THIS IS FINDON — www.findonvillage.com  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

DOMESDAY FINDON

Copyright Valerie Martin 2003

Findon was born in an earlier age and then adopted by the Roman settlers, re-found by the marauding Saxons; and recorded in the Domesday Book which was compiled just twenty years after William the  Conqueror landed. 

Everyone has heard of the Domesday Book — but how much does it tell us about Findon? 

The Domesday Book was not an idle document of events at the time but a serious survey for taxation purposes.  It can be summed up as a precise record showing the worth and development accrued in the conquered land.

King William commanded an exact survey of every hide of land in his kingdom and he sought to discover what land each person held.  He sent forth Commissioners into every county to enquire into the extent of each estate, the name of the over-tenants and sub-tenants, the number of its inhabitants and the estimated value of the land before and also after the conquest. 

The returns, given on oath by juries, were arranged in order and compiled into two volumes, under the appropriate title of “Domesday” or Book of Judgments. 

In 1086 when the Domesday Survey was made, Sussex (including our Findon area) had recently been divided into five new baronies, locally called rapes.   Each had at least one town and also a castle.  William de Braose, one of the Conqueror’s kinsmen and knights, held “Findune”, as one of 38 manors granted to him after the Conquest and Findon came under the Bramber Castle Rape. 

Firstly there was the land granted to free tenants, and their legal ownership was the freehold of the said land in English law. 

The remainder of the countryside belonged to the Lord of the Manor, was called the demesne or home farm. 

The Domesday Survey shows Findon as being a Manor possessing (rather surprisingly) saltpans, indicating that sea-water was trapped in shallow basins to evaporate.   Salt extraction being an important local industry and vital to medieval economy.   The salting of meat and fish was the only form of food preservation.

Fifty-eight persons and three plough teams were recorded at Findon Manor. This consisted of 52 villeins (substantial peasants) and bordars (lesser peasants) and six slaves — whose names are lost forever.   There were very few actual slaves in England at the time of the Doomsday Book, and the class rapidly died out.   This constituted a large rural Findon community.   They could not leave the Manor and their services were enforced in the old concept of serfdom.  These early Findon agricultural workers of the land were allowed to cultivate sections of the home farm fields for their own usage.

The peasants lived at the Manor, on which they had the right to a dwelling and garden, a holding of arable land, a share of the hay harvest and a right of pasture.  In return, services (usually on the Lord’s lands), and payments were owed to the Lord.  A peasant could not leave the Manor except upon purchasing his freedom, which he could not afford, and was compelled to pay fines or fees when he inherited from this father, when he got married and if his daughters married.   At harvest time or other seasons when extra work was called for, the Lord imposed a tax on his peasants.  

Findon Church is mentioned in Domesday Book.

These Domesday volumes are now in the British Museum and contain the earliest records of Findon parish lands.

Continue if you would like to read A January Wedding.

This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.