A HISTORY OF DORSET 



greater part of the Dorset survey is missing from Exon. Domesday all the livestock 

 figures need to be treated with some care and it is doubtful what conclusions can be 

 based on them. It is, however, immediately clear that sheep were overwhelmingly 

 important in the county's economy. There were 22,362 sheep recorded on the lands of 

 the 12 landowners covered by Exon. (see Table 4),^^ or approximately 88 per cent, of 

 the total livestock. ]\Iost of them were ewes [ores), which could provide both wool and 

 milk, but berbices, male sheep kept for mutton, are recorded at Renscombe (nos. 91 and 

 Iv) and Mapperton (nos. 283 and xciii). The numbers of sheep are an indication of the 

 importance of the wool trade even at this date.^^ 



The largest flocks belonged to the king and were at Cranborne (nos. 16 and xxii), 

 where there were 1,037 sheep, and Puddletown (nos. 8 and ii), where there were 1,600. 

 It is difficult to generalize about distribution from the incomplete data, but there 

 appear to have been more sheep on the western and southern slopes of the North Dorset 

 downs and in the valley of the Piddle than elsewhere. About 3,000 sheep are recorded in 

 this area.97 Exon. Domesdav, however, covers few manors in the north of Dorset, and 

 Cranborne, with its 1,037 sheep, mav have been the nucleus of an equally important 

 sheep-farming area. Over 2,000 sheep were pastured in the coastal areas opposite 

 Chesil Beach. ^^ Sheep provided not only wool and mutton but cheese and milk, which 

 was used much more than cow's milk. She-goats {capre), of which there were 811 in 

 Dorset, were also kept for meat and milk. Four manors which kept goats kept cows also : 

 Cranborne (nos. 16 and xxii); Ibberton (nos. 10 and v); Renscombe (nos. 91 and Iv); 

 and Farnham (nos. 396 and cxxix). Renscombe is the manor where only male sheep 

 {berbices) were recorded. Onlv 58 cows {vacce) are recorded and it is unusual to find more 

 than one or two on any single manor, although there were 4 at Ibberton, 4 at Holworth 

 (nos. 104 and Ixxviii), 5 at Winterborne Monkton (nos. 514 and xxxvii), 6 at Wintre- 

 burne {nos. 384andcxvi), 10 at Cranborne, and 13 at Staff^ord (nos. 383 and cxv). Animalia, 

 usually considered to mean cattle other than the plough-oxen, are more numerous, 

 amounting to 520 in all. Nine oxen {bores) are recorded at Affpuddle (nos. 80 and xliii). 

 The most numerous animals after the sheep were pigs {porci), presumably because they 

 were easy to feed, foraging for themselves in the woods and feeding off acorns and 

 beech mast. There were 1,613 pig^ recorded in Exon. Domesday. 



T.\BLE 4 



Livestock Recorded in Exon. Domesday 



The King 



Countess of Boulogne 

 Ceme Abbey 

 Abbotsbup.' Abbey 

 Ta\istock Abbey 

 Milton Abbey 

 William of Moyon . 

 Roger Arundel 

 Serle of Burcv 

 Wife of Hugh 

 Walter de Claville . 



Total 



Mares Asses 



13 



22,362 1,613 



814 



529 



"3 



S8 



'5 No livestock are in fact recorded at Purse Caundle, the western slopes of the downs there were 800 sheep at 



the single manor belonging to Athelney Abbey, which was 

 I of these 12. 



" Eileen Power, Medieval Eng. Wool Trade, 31-32. 



" There were 1,600 sheep at Puddletown, 393 at 

 Waterston, 300 at Tolpuddle, 260 at Little Puddle, 115 at 

 Burleston, 80 at Turners Puddle, and 12 at Affpuddle. On 



Burton Bradstock, 260 at Askerivell, 200 at Chilfrome, 158 

 at Powerstock, 150 at Compton Abbas, 108 at X. Poorton, 

 and 93 at Loders. 



" There were 600 sheep at Abbotsbury, 550 at Little- 

 bredy, and 900 at Portland (which included W'e>'mouth). 



24 



