Domesday BookSuffolkOnehouse
Suffolk · Domesday Book 1086

Onehouse in the Domesday Book

A settlement recorded in William the Conqueror's great survey of England, completed in 1086. 4 manors were recorded here.

In 1086, Onehouse was held by Nigel.

Historical Context

Onehouse 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 Onehouse, 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

Suffolk in the Domesday survey

Suffolk in 1086 shared with Norfolk a distinctive social character, with large numbers of free tenants and sokemen recorded in the eastern hundreds. The county's coastline supported fishing and trade, and its river valleys were productive agricultural land. Bury St Edmunds Abbey was the dominant ecclesiastical landowner, holding manors across a wide area of the county in the name of St Edmund, the martyred East Anglian king.

Common questions

Questions about Onehouse

Was Onehouse in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Onehouse was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Suffolk.
Who held Onehouse in 1086?+
In 1086, Onehouse was held by Nigel. The tenant-in-chief was Count Robert of Mortain.
Who held Onehouse before the Norman Conquest?+
Before the Conquest in 1066, Onehouse was held by Wihtmer.
What was Onehouse worth in the Domesday Book?+
In 1086, Onehouse was valued at 1 pound. The 1066 value was 1 pound, showing unchanged.
How many people lived in Onehouse in 1086?+
The 1086 survey recorded 22 people in Onehouse: 18 smallholders and 4 slaves.
What land did Onehouse have in 1086?+
The Domesday Book records Onehouse as having 1 plough in use, 4 acres of meadow.
Where is Onehouse today?+
Onehouse is a settlement in the historic county of Suffolk, England.
Aubrey Research

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