Though free, villeins could not move away from the manor, marry off their daughters, hunt in the lord's forests or commit their children to holy orders without the lord's consent; furthermore, they were sometimes also required to pay a fee. Villeins owed their lords military service, which they could avoid through payment.
Unilke unfree peasants, villeins had rights to contract ownership of land, and could participate in the manorial court -- although the court could not coerce a subject to punish him or force payment unless the lord ordered it.
It is difficult for the historian to discern many practical difference between villeins and unfree peasants, but the peasants themselves were very aware of the difference, which affected their standing in the community.
