DOMESDAY SURVEY 



predecessor of that Dunning^ who was living in the early years after the date 

 of Domesday, and with whom the genealogy of the ancient family of 

 Lathom commences. 



For some of his lands Ughtred enjoyed, greater liberties than his neigh- 

 bours, in that he was exempt from all forfeitures, except breach of the 

 peace, premeditated assault (forsteal), house-breaking, renewing a fray after 

 having sworn to desist, failure to pay a debt when condemned to do so by 

 the reeve, and disregarding a summons from the reeve to attend him upon a 

 set day, for which offences he was liable to a fine of 40J. Another thegn, 

 by name Dot, held one hide in Huyton and Tarbock exempt from all 

 customary services except geld. No other thegns held manors in West 

 Derby hundred of more than average size or exempt from forfeitures ; 

 except that fifteen manors rated at three hides had been pardoned the rent of 

 4/. 14J. 8^., which they had formerly paid to the king. These three hides 

 were also exempt from paying fines for bloodshed and rape, which fines were 

 retained by the thegns instead of being handed over to the king. These 

 remissions were possibly granted to compensate for the low-lying position of 

 these manors and their liability to inundations. In Newton hundred two of 

 the fifteen drengs, who held 24 carucates amongst them, had 5 carucates 

 in their two manors, and took to their own profit the forfeitures of bloodshed 

 and rape, and Likewise the pannage of swine belonging to their men or under 

 tenants. The thirty-four drengs in Warrington hundred, whose manors 

 averaged a carucate and a half, do not appear to have differed much 

 in status. 



In Salford hundred the manors or berewicks were of much larger size, 

 twenty-one berewicks containing iij hides and loj carucates, being an 

 average of 3I carucates each. The survey makes particular mention of one 

 thegn, Gamel of Rochdale, who held the whole of that lordship in 1066, 

 but at the date of Domesday had lost all but two carucates — possibly repre- 

 senting his demesne of Castleton. He was exempt from all customary 

 services and forfeitures, except for theft, house-breaking, ' forsteal,' breach of 

 peace, neglecting the reeve's summons, and renewing a fray after swearing 

 to desist ; for which offences a fine of 40J-. was the penalty. In this 

 hundred there were in 1066 derelict or waste lands belonging to the demesne 

 rated at 12 carucates. The unfertile, cold, and hilly nature of part of this 

 hundred seems the most likely explanation of the statement in the survey 

 respecting the thegnslands, that ' some of these estates were quit from all 

 custom except [Dane-] geld, and a few are even quit from [Dane-] geld.' In 

 Blackburn hundred the twenty-eight manors held by freemen averaged 

 just over 2J carucates each. It is, however, probable that the individual 

 manors varied considerably on either side of the average. 



When we cross the Ribble to examine the survey of the regions lying 

 to the north, the question presents itself whether the Conqueror's surveyors 

 ever visited the regions of Amounderness, Lonsdale, Kendal, and Furness. 

 The account of them in Domesday Book partakes more of the nature of a Geld 

 book than of a survey, and one cannot avoid coming to the conclusion either 

 that the district was not visited, or that it was so nearly waste in 1086 that 

 it was not possible to survey it further than appears to have been done. 



1 Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), /[ozb, 

 I 273 35 



