For lay donors across the full social spectrum, two factors consistently influenced bequests of land: the Church and the family. The alienation of land to the Church for spiritual benefit, for individual or family commemoration, needed to be balanced with the needs, or expectations, of the kindred. The way in which men and women managed these apparently conflicting claims in their wills is the focus of this chapter.

Compared with the kings, ealdormen and bishops whose wills were the primary focus of the previous chapter, the majority of lay donors were of lower social status, rarely featuring in the historical record beyond their wills. The detailed heriot clauses included in the wills of some male donors, approximating to the tariffs set out in the law of King Cnut, indicate that they most probably belonged to the rank of king's thegn, or thegn closer to the king in the Danelaw. In only one case – that of Ketel – is the payment that of a lesser thegn in the Danelaw. For thegns, as for ealdormen, land was crucial in establishing their status. This is demonstrated by two texts associated with Archbishop Wulfstan of York (1002–1023). The first, known as Geþyncðo, establishes the basic qualification for promotion from ceorl to thegn: