Serfs work the demesne for a specified numbers of days per week.
The demesne may either be scattered among the serfs land, or a separate area, the latter being more common for meadow and orchard lands. The name is derived from the administrative districts created by the roman emperor Diocletian. Ruled by either an abbot or abbess. The name usually implies that land is held in return for military service. In England the title is reserved for members of the royal family.