Domesday Book›Devon›Paignton
Devon · Local History

The History of Paignton

A place in Devon 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, Paignton was held by Exeter (St Peter), bishop of.

The record

What the Domesday Book records for Paignton

When William the Conqueror's commissioners surveyed Paignton in 1086, they recorded a manor held by Exeter (St Peter), bishop of. The same lord had held the land before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

The settlement was assessed at 20 hides for tax. There was land for 60 ploughs, with 50 plough teams at work (8 in the lord's demesne and 42 held by the villagers). The recorded population was 128 heads of household: 52 villagers, 40 smallholders and 36 slaves. These are heads of household, so the settlement's true population was several times larger. Its recorded resources included meadow (18 acres) and woodland (41 acres). The manor was valued at 50 pounds in 1086.

The record in full
Held in 1086 by
Exeter (St Peter), bishop of
Held in 1066 by
Exeter (St Peter), bishop of
Value in 1086
50 pounds
Taxable assessment
20 hides
Ploughland
land for 60 ploughs
Ploughs at work
50
Recorded population
52 villagers, 40 smallholders, 36 slaves
Meadow
18 acres
Woodland
41 acres

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 →

Paignton was one of the settlements recorded in Devon in the 1086 survey. Devon in the Domesday survey →

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Paignton

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Paignton'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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Explore further

Villages near Paignton

Goodrington
~1.2 miles
Cockington
~2 miles
Galmpton
~2.5 miles
Churston
~2.8 miles
Loventor
~2.8 miles
Afton
~2.8 miles
Collaton
~3.2 miles
Lupton
~3.3 miles
Dittisham
~3.3 miles
Tormoham
~3.5 miles
Protected heritage

Scheduled monuments near Paignton

The Bishop's Palace, Tower Road
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
Chambered tomb, 630m north west of Elberry Farm
Scheduled monument · ~2 miles
Two bowl barrows at Beacon Hill, 120m south of The Beacon
Scheduled monument · ~2 miles
Earthwork enclosures and field systems, 430m north east of Lower Well Farm
Scheduled monument · ~2.2 miles
Two prehistoric hilltop enclosures, a ditch system and four bowl barrows, 300m north of Barton Pines Inn
Scheduled monument · ~2.4 miles
Archaeology

Archaeological finds near Paignton

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

Post medieval: 84Roman: 57Medieval: 29Bronze age: 3Iron age: 3
Landscape

The ground beneath Paignton

The bedrock beneath Paignton is Permian Rocks (Undifferentiated) (Permian).

Common questions

Questions about Paignton

Was Paignton in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Paignton was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Devon.
Who held Paignton in 1086?+
In 1086, Paignton was held by Exeter (St Peter), bishop of.
Who held Paignton before the Norman Conquest?+
Before the Conquest in 1066, Paignton was held by Exeter (St Peter), bishop of.
What was Paignton worth in the Domesday Book?+
In 1086, Paignton was valued at 50 pounds.
How many people lived in Paignton in 1086?+
The 1086 survey recorded 128 people in Paignton: 52 villagers, 40 smallholders and 36 slaves.
What land did Paignton have in 1086?+
The Domesday Book records Paignton as having land for 60 ploughs, 18 acres of meadow, 41 acres of woodland.
Where is Paignton today?+
Paignton is a settlement in the historic county of Devon, England.
Aubrey Research

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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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