Gloucestershire · Local History

The History of Sturden

A place in Gloucestershire 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, Sturden was held by Gosmer.

The record

What the Domesday Book records for Sturden

When William the Conqueror's commissioners surveyed Sturden in 1086, they recorded a manor held by Gosmer, who held from Bishop Geoffrey of Coutances.

The settlement was assessed at 1 hide for tax. The record notes 1 plough team at work. The manor was valued at 16 shillings in 1086, down from 1 pound in 1066.

The record in full
Held in 1086 by
Gosmer
Tenant-in-chief
Bishop Geoffrey of Coutances
Value in 1086
16 shillings (1 pound in 1066)
Taxable assessment
1 hide
Ploughs at work
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 →

Sturden was one of the settlements recorded in Gloucestershire in the 1086 survey. Gloucestershire in the Domesday survey →

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Everything a full report reveals about Sturden

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Sturden'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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Archaeology

Archaeological finds near Sturden

1,039 recorded finds have been logged within about 5 miles of Sturden, reported by members of the public and entered in the national record of archaeological finds. They span these periods:

Roman: 809Medieval: 99Post medieval: 92Iron age: 13Early medieval: 6Neolithic: 5Bronze age: 4Mesolithic: 2
Landscape

The ground beneath Sturden

The bedrock beneath Sturden is South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation (Westphalian).

Common questions

Questions about Sturden

Was Sturden in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Sturden was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Gloucestershire.
Who held Sturden in 1086?+
In 1086, Sturden was held by Gosmer. The tenant-in-chief was Bishop Geoffrey of Coutances.
What was Sturden worth in the Domesday Book?+
In 1086, Sturden was valued at 16 shillings. The 1066 value was 1 pound, showing a fall.
What land did Sturden have in 1086?+
The Domesday Book records Sturden as having 1 plough in use.
Where is Sturden today?+
Sturden is a settlement in the historic county of Gloucestershire, England.
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Discover Sturden'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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