The Island of Lothingland

A Domesday and Hundred Roll Handbook

(Fact-sheet)

• Intention: 1) to present the information (largely in tabulated form) gathered in these two major enquiries of 1086 and 1274 and to make it readily accessible, thereby enabling significant changes in the local landscape to be recognised; 2) to create a deeper understanding of the Lothingland area as it appears today; 3) to assist local historians and family researchers in their study of earlier communities at a time when documentary sources were limited in number and extent.   

• Introduction: 1) general remarks on the nature and development of Lothingand Half-hundred and its relationship with neighbouring Mutford; 2) discussion of the purpose of the Domesday Survey of 1086 and the Hundred Roll enquiry of 1274; 3) comments on the synthesis of the two sets of material.

• Chapter One:  analysis of the Domesday data relating to the Half-hundred. 1) Holdings and their values; 2) land, livestock and other assets; 3) population numbers; 4) names of land-holders, where stated; 5) overlordship and fealty; 6) geld (tax) payments per community; 7) composite statistics for the seventeen named communities, recording estates, assets and population; 8) area and soil-types of individual settlements;  9) overall pattern of landholding; 10) place-name derivation, etymology and analysis; 11) disappearance of six communities (Akethorpe, Browston, Caldecot, Dunston, Gapton and Newton) and formation of six new ones (Ashby, Blundeston, Bradwell, Gunton, Oulton and Southtown); 12) two maps to illustrate these changes; 13) post-Domesday variant spellings of the seventeen settlements; 14) table of the Domesday text references used. Bullet-pointed notes used throughout to comment on the data presented.

• Chapter Two: analysis of the Hundred Roll data relating to the Half-hundred. 1) List of the free tenements and their tenants’ names; 2) number of free tenements per settlement; 3) monarchs referred to in connection with previous tenants; 4) Domesday holdings and their overall arable acreages; 5) Domesday holdings and associated freemen; 6) Hundred Roll parishes and lesser settlements, with map (forty-one named places in all); 7) free tenement location(s); 8) details and analysis of tenancy types; 9) rental values; 10) topographical relationship of all the settlements named; 11) place-name derivation, etymology and analysis; 12) community development/survival; 13) alphabetical list (by surname) of all free tenement holders, with variants of tenure identified; 14) other tenant activity recorded; 15) geographical location of free tenements and surname association of the holders. Bullet-pointed notes used throughout to comment on the data presented.

• Chapter Three:  Hundred Roll information on the township of Gorleston. 1) Royal demesne; 2) land held in villeinage; 3) sale of land held in villeinage and increase in the number of house-plots; 4) other land (including marsh) and local features; 5) alphabetical list (by surname) of all Gorleston land-holders; 6) tenants holding strips in the Northtown common field, alphabetically arranged by surname. Information on the town of Lowestoft. 1) Royal demesne, 2) land held in villeinage; 3) outlying lands, turbary, marsh and other local features; 4) alphabetical list (by surname) of all Lowestoft land-holders. 5) Details relating to the Manor of Lothingland. 6) Other local manorial rights and privileges. Bullet-pointed notes used throughout to comment on the data presented.

• Chapter Four: details relating to the medieval manors of Akethorpe, Ashby, Belton, Blundeston, Bradwell, Browston, Burgh Castle, Caldecot, Corton, Dunston, Flixton, Fritton, Gapton, Gorleston, Gunton, Herringfleet, Hopton, Lothingland Half-hundred, Lound, Lowestoft, Newton, Oulton and Somerleyton.

• Appendix 1: etymological surname and forename analysis of the Half-hundred’s free tenants, arranged alphabetically and categorised into possible sources of origin.

• Appendix 2: etymological surname and forename analysis of the Gorleston tenants, arranged alphabetically and categorised into possible sources of origin.

• Appendix 3: etymological surname and forename analysis of the Northtown common-field tenants, arranged alphabetically and categorised into possible sources of origin.

• Appendix 4: etymological surname and forename analysis of the Lowestoft tenants, arranged alphabetically and categorised into possible sources of origin.

• Appendix 5: description of the Lothingland manorial courts’ structure and function, c. 1600-1700.