A place in Hampshire 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, Southampton was held by Richere the cleric.
When William the Conqueror's commissioners surveyed Southampton in 1086, they recorded 4 manors held by Richere the cleric, Winchester (St Peter & St Swithun), bishop of, King William, Bernard Pancevolt, Ralph of Mortimer, Aiulf the chamberlain, Ansketil son of Osmund, Cormeilles (Sainte-Marie), abbey of, Durand of Gloucester, Count of Evreux, Bishop G[eoffrey] of Coutances, Gilbert of Bretteville, Hugh of Grandmesnil, Hugh of Port, Humphrey the chamberlain, Lyre (Sainte-Marie), abbey of, Nigel the doctor, Osbern Giffard, Ralph of Tosny, Reginald (Cnut), Richard Poynant, Richere of les Andelys, Count Robert of Mortain, Stephen (son of Erhard), Turstin the chamberlain, Turstin the engineer, Wherwell (Holy Cross), abbey of and William son of Stur. Before the Conquest, in the time of King Edward, the land was held by Winchester (St Peter & St Swithun), bishop of, King Edward, Alric's sons, Cypping (of Worthy), Eskil the priest, Fugel, Gerwy (of Les Loges), Godwin of Worthy, Ketil (the steersman), Odo of Winchester and (Earl) Tosti.
The settlement was assessed at 5 hides for tax. There was land for 9 ploughs, with 9 plough teams at work (1 in the lord's demesne and 8 held by the villagers). The recorded population was 21 heads of household: 11 villagers, 9 smallholders and 1 slave. These are heads of household, so the settlement's true population was several times larger. Its recorded resources included meadow (23 acres) and woodland (20 swine render). The manors were valued at 17 pounds in 1086, up from 14 pounds in 1066.
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 →
Southampton was one of the settlements recorded in Hampshire in the 1086 survey. Hampshire in the Domesday survey →
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Southampton's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Nationally registered historic battlefields within 25 miles of Southampton.
3 recorded finds have been logged within about 5 miles of Southampton, reported by members of the public and entered in the national record of archaeological finds. They span these periods:
The bedrock beneath Southampton is Bracklesham Group And Barton Group (Undifferentiated) (Eocene).
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.