Domesday BookBuckinghamshireMarlow and Marlow
Buckinghamshire · Local History

The History of Marlow and Marlow

A place in Buckinghamshire with a history you can trace through the records: its entry in the 1086 Domesday Book, the archaeological finds and scheduled monuments around it, and the nearest Roman sites and battlefields. Everything below is drawn from the historical record.

In 1086, Marlow and Marlow was held by Theodwald.

The record

What the Domesday Book records for Marlow and Marlow

When William the Conqueror's commissioners surveyed Marlow and Marlow in 1086, they recorded 4 manors held by Theodwald, Ralph, Roger, Walter of Vernon and Queen Matilda, under Bishop Odo of Bayeux and Miles Crispin. Before the Conquest, in the time of King Edward, the land was held by Queen Edith, Hemming of Branston, Godric and Earl Algar.

The settlement was assessed at 34.99 hides for tax. There was land for 42 ploughs, with 40.5 plough teams at work (7.5 in the lord's demesne and 33 held by the villagers). The recorded population was 107 heads of household: 63 villagers, 39 smallholders and 5 slaves. These are heads of household, so the settlement's true population was several times larger. Its recorded resources included meadow (2 ploughs), woodland (50 pigs) and 2 mills. The manors were valued at 40 pounds in 1086, up from 22 pounds in 1066.

The record in full
Holdings
4 manors
Held in 1086 by
Theodwald; Ralph; Roger; Walter of Vernon; Queen Matilda
Held in 1066 by
Queen Edith; Hemming of Branston; Godric; Earl Algar
Tenant-in-chief
Bishop Odo of Bayeux; Miles Crispin
Value in 1086
40 pounds (22 pounds in 1066)
Taxable assessment
34.99 hides
Ploughland
land for 42 ploughs
Ploughs at work
40.5
Recorded population
63 villagers, 39 smallholders, 5 slaves
Meadow
2 ploughs
Woodland
50 pigs
Mills
2

The Domesday Book was the great survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror in 1085 and completed in 1086, the oldest surviving public record in the country. How the survey worked →

Marlow and Marlow was one of the settlements recorded in Buckinghamshire in the 1086 survey. Buckinghamshire in the Domesday survey →

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Everything a full report reveals about Marlow and Marlow

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Marlow and Marlow's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Conflict

Battlefields near Marlow and Marlow

Nationally registered historic battlefields within 25 miles of Marlow and Marlow.

Battle of Chalgrove 1643
Registered battlefield · 1643 · ~15.4 miles
Battle of Barnet 1471
Registered battlefield · 1471 · ~23.7 miles
Archaeology

Archaeological finds near Marlow and Marlow

376 recorded finds have been logged within about 5 miles of Marlow and Marlow, reported by members of the public and entered in the national record of archaeological finds. They span these periods:

Post medieval: 100Iron age: 84Roman: 79Medieval: 76Early medieval: 19Neolithic: 5Bronze age: 5Palaeolithic: 2Greek and roman provincial: 2Mesolithic: 1Modern: 1
Landscape

The ground beneath Marlow and Marlow

The bedrock beneath Marlow and Marlow is White Chalk Subgroup (Maastrichtian).

Common questions

Questions about Marlow and Marlow

Was Marlow and Marlow in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Marlow and Marlow was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Buckinghamshire.
Who held Marlow and Marlow in 1086?+
In 1086, Marlow and Marlow was held by Theodwald. The tenant-in-chief was Bishop Odo of Bayeux.
Who held Marlow and Marlow before the Norman Conquest?+
Before the Conquest in 1066, Marlow and Marlow was held by Queen Edith.
What was Marlow and Marlow worth in the Domesday Book?+
In 1086, Marlow and Marlow was valued at 7 pounds. The 1066 value was 4 pounds, showing a rise.
How many people lived in Marlow and Marlow in 1086?+
The 1086 survey recorded 107 people in Marlow and Marlow: 63 villagers, 39 smallholders and 5 slaves.
What land did Marlow and Marlow have in 1086?+
The Domesday Book records Marlow and Marlow as having land for 4 ploughs, 2 ploughs of meadow, 50 pigs of woodland.
Where is Marlow and Marlow today?+
Marlow and Marlow is a settlement in the historic county of Buckinghamshire, England.
Aubrey Research

Discover Marlow and Marlow's Complete Historical Record

Aubrey's full report for this location includes every Domesday manor, the complete record of medieval lordship, archaeological context, and the story of how this settlement evolved from 1086 to the present day.

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