EARLY HISTORY. 153 



We have no means of knowing the exact 

 boundaries of the forest at this time, but when 

 William the Conqueror annexed it with all the other 

 " ancient forests " — that is forests that were 

 accounted as such in the reign of Edward the 

 Confessor — he was also in possession of Porlock^ 

 Winsford, Nettlecombe, and the other possessions 

 of the Saxon kings. The forest of Exmoor, being 

 dominium regis, is not included in the Doomsday 

 survey which was made for taxation purposes only^ 

 but we find from that source that the manor of 

 Withypool was held at the time of the Conquest by 

 Dodo, Ulmar, and Godric, who are described as 

 " three foresters of Exmoor," and the land was 

 adjudged to be thaneland, held direct of the Crown^ 

 as was also land held by Dodo in Winsford, probably 

 the farms of Worth and Westwater. 



These lands William seized and bestowed them 

 on one D'Auberville or D'Odburville, one of his 

 servants, on whom he also conferred the King's Park 

 and the office of forester of the royal forest at 

 Petherton. 



The name occurs in the list of those to whom the 

 Conqueror granted lands, after the names of all the 

 churchmen and great nobles. " D'Auberville et alii 

 servientes." William rewarded a number of his. 

 servants with manors in Somerset. To Humphrey his 

 Chamberlain he granted Curry Rivel and Curry Malet;, 

 Hugh Butler, the King's Cup Bearer, held lands 

 near Stoke Courcy under the de Courcys ; John the 



