Domesday Witham - The Lands of Ranulf Peverel


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 Lands of Ranulf Peverel




		Expansion
1.		/ Blundeshalam tenet Humfridus de Ranulfo quod tenuit brictmarus
2.		tempore regis eduardi pro manerio & pro II hida & dimidia Semper II carruce in dominio Tunc I carruca hominum
3.		modo I & dimidia Semper II villani Tunc III bordarii modo V tunc VI servi modo IIII XVIII
4.		acre prati & 1 molendinum & 1 socmannus de XV acris Tunc I runcinus IIII animalia & IIII vituli
5.		LX oves XVI porci modo II runcini IIII vacce & IIII vituli LXXX oves XXXVI porci
6.		Semper valet IIII libras

		Translation
1.		Bluntshall: holds Humphrey, of Ranulf, which held Brictmar (Humphrey holds Bluntshall of Ranulf, which Brictmar held)
2.		in the time of King Edward, as a manor and as 2 hides and a half. Always 2 ploughs on the demesne. Then 1 plough of the men,
3.		now 1 & a half. Always 2 villeins. Then 3 bordars, now 5. Then 6 serfs, now 4. 18
4.		acres of meadow, & 1 mill, & 1 sokeman of 15 acres. Then 1 rouncey, 4 beasts, & 4 calves
5.		60 sheep, 16 pigs. Now 2 rounceys, 4 cows, & 4 calves, 80 sheep, 36 pigs.
6.		Always it is worth 4 pounds.

Note
Blunts Hall itself is not on a river, though its later land reached east to near the Brain. Its Domesday meadowland may have been on the Blackwater, near Benton Hall, where it owned meadow in the 19th century. It is possible that the mill was the present Blue Mill (also known as Machins Mill), which was in the same ownership as Blunts Hall in the 15th century.