THE DOMESDAY SURVEY 



place-names entered as distinct in Domesday. For I have identified its 

 ' Culverts ' with the ' Richeham ' of the Survey, 1 while the ' Walfara ' 

 of Domesday preserved its name as a manor in Boreham of which even 

 the identity appears to be now lost. It is of some importance to keep 

 in view this type of Essex parish composed of several distinct ' vills,' 

 because the more salient Essex type is one which will have to be dis- 

 cussed below, namely that in which several parishes represent a single 

 ancient name. It is obvious that the marked contrast between these op- 

 posite types a contrast which the Domesday map brings into strong 

 relief may have an important bearing on the early settlement of the 

 county. For the present I will only cite two more instances of parishes 

 representing an aggregate of Domesday ' vills.' Finchingfield includes 

 Boyton (' Boituna ') and Ashwell (' Assewella ') ; and Arkesden com- 

 prised the ' vills ' of Eynesworth (' Eineswrda ') and ' Wiggepet,' of 

 which the very names are now lost, 2 while their identity was ' not to be 

 distinguished' when Morant wrote (ii. 588). I have succeeded however 

 in tracing them by the help of the (Saffron) Walden cartulary.* 



We will now turn to what is, perhaps, for the task of identification 

 the most difficult Hundred in the county, namely that of Dengie (the 

 ' Witbrictesherna ' of the text). Of the twenty-one parishes in the 

 Hundred, the names of no fewer than seven * are not to be found in 

 Domesday. On the other hand, there are several manors named in the 

 great Survey of which the identity is difficult, if not impossible to de- 

 termine ; and wild guesses have naturally led to almost hopeless con- 

 fusion. Althorne is not represented by the ' Eltenai ' (or ' Altenai ') of 

 Domesday,' which is proved by the St. John's Cartulary to have been 

 Iltney in Mundon. The ' Acleta ' of Eudo Dapifer cannot represent 

 Asheldam, 8 which must, from the evidence of records, have been held 

 by Suain of Essex. ' Eistanes ' is Little Easton and not Stow Maries. 7 

 The ' Lachentuna ' of Hugh de Montfort is Latchingdon itself (as the 

 very records cited by Morant prove), and not a manor in Purleigh ; and 

 it is nothing but a guess that ' Ulwinescherham ' was Steeple (which 

 was ' Stepla ' in Domesday) or that ' Weneswic ' was Westwick in 

 Burnham, an identity which the records cited by Morant himself put 

 out of the question. 



It is easier, in the case of this Hundred, to demolish than to recon- 

 struct. But in one case at least an important identity can be proved. 

 The great parish of Bradwell-by-the-Sea contains rather over 5,000 

 acres ; and in it, as we might expect, were several distinct manors. 

 Morant believed that Bradwell Hall, which formed its south-western 

 portion, was the ' Effecestre ' of Domesday, and that Down Hall, to the 

 north, was its ' Duna ' ; Battails he could not identify in Domesday, and of 

 East Hall he began the history in 1627. But I have identified the two 



1 See p. 387 above, p. 519 below. 



* It would seem possible that the former name is preserved in the surname Ainsworth ; for the 

 ' Eilcsford ' and ' Eilesberia ' of Domesday are now Aylesford and Aylesbury. * See pp. 476, 568 below. 



* Althorne, Asheldam, Bradwell, Mayland, St. Lawrence, Snoreham and Stow Maries. 



Morant, i. 361. ' Ibid. i. 367, and p. 393 below. 7 See p. 3Q3 below. 



391 



