Domesday Book›Gloucestershire›Upper Coberley
Gloucestershire · Local History

The History of Upper Coberley

Also recorded as: [Upper] Coberley

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, Upper Coberley was held by Walter son of Poyntz.

The record

What the Domesday Book records for Upper Coberley

When William the Conqueror's commissioners surveyed Upper Coberley in 1086, they recorded a manor held by Walter son of Poyntz and York (St Peter), archbishop of. Before the Conquest, in the time of King Edward, it was held by Gloucester (St Peter), abbey of.

The settlement was assessed at 24 hides for tax. The record notes 55 plough teams at work (8 in the lord's demesne and 47 held by the villagers). The recorded population was 91 heads of household: 63 villagers, 16 smallholders and 12 slaves. These are heads of household, so the settlement's true population was several times larger. Its recorded resources included 3 mills. The manor was valued at 42 pounds in 1086, up from 18 pounds in 1066.

The record in full
Held in 1086 by
Walter son of Poyntz; York (St Peter), archbishop of
Held in 1066 by
Gloucester (St Peter), abbey of
Value in 1086
42 pounds (18 pounds in 1066)
Taxable assessment
24 hides
Ploughs at work
55
Recorded population
63 villagers, 16 smallholders, 12 slaves
Mills
3

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 →

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

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Upper Coberley

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Upper Coberley'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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Upper Coberley report
Or see a real report first
Historical context

Notable places nearby

Gloucester
Roman town · ~9.2 miles
Archaeology

Archaeological finds near Upper Coberley

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

Roman: 621Medieval: 153Post medieval: 80Iron age: 53Early medieval: 29Neolithic: 12Bronze age: 7Mesolithic: 3Palaeolithic: 1
Landscape

The ground beneath Upper Coberley

The bedrock beneath Upper Coberley is Inferior Oolite Group (Bathonian).

Common questions

Questions about Upper Coberley

Was Upper Coberley in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Upper Coberley was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Gloucestershire.
Who held Upper Coberley in 1086?+
In 1086, Upper Coberley was held by Walter son of Poyntz. The tenant-in-chief was York (St Peter), archbishop of.
Who held Upper Coberley before the Norman Conquest?+
Before the Conquest in 1066, Upper Coberley was held by Gloucester (St Peter), abbey of.
What was Upper Coberley worth in the Domesday Book?+
In 1086, Upper Coberley was valued at 42 pounds. The 1066 value was 18 pounds, showing a rise.
How many people lived in Upper Coberley in 1086?+
The 1086 survey recorded 91 people in Upper Coberley: 63 villagers, 16 smallholders and 12 slaves.
What land did Upper Coberley have in 1086?+
The Domesday Book records Upper Coberley as having 55 ploughs in use.
Where is Upper Coberley today?+
Upper Coberley is a settlement in the historic county of Gloucestershire, England.
Aubrey Research

Discover Upper Coberley'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.

Start your Aubrey reportView a sample report
Covers any location in England, Scotland or Wales