Abstract: The main focus of this article is rent rates, a very different problem within the historical research of land system. Prior research has relied on the rent rates written in contracts on the assumption that landlords could collect as much as a contract stipulated. Recent scholarly research on the landlord rent records has demonstrated that there were marked differences between the stipulated rents and the actual amount collected. Often landlords were only able to collect 70- 80% of the rents due and, moreover, the rate steadily fell. For this reason research on rent rates should begin from the “true rate received.” In this essay the author employs this method to study one aspect of the problem of peasants, landlords and rents.