100 ARCHIVES

Downholland in the Domesday Book (1086)

YEAR: 1086 HUNDRED: [West] Derby COUNTY: Cheshire

Downholland appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, entered under the hundred of [West] Derby in Cheshire. The survey assessed Downholland at 7.2 carucates of taxable land.

At the time of the survey, Downholland supported a recorded population of 4 villagers, 16 smallholders, 2 slaves, 27 freemanmen, working 7 ploughs between them.

By 1086 Downholland was worth 7.01 shillings, up from 5.5 shillings before the Conquest – one of the few settlements in the area to hold its value through the upheaval.

The survey lists 3 manors at Downholland 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 Downholland (1086)

  • Churches: 1
  • Cattle: 3
  • Pigs: 4
  • Horses (cobs): 1
  • Meadow: 8 acres
  • Woodland: 4 None

Other Settlements in [West] Derby

Location

53.5600°N, -2.9588°W · [West] Derby hundred, Cheshire

View larger map on OpenStreetMap →

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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