Herefordshire · Local History

The History of Ewyas

A place in Herefordshire 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, Ewyas was held by Osbern.

The record

What the Domesday Book records for Ewyas

When William the Conqueror's commissioners surveyed Ewyas in 1086, they recorded 3 manors held by Osbern, William (Devereux), Roger (of Lacy), Alfred of Marlborough, Arnold, a man-at-arms, Gilbert, Ralph, Richard, Turstin (of Wigmore), Warner of Ewyas, William, (another) William and (a third) William, under Roger of Lacy and Henry of Ferrers.

The settlement was assessed at 14.26 hides for tax. There was land for 2 ploughs, with 18 plough teams at work (11 in the lord's demesne and 7 held by the villagers). The recorded population was 34 heads of household: 31 smallholders and 3 slaves. These are heads of household, so the settlement's true population was several times larger. Its recorded resources included meadow (22 acres). The manors were valued at 11.32 pounds in 1086.

The record in full
Holdings
3 manors
Held in 1086 by
Osbern; William (Devereux); Roger (of Lacy); Alfred of Marlborough; Arnold, a man-at-arms; Gilbert; Ralph; Richard; Turstin (of Wigmore); Warner of Ewyas; William; (another) William; (a third) William
Tenant-in-chief
Roger of Lacy; Henry of Ferrers
Value in 1086
11.32 pounds
Taxable assessment
14.26 hides
Ploughland
land for 2 ploughs
Ploughs at work
18
Recorded population
31 smallholders, 3 slaves
Meadow
22 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 →

Ewyas was one of the settlements recorded in Herefordshire in the 1086 survey. Herefordshire in the Domesday survey →

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Everything a full report reveals about Ewyas

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Ewyas'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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Historical context

Notable places nearby

Kenchester
Roman town · ~9.5 miles
Archaeology

Archaeological finds near Ewyas

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

Medieval: 5Bronze age: 2Post medieval: 2Roman: 1
Landscape

The ground beneath Ewyas

The bedrock beneath Ewyas is Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated) (Pridoli).

Common questions

Questions about Ewyas

Was Ewyas in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Ewyas was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Herefordshire.
Who held Ewyas in 1086?+
In 1086, Ewyas was held by Osbern. The tenant-in-chief was Roger of Lacy.
What was Ewyas worth in the Domesday Book?+
In 1086, Ewyas was valued at 1 pound.
How many people lived in Ewyas in 1086?+
The 1086 survey recorded 34 people in Ewyas: 31 smallholders and 3 slaves.
What land did Ewyas have in 1086?+
The Domesday Book records Ewyas as having 3 ploughs in use.
Where is Ewyas today?+
Ewyas is a settlement in the historic county of Herefordshire, England.
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