One starting point for network analysis is the numbers. In Yorkshire there was one king, 10 lords, and 200 knights. The numbers are approximations, of course. From time to time there was more than one king, and the number of lords and knights fluctuated some. But the numbers were relatively stable. The names changed much more than did the numbers between 1066 and 1650.

One construction of the numbers is an hierarchical picture. The lords held land from the king and, thus, were his vassals. A knight held land from a lord, and, thus, was his vassal. This construction puts economy and responsibility together in a rather simple story. The story was not wrong, exactly. It also was not right, exactly.

Walter de Boynton and William de Percy illustrate both this picture and a rather more elaborate picture of the structure of social relations at the end of the 12th century and beginning of the 13th century [A Boynton Story: The Boyntons and the Percys--00]. Walter and William are mirror images in their community responsibility. Where they differ is the economy. William was a subtenant of lord Percy [whoever that may have been at the moment; there were several while William was holding land from them], and most of the lord Percys' lands were held from the king. Walter had to scramble to put together land holdings and he held his land from a number of lords. If you start with William, you think the picture on the left may be right. If you start with Walter, social relations look more like the figure on the right.

There is another complication of the simple structure on the left; at least, it is a complication for us. It was standard practice for Walter and his contemporaries. Holding land was a triple -- it was the lord from whom the land was held, the person holding the land, and the heir of the person holding the land. This is very clearly illustrated in the story of the founding of Watton Priory [A Boynton Story: Witnessing for God]. It takes a collection of charters to establish the priory -- a charter from the holder of the land and his wife, a charter from the lord from whom they held the land, and charters from their heirs. It was not the first marriage for either husband or wife giving them different heirs. And Walter does the same thing. When he gives land to Watton Priory so that his daughters can become nuns at the priory the lord from whom he holds lands gives his agreement. When Walter wants to set aside some land for his second son, Rabod, he does so with the concurrence of his first son, William. The "complication" is best understood as land is held by families rather than individuals. The relationship between lord and vassal is between two families as much as between two individuals. The relationships could extend for many generations -- giving a rather different context than the individualism we are likely to take for granted.

Almost two hundred years later the Boyntons and the Percys were still important families in Yorkshire. Henry Percy was leading the fight against the Scots -- protecting the border. And three Boyntons were among his lieutenants [A Boynton Story: Feudal Warlord]. Two things seem clear in this story. One, Henry Percy was lord with many lieutenants, including the three Boyntons. Two, the relationship does not seem to have been based in economic relationship. There were knights who held land from lord Percy and who were among his lieutenants in the fight against the Scots, but holding land does not seem important in the case of the Boyntons. It seems more a mutual need to protect their land from Scottish invasion than economic dependence. Among friends there were common matters to be dealt with -- a common good to be achieved. Among friends there was respect permitting Henry Percy to be lord and the Boyntons to be lieutenants.