Notes on Domesday entries

National Archives notes

Open Domesday entry

Little Domesday Book –Suffolk

I Land of the King Belonging to the Realm, which Roger Bigod keeps in Suffolk.

HUNDRED OF CARLFORD

VI Robert Malet

P1210 column 2 halfway down

“In Lesser Waldringfield 1 sokeman of Eadric [held] 22 acres of land, 1 bordar and 1 plough, worth 2s.”

Also held land in Kesgrave and Rushmere

XIIII. Land of St. Edmund in Suffolk

St Edmund

P1047 top of column 1

HUNDRED OF CARLFORD

“In Lesser Waldringfield, Cwengifu held TRE under St [Edmund] 1 ½ carucates of land. Now 8 Bordars. Then as now in Demesne 2 ploughs and belonging to the men 1 plough. 2 acres of meadow. I horse and 10 pigs and 100 sheep. Then as now worth 20s. It is 3 furlongs long and 6 broad. 5d in geld. “

Also held land in Newboune and Hapsley which Riger Bigod seems to hold as well or instead.

XXXVIIII Lands of Ranulf, Brother of Ilger, Hundred of Carlford

P1284

“In Martlesham Eadwald held TRE”

(not sure if Eadwald was one up the hierarchy from Beorhtmaer?)

p1285 column 1 second para.

“In Waldringfield Beorhtmaer, a Free man, held TRE: a carucate of land as a manor and 1 bordar. Then 2 ploughs, now 1: mill. Then 1 horse. Then 100 sheep, now 27. Then it was worth 20s. now 10s. It is 6 furlongs long and 3 broad. In Geld 5s. In the same place 5 free man commended half to Beorhtmaer and half to his mother with 40 acres and 1 plough worth 4s.”

Note: Beorhtmaer also had 16 free men in Newbourne, 5 in Hapsley, 10 in Preston/Martlesham.For comparison – Preston (Martlesham) has 10 free men & 9 Bordars. Newbourne – 16 free men and 14 Bordars worth 20s. Might be of interest to tabulate the different figures and values for nearby villages.

Haspley – was a manor in Newbourne.

Note – in the index Lesser Waldringfield is also referred to as “ Minima Waldringafelda”

1. the area for Lesser W & W is the same at 3×6 furlongs. 3×6 furlongs = 3×8 chains x 8 = 192 acres
2. total acreage = about 366 – Goudy says parish 904 acres – maybe add area for sheep?
3. Population adds to 17. Multiply by about 4 for dependants gives 68. Goudy says 16 population in 1086.
4. Major disparity in geld – 5d vs 5s
5. 1 plough = 8 oxen; 8 oxen need 24 acres meadow ( read it – lost ref)
6. There were 640 Domesday settlements in Suffolk. 178 had mills, 345 had churches. Total curucates was 2404. (Domesday Geography of East Anglia H.C.Darby)
7. Carucates may not correspond well to acres. The total 2404 carucates for Suffolk needs checking.

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From translation by Editions Alecto Limited (this is from purchased Domeday entries in Documents folder)

Translation of Little Domesday Book Folio 315r

Suffolk

ROBERT MALET

 In Lesser Waldringfield 1 sokeman of Eadric [held] 22 acres of land, 1 bordar and 1 plough, worth 2s.

Translation of Little Domesday Book Folio 369v

SUFFOLK

HUNDRED OF CARLFORD.

In Lesser Waldringfield Cwengifu held TRE under St [Edmund] 1½ carucates of land. Now 8 bordars.

Then as now in demesne 2 ploughs and belonging to the men 1 plough. 2 acres of meadow. 1 horse and

10 pigs and 100 sheep. Then as now worth 20s. It is 3 furlongs long and 6 broad. 5d. in geld.

In Newbourn 3 free men and in Haspley 1, by commendation to the same Cwengifu, with 6 acres, worth

12d. Roger Bigod holds this from the abbot.

Translation of Little Domesday Book Folio 424v

SUFFOLK

In Waldringfield Beorhtmær, a free man, held TRE 1 carucate of land as a manor and 1 bordar. Then 2

ploughs, now 1; 1 mill. Then 1 horse. Then 100 sheep, now 27. Then it was worth 20s. , now 10s. It is 6

furlongs long and 3 broad. In geld 5d. In the same place 5 free men commended half to Beorhtmær and

half to his mother with 40 acres and 1 plough, worth 4s .

In Preston [in Martlesham] 10 free men commended half to Beorhtmær and half to his mother Cwengifu.

One of these was commended half to St Æthelthryth. 1 carucate of land. Now 9 bordars under them. Then

4 ploughs, now 2; 1 acre of meadow. Then it was worth 20s. , now 10s. It is 6 furlongs long and 3 broad.

In geld 6d .

In Haspley 5 free men, commended to the same Beorhtmær like the others, [held] 1 carucate of land 5

bordars. 3 ploughs. 2 acres of meadow. Then it was worth 30s. , now 20s. 1 of them was half Eadric’s

man and half Northmann’s man. 2 of these were commended to Cwengifu TRE. It is 6 furlongs long and 3

broad. 5d. in geld.

In Newbourn 16 free men commended to Beorhtmær and Cwengifu TRE – and 2 were half commended

to St Æthelthryth – with 1 carucate of land 40 acres. Under them 14 bordars. Then 4 ploughs, now 3; 1½

acres of land. Then it was worth 40s. , now 20s.