Domesday Witham - The Land of Moduin


The Lands of the King, Witham
The Fee of the Bishop of London, Howbridge Hall
The Land of Saint Edmunds, Benton Hall
The Lands of Count Eustace, Bluntshall and Witham
The Lands of Robert Gernon, Witham (Powers Hall), Howbridge Hall
The Lands of Ranulf Peverel, Bluntshall
The Land of Moduin, Witham

The Land of Moduin




		Expansion
1.		In Witham tenet Moduin I hidam quam
2.		tenuit Haroldus Semper I carruca Tunc I bordarius modo II Silva XII porci tunc VIII acre prati
3.		modo IIII & alias tulit Goiffridus baignardus Tunc IIII porci modo VII Tunc XX
4.		oves modo XL Tunc IIII animalia modo X modo II runcini valet XX solidos.

		Translation
1.		In Witham holds Moduin 1 hide, which (Moduin holds 1 hide in Witham, which Harold held)
2.		held Harold. Always 1 plough. Then 1 bordar, now 2. Woodland [for] 12 pigs. Then 8 acres of meadow,
3.		now 4, and the rest took away Geoffrey Baignard. Then 4 pigs, now 7. Then 20 (Geoffrey Baignard took away the rest)
4.		sheep, now 40. Then 4 beasts, now 10. Now 2 rounceys. It is worth 20 shillings.

Note
Morant associates this section of Witham with Abbots or Bacons (later Witham Place, behind the long wall in Powershall End). But Chisenhale-Marsh quotes Reverend Bramston's suggestion that this was not so. Wherever it was, it had been taken from the King's main Witham manor since 1066. One of the purposes of Domesday may have been to check such depradations. As we see, there had been a further incursion here by Geoffrey Baignard. Round points out that he was probably a tenant of the Ralf Baignard who held some freehold from the King's main Witham manor.