As in other counties, though, considerable desertion was due to piece by piece consolidation of land into extensive tracts by single owners, often monastic, as seen for example, in the estate of Wenlock Priory which subsequently became the nucleus of the scattered Borough of Much Wenlock.
12.
William granted some lands to his continental followers from the holdings of one or more specific Englishmen; at other times, he granted a compact grouping of lands previously held by many different Englishmen to one Norman follower, often to allow for the consolidation of lands around a strategically placed castle.
