By the Rev. F. H. Manley. 285 
Somerford were called Downfield, Broadfield, and Westfield, and 
the principal common pastures New Leaze, South Mead, the Moor, 
in Horsham on the right ; Rodmead, Broadmead, and the Wythe 
on the left side of the river, and at Startley, the Breaches and the 
Marshes. At the time of the enclosure, in 1809, these open fields 
are said to have contained some 900 acres, while the enclosed lands 
and grounds contained some 700 acres. The original arrangement 
seems to have been large arable common lands, Downfield to the 
east, Broadfield to the south, and Westfield to the west, close round 
the village, and beyond these, to the west and east and, on the 
north, on the other side of the river, large open pastures. But by 
1809, through private agreements, almost half of the land in the 
parish had become enclosed, and the Enclosure Act of that day 
was only the last stage in a process which had been going on for 
centuries. 
In Domesday, “Sumreford” is mentioned six times, and as no 
distinction is made between the parishes of Great and Little 
| Somerford and Somerford Keynes, there is some difficulty in 
| deciding which sections refer to the different parishes. Canon 
Jones has gone fully into the matter and concludes that the 
following refer to our present parish :— 
(a) The Land of Humphry De L’Isle. 
Robert holds Sumreford of Humphrey. Edwin held it 
in the time of King Edward, and it paid geld for 3 hides 
and 24 acres. The land is 3 carucates. Of this there are 
in demesne 2 hides. There are 7 bordars, and 16 coscets, 
having 2 carucates; and the third part of a mill paying 8 
shillings; and 10 acres of meadow. The pasture is 3 
furlongs long, and 1 furlong broad. In Malmesbury 1 
burgess pays 12 pence. It was, and is, worth 60 shillings. 
(6) Land of Alured of Marlborough. 
Siward holds Sumreford of Alured. Alnod held it in 
the time of King Edward, and it paid geld for 3 hides, and 
24 acres of land. The land is 3 carucates. Of this 
there are in demesne 2 hides, and there is 1 carucate, 
and 2 serfs; and there are 3 villans, and 2 bordars, and 
