Burghwallis in the Domesday Book (1086)
Burghwallis is named in the Domesday Book, compiled by Norman commissioners in 1086, entered under the hundred of Osgodcross in Yorkshire. The survey assessed Burghwallis at 20 carucates of taxable land.
At the time of the survey, Burghwallis supported a recorded population of 66 villagers, 7 smallholders, 4 slaves, working 31 ploughs between them.
Something went badly wrong here between the two surveys. Before 1066, Burghwallis was worth 28 shillings; by 1086 that had dropped to 18.5 shillings – a fall of 33%. Most Yorkshire villages that lost value on this scale were swept up in the Harrying of the North – William’s scorched-earth campaign of 1069–70.
The survey lists 2 manors at Burghwallis under different lords. Splitting a single settlement between multiple tenants was common across the North – Saxon estates broken up and handed to William’s followers after 1066.
Resources Recorded at Burghwallis (1086)
- Churches: 2
- Meadow: 50 acres
- Woodland: 60 swine render
Other Settlements in Osgodcross
Data derived from the Open Domesday project (opendomesday.org), based on the Domesday Book dataset compiled by Professor J.J.N. Palmer and team. The Domesday Book (1086) is in the public domain.
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