HIDE SYSTEM AND PROPERTY RIGHTS “for a good part of the medieval period, then, f

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hide_(unit)THE HIDE SYSTEM AND PROPERTY RIGHTS

“for a good part of the medieval period, then, frisian society continued to be based on clans rather than nuclear families. the frisians had been christianized, which is important in breaking down tribes and clans, but they weren’t manorialized, which seems to be another key in getting to an “atomized” society based on the individual and the nuclear family.

The hide system meant that the lord of the manor would lease out (on a long-term lease — like lasting a life-time) farms to married couples. not to extended families. not to clans. just to a married couple (and their kids). manorialism and the hide system, therefore, also broke down the clan connections, along with the loosening of the genetic ties via all the outbreeding. so in places where people converted to christianity (and, therefore, stopped inbreeding), but DIDN’T have manorialism, extended family systems and even clans could — and did — survive for longer, since the clan system wasn’t also broken down by the hide system.” — HBD_chick

See wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hide_(unit)