 Bakewells entry in the Domesday book
The Domesday Book is a great land survey from 1086, commissioned by William the Conqueror to assess the extent of the land and resources being owned in England at the time, and the extent of the taxes he could raise. The information collected was recorded by hand in two huge books, in the space of around a year. William died before it was fully completed.
The Domesday Book provides extensive records of landholders, their tenants, the amount of land they owned, how many people occupied the land (villagers, smallholders, free men, slaves, etc.), the amounts of woodland, meadow, animals, fish and ploughs on the land (if there were any) and other resources, any buildings present (churches, castles, mills, salthouses, etc.), and the whole purpose of the survey - the value of the land and its assets, before the Norman Conquest, after it, and at the time of Domesday. Some entries also chronicle disputes over who held land, some mention customary dues that had to be paid to the king, and entries for major towns include records of traders and number of houses.
Bakewells Entry
In Badequella (BAKEWELL), with 8 Berewics, King Edward had 18 carucates of land to the geld.
[There is] land for 18 ploughs. There the king has now 7 ploughs in demesne (held by the lord), and 33 villans and 9 bordars.
There are 2 priests and a church, and under them 2 villans and 5 bordars, all these having 11 ploughs.
There 1 knight has 16 acres of land , and [in margin] 2 bordars. There is 1 mill [rendering] 10s8d ,
and 1 lead-mine, and 80 acres of meadow, [and] scrubland 1 league long and 1 broad.
Of this land 3 carucates belong to the church.
Henry de Ferrers claims 1 carucate in Haddon [Haddon or Over Haddon].
These are THE BEREWICKS of this manor: Haddon [Haddon or Over Haddon], Holme [in Bakewell],
Rowsley, Burton [in Bakewell], Conksbury, One Ash, Monyash, Haddon [Haddon or Over Haddon].
Glossary
| Berewic |
Derived from the Old English word for corn farm, berewic in Domesday refers to an outlying holding within a manor, separate but taxed as a part of that manor. |
| Carucate |
Derived from the Latin word caruca, meaning plough, this is a measure of land used in Danelaw (North and Eastern) counties in Domesday. Approximately 120 acres and represented the amount of land which could be ploughed by one plough team. Also used in Domesday for customary assessment. |
| Geld |
Geldum Periodic tax, first raised for the Danish wars, at a number of pence per hide, carucate or sulung. |
| Villans |
villagers |
| League |
Measurement of distance, twelve furlongs, or about 1½ miles. |
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