A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



case with the churches on the royal demesne, which we usually find, in other 

 counties, richly endowed. The most interesting feature is found in the glimpses 

 of the clergy's family life. At Thetford the mother-church of St. Mary, which 

 had been held by Archbishop Stigand, was, at the time of the survey, in the 

 hands of ' the sons of Erfast,' the late bishop.^ His predecessor, iEthelmccr, we 

 saw, had been married ; his wife had brought him an estate at Blofield, which 

 passed with the see to Bishop William.* Of Hemsby, surveyed just after it, we 

 read that he had been given it by his brother Stigand, who seems to have 

 obtained it in doubtful fashion, but that thenceforth it had passed with the 

 see. This confusion of private and ofEcial estate is not uncommon in 

 Domesday. Towards the end of the county survey we find the lands of an 

 Englishman, Edmund the son of Payn, in the hands of Rainald the priest 

 'cum filia Pagani,' whom he had presumably married. 



In dealing with the Domesday tenants-in-chief we have learnt inci- 

 dentally something about their predecessors, both before and after King 

 Edward's death. We may, however, take occasion to mention the Siward 

 who appears as holding land in Sherringham, Salthouse, and Beckham, 

 under the title of ' Seiard,' or ' Seiar ' Bar,* Siward held land in several 

 counties and is known as one of the companions of Hereward.* His Norfolk 

 estate was held at the date of the survey by William de Scohies.^ As might be 

 expected, many of the pre-Conquest holders had Danish names, such as Ketel, 

 Ulfketel, Thurketel, Thorgrim, and so forth. Some of them are described as 

 thegns, either of King Edward, as Alsi,* Hagane,^ Edric (of Laxfield),* Olf,' 

 Edwin,^" Leuolt,^' Fradre,^' Leofric son of Bosa,"^ Ordinc,^* Alric,^' Toreth," or of 

 other persons. Thus, Harold had three thegns, Alestan,'^ Alfere,''^ and Aluric;^' 

 and Stigand two, Algar"" and Offo.^^ At Saxlingham'' we find Stergar,a huscarl; 

 and Edric, the king's steersman, held land at Bradiston."* 



Many of the holders of land before the Conquest seem to have been 

 ladies. In Norfolk we know the names of about a dozen, the chief of whom 

 is that Ailid whose lands in the three eastern counties went to make up the 

 fief of Ralf Bainard.*** We also find an Alveva to whom William de 

 Warenne succeeded at Feltwell, Woodrising, and Grimston,"° and hear of the 

 wives of such great landholders as Ulchetel^' and Earl Ralf." Not the least 

 interesting are the kinswomen of the bishops, Stigand's sister, who had land 

 in Norwich,"^ Aylmer's wife, before he became bishop,"' and Arfast's niece 

 Helewis.^" We hear incidentally of smaller holders, such as the poor widow 

 who held Aluin's land in Mileham and Bittering, and ' nichil reddit quia 

 nichil habet,'" Godric paying her rent for her. At Seething a poor nun 



' Dom. Bk. f. ii8*. »Ibid.f. 195. 'Ibid. ff. 223^, 128. 



' Mr. Round has discussed the identity of this Siward in F.C.H. If'anvick, i, 283 seq. The surname 

 certainly suggests a connexion with the Northumbrian family, but Mr. Searle {Ang-Sax. Bishops, etc. 446), 

 apparently on Orderic's authority, calls him ' tribunus Merciorum ' and son of .^thelgar. 



' A ver}' great landowner, Ansgar the staller, is incidentally mentioned under Riston (J. H. R.). 



' Dom. Bk. f 130. ' Ibid, f 130^. '^ Ibid. f. 178. 



' Ibid. f. 180. ■» Ibid. f. 203. " Ibid. f. 208. 



" Ibid. f. 226. '^ Ibid. f. 228^. " Ibid. f. 2293. 



'^ Ibid. f. 2^6b. " Ibid. f. 250. '" Ibid. f. i8ii. 



'' Ibid. f. 244. '' Ibid. f. 268. " Ibid. f. 152*. 



" Ibid. f. 186. '' Ibid, f 266. " Ibid. f. 200. 



" F. C.H. Essex, i, 347. " Dom. Bk. ff. iSob, 162, 167. 



*"• Ibid. f. 182*. " Ibid. f. 244. '' Ibid. f. 116. 



" Ibid. f. 195. •» Ibid. f. zoob. " Ibid. f. 121. 



22 



