Domesday BookDerbyshireBoylestone
Derbyshire · Local History

The History of Boylestone

A place in Derbyshire 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, Boylestone was held by Roger (the hunter).

The record

What the Domesday Book records for Boylestone

When William the Conqueror's commissioners surveyed Boylestone in 1086, they recorded a manor held by Roger (the hunter), who held from Henry of Ferrers. Before the Conquest, in the time of King Edward, it was held by Godric and Leofnoth (Sterre).

The settlement was assessed at 2 hides for tax. There was land for 2 ploughs, with 5 plough teams at work (2 in the lord's demesne and 3 held by the villagers). The recorded population was 16 heads of household: 8 villagers and 8 smallholders. These are heads of household, so the settlement's true population was several times larger. Its recorded resources included meadow (6 acres), woodland (1 * 0.5 leagues) and 1 mill. The manor was valued at 1.5 pounds in 1086, down from 2 pounds in 1066.

The record in full
Held in 1086 by
Roger (the hunter)
Held in 1066 by
Godric; Leofnoth (Sterre)
Tenant-in-chief
Henry of Ferrers
Value in 1086
1.5 pounds (2 pounds in 1066)
Taxable assessment
2 hides
Ploughland
land for 2 ploughs
Ploughs at work
5
Recorded population
8 villagers, 8 smallholders
Meadow
6 acres
Woodland
1 * 0.5 leagues
Mills
1

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 →

Boylestone was one of the settlements recorded in Derbyshire in the 1086 survey. Derbyshire in the Domesday survey →

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Boylestone

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Boylestone'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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Historical context

Notable places nearby

Wall
Roman town · ~18.7 miles
Conflict

Battlefields near Boylestone

Nationally registered historic battlefields within 25 miles of Boylestone.

Battle of Hopton Heath 1643
Registered battlefield · 1643 · ~15.4 miles
Archaeology

Archaeological finds near Boylestone

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

Medieval: 177Post medieval: 158Roman: 49Bronze age: 12Early medieval: 10Iron age: 7Modern: 3Neolithic: 2
Landscape

The ground beneath Boylestone

The bedrock beneath Boylestone is Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated) (Triassic).

Common questions

Questions about Boylestone

Was Boylestone in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Boylestone was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Derbyshire.
Who held Boylestone in 1086?+
In 1086, Boylestone was held by Roger (the hunter). The tenant-in-chief was Henry of Ferrers.
Who held Boylestone before the Norman Conquest?+
Before the Conquest in 1066, Boylestone was held by Godric.
What was Boylestone worth in the Domesday Book?+
In 1086, Boylestone was valued at 1.5 pounds. The 1066 value was 2 pounds, showing a fall.
How many people lived in Boylestone in 1086?+
The 1086 survey recorded 16 people in Boylestone: 8 villagers and 8 smallholders.
What land did Boylestone have in 1086?+
The Domesday Book records Boylestone as having land for 2 ploughs, 6 acres of meadow, 1 * 0.5 leagues of woodland.
Where is Boylestone today?+
Boylestone is a settlement in the historic county of Derbyshire, England.
Aubrey Research

Discover Boylestone'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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