Polle, chosen as a village constable in 1326.

The book is fascinating as it is about the history of England from the perspective of the common man as opposed to most history which is written about the rich and powerful.

The book is able to do this because the land on which it stands was given by Walter Merton to the college that bears his name and they have kept records of rents and tenants names and occupations for the following 800 years.

(The Story of England by Michael Wood (Penguin books 2011))

[johnm]

The fact is that huge swathes of land and property were (and are) owned by Oxbridge colleges and City LIvery Companies and their records are a fascinating source of social history.

[PaulB]

When we bought the freehold of our house, it was owned by the local public school.