A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



lands as part of the fees in question, but that the lands which they had 

 held had subsequently formed part of the fees named. 



In spite, however, of all its drawbacks and of entries which, until 

 explained, would actually mislead the reader, this Survey has a real 

 value. If we take, for instance, Polebrook (' Pochebroc '), a township 

 of five hides, we find that in Domesday (2211^, 228) Eustace (the 

 sheriff) held a hide and a quarter in capite of the Crown and three hides 

 and three quarters as a tenant of Peterborough Abbey. Now our Survey 

 shows us the former holding in the hands of Robert de Cauz, while the 

 other has been broken up, two-thirds of it passing to Walter ' de Clop- 

 ton ' and one-third to Roger Marmion. One more instance may be 

 given. Our Survey reckons Clapton (' Cloptone ') as five and a quarter 

 hides, of which ' Walter ' held one and a quarter in capite, having here 

 again succeeded Eustace, whose Domesday estate at ' Dotone ' should 

 have been entered as at ' Clotone.' On the other hand, the Polebrook 

 evidence goes to show that the fief of Eustace the sheriff did not, as 

 has been alleged, pass to his heirs. But perhaps the most remarkable 

 correction afforded by the Survey below is that of an entry found in 

 Domesday Book itself. At Wadenhoe there were, according to Domes- 

 day (see p. 309 above), two distinct estates belonging to the bishop of 

 Coutances, and held of him by a certain ' Albericus,' who is proved by our 

 Survey to be no other than Aubrey de Vere himself One of these, con- 

 sisting of 2| hides, is duly accounted for below (p. 368) ; but the other, 

 of 2| hides, to which were appurtenant 3 virgates in Scaldwell, is not to 

 be found there. On the other hand we find, in this Survey, Aubrey de 

 Vere's heir holding land at Wold which cannot be accounted for in 

 Domesday. Now, remembering that Scaldwell is adjacent to Wold and 

 is surveyed immediately before it below, while Wadenhoe is in another 

 part of the county, it seems impossible to resist the conclusion that the 

 Domesday scribe confused entries belonging, one to ' Walde ' and the 

 other to ' Wadenho,' owing to their both being held by the same 

 tenant-in-chief and under-tenant. On this hypothesis all would be 

 explained, and the estate of 2| hides assigned by Domesday to Wadenhoe 

 would be really at Wold, with 3 virgates adjacent in Scaldwell. The 

 addition of the Crown's portion of Wold would give the De Veres a 

 substantial estate there, as recorded in this Survey, an estate which was 

 subsequently held of them as two knight's fees. 



Another instance in which this Survey affords us fresh information 

 is found in its entry on Tansor. It assigns the considerable holding 

 of 5I hides on this manor of Crown demesne to ' Hacuil de St. James,' 

 who is at first sight unrecognisable. But I believe him to have been 

 no other than Hasculf de St. James (sur Beuvron) temp. Henry I. Now 

 Stapleton has shown that this family of St. James was identical with 

 that of St. Hilaire (du Harcouet), being found under both names.' The 

 above Hasculf was succeeded by his son James, who is found in the 



* Rotul'i icaccati'i Normann'Uy I. Ixvi. 

 362 



