Domesday BookEssexCrepping
Essex · Domesday Book 1086

Crepping in the Domesday Book

A settlement recorded in William the Conqueror's great survey of England, completed in 1086. 2 manors were recorded here.

In 1086, Crepping was held by Modwin.

Historical Context

Crepping in 1086

The Domesday Book was the result of a comprehensive survey ordered by William the Conqueror at Christmas 1085. Royal commissioners rode out across every county of England, recording the name and size of every settlement, who held it, what it was worth, and how that compared with the value it had held in the time of Edward the Confessor twenty years before.

For a settlement like Crepping, being entered in the Domesday Book was a defining moment in its history — a written acknowledgement of its existence by the new Norman state. The survey recorded the manor's lord, its taxable assessment in hides or carucates, the number of ploughs at work, and the population of villagers, smallholders and slaves who farmed the land.

The names of Domesday settlements reveal the deep roots of England's landscape. Many carry Saxon, Danish or even older origins — names that were already ancient when the Norman commissioners inscribed them in the great survey. Understanding a place's Domesday record is the first step in tracing the full arc of its history from the early medieval period to the present day.

About this area

Essex in the Domesday survey

Essex in 1086 was a densely settled county close to London, with fertile soils and strong connections to continental trade. The Norman nobility had taken over its Anglo-Saxon estates rapidly after the Conquest, and its proximity to the capital made it a county of considerable strategic importance. The Domesday survey records a patchwork of small and medium manors across its forested and agricultural landscape.

Historical context

Notable places nearby

Colchester
Roman town · ~6 miles
Common questions

Questions about Crepping

Was Crepping in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Crepping was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Essex.
Who held Crepping in 1086?+
In 1086, Crepping was held by Modwin.
Who held Crepping before the Norman Conquest?+
Before the Conquest in 1066, Crepping was held by Alward.
What was Crepping worth in the Domesday Book?+
In 1086, Crepping was valued at 10 shillings.
How many people lived in Crepping in 1086?+
The 1086 survey recorded 6 people in Crepping: 6 smallholders.
What land did Crepping have in 1086?+
The Domesday Book records Crepping as having 0.5 ploughs in use, 2 acres of meadow, 40 pigs of woodland.
Where is Crepping today?+
Crepping is a settlement in the historic county of Essex, England.
Aubrey Research

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