betagh

The Oxford Companion to Irish History | 2007 | 700+ words | Copyright

betagh, from the Irish biatach, a food‐rendering client, seen by the Anglo‐Normans as a servile tenant, synonymous with a ‘serf’. Judging from the fact that betaghs lived in communities called ‘betaghries’, it seems that Anglo‐Normans inherited them from their former Gaelic lords. In theory they were bound to do labour service on the demesnes at the will of the lord, but in practice precedent hardened into immutable manorial custom, with the result that services were limited to a few days' seasonal work. By 1300 betagh services were generally commuted to rent, which may explain why the betaghs disappear as an identifiable group in the 15th century.

Revd Canon C. A. Empey

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