Domesday Book

 

In 1086 when the Domesday Book was compiled, East Anstey was know as Anestinga (or Anestiga). The Domesday Book was commissioned by William the Conqueror to assess who owned what in England, not least so that they could be taxed. The smallest unit assessed was the manor (an agricultural estate) which could be a subdivision of a parish (an area served by the parson from the parish church) or spread over parts of more than one parish.

 

 

 

In the Domesday Book, it is recorded:

 

"that Earl Hugh has a manor called Anestinga, which Alnod held on the day on which King Edward was alive and dead, and it is rendered geld for half a hide. This can be ploughed by six ploughs. Of it the earl has a virgate in demesne, and the villeins have one virgate and a half and three ploughs. There the earl has seven villeins, and one bordar, and four serfs, and forty eight acres of wood, and twelve acres of meadow, and of pasture one leuga in length and half a leuga in breadth; and it is worth by the year twenty shillings, and it was worth as much when the earl received it."

 

Ref: DOM – The Devonshire Domesday and Geld Inquest, vols.I & II, 1884-1892 published by the Devonshire Society.

Earl Hugh is also recorded as having another manor called “Anestiga”. It is uncertain whether Anestinga refers to what we now know as East Anstey and Anestiga refers to West Anstey or vice versa.

The Domesday Book also records that “The bishop has a manor called Anestiga” and that “Drogo holds this of the bishop”.

Definitions:

 

Geld – a kind of tax like Danegeld.

Hide – measurement of land for tax purposes, approx. 120 acres.

Virgate – a quarter of a hide (defined by how much land a team of oxen could plough in a year).

Villein – most common type of serf in the Middle Ages. Generally rented small homes, with or without land. Expected to spend some of their time farming their lord’s fields. They were tied to the land and could not move away without their lord’s consent.

Bordar – person ranking below villains and above serfs in the social hierarchy of a manor, holding just enough land to feed a family (about 5 acres) and required to to provide labour farming their lord’s fields on specified days of the week.

Leuga (league) – a measurement of distance equivalent to twelve furlongs or about 1½ miles.