The Domesday Survey, 1086

The so-called Domesday Book is in all probability the official summary of the survey of 1086 arranged by county and thereafter by the holders of land in those counties, with subdivisions by hundreds and (named) places.

In the county of Grentebrigscire (Cambridgeshire) there are three references to Caldecote.

(1) Count Alan's land

The first occurs in Chapter XIII under the land held by Count Alan (of Britanny) who held the honour of Richmond in Yorkshire. Count Alan was a considerable land holder in Cambridgeshire with land in Fulboum, Cherry Hinton, Teversham, Horseheath, West Wickham, Barham, Linton, Cambridge, Abington, Babraham, Pampisford, Whittlesford, Duxford, Fowlmcre, Harston, Shelford, Hatley, Wendy, Bassingbourn, Whaddon, Meldreth, Melbourn, Grantchester, Haslingfield, Barrington, Shepreth, Orwell, Wratworth, Whitwell, Long Stanton, Waterbeach, Dry Drayton, Ditton, Cheveley, Swaffham, Badlingham, Exning, Burwell, Fordham, Isleham, Soham, Wicken, Dullingham, Stetchworth, Westley Waterless, Borough Green, Carlton, West Wratting and Balsham in addition to his holdings in the hundred of Stow. These holdings are listed as being (in order) in Eversden, Kingston, Toft, Bourn, Caldecote, Longstow and Hatley. Clearly therefore the Caldecote referred to here is our parish (there is always the danger that a reference to Caldecote may not in fact be “our” Caldecote).

In Caldecote tenet Almarus de comite dimidiam hidam. Terra est j carrucae et dimidiae. In dominio est j carruca et iij bordarii cum dimidia carruca. Ibi ij servi et pratum j carrucae et dimidiae. Nemus ad domos et saepes. Valet et valuit semper xxx solidos.

“In Caldecote Almar holds from count [Alan] half a hide. There is land for one and a half ploughs. There is one plough in the demesne and [there are] three bordars with half a plough. There [there are] two serfs and [there is] meadow for one and a half ploughs. [There is] coppice for the houses and fences. It is and always was worth thirty shillings.”

(2) Harduin de Scaler's land

The second reference occurs in Chapter XXIIII (sic) under the land of Harduin de Scalers. Harduin is listed as having land in Swaffham, Staploc hundred, Dullingham, Westley Waterless, Carlton, West Wrating, Horseheath, West Wickhami, Babraham, Pampisford, Whittlesford, Hinxton, Ickleton, Duxford, Hauxton, Shelford, Morden, Croydon, Wendy, Litlington, Abington Pigotts, Bassingboum, Whaddon, Meldreth, Melbourn, Shepreth, Orwell, Wratworth, Whitwell, Papworth, Elsworth, Connington, Boxworth, Over, Dry Drayton, Sletchworth, Balsham, Thriplow, in addition to the holdings in the holdings in the hundred of Long Stowe. These holdings are (in order) in Eversden, Kingston, Caldecote, Longstow, Caxton and Croxton. Once again, therefore, it seems safe to assume that the Caldecote referred to is “our” parish.

In Caldecote tenent ij milites de Harduino iij virgate et x acras. Terra est ij carucis et ibi sunt cum vj bordariis. Pratum ij carrucis. Valet et valuit lij solidos. Hanc teerram tenuerunt ij sochemanni sub Eddeva et potuerunt recedere.

“Two knights hold three virgates and ten acres from Harduin in Caldecote. There is land for two ploughs and they are there with six bordars. [There is] meadow for two ploughs. It was and is worth fifty-two shillings. Two sochemen held this land under Eddeva, and they might depart.”

One of the residences of Harduin was at Caxton Moats (which can still be seen on the footpath from Caxton to Eltisley).

(iii) David de Argentomago's land

The third reference occurs in Chapter XXXVII under the land of David de Argentomago. Only three holdings are listed for David in Cambridgeshire. There are (in order) two in the Hundred of Stow - (Caldecote and Croxton and one in the Chesterton Hundred (Westwick). There is a Caldecote mentioned on ancient maps just south of Croxton and this may possibly be a reference to that hamlet. Certainly David was lord of Croxton. It may well be, however, that the Croxton Caldecote is a later anachronism. Certainly all discussions on the Domesday Survey attribute David’s Caldecote estate to the vill bordering Bourn.

David de Argentomago in Caldecote tenet j virgatam et xx acras. Terra est j carrucae et ibi est cum iij bordariis et j cotario. Pratum j carrucae. Valet et valuit xx solidos; Tempore Regis Edwardi, xxx solidos. Hanc terram tenuit Sigar, homo Wallef comitis et recedere potuit.

“David de Argentomago holds one virgate and twenty acres in Caldecote. There is land for one plough and it is there with three bordars and one cottar. [There is] meadow for one plough. It is and was worth twenty shillings in the time of King Edward, 30 shillings. Sigar, the man of Earl Wallef, held this land, and he might depart.”

Caldecote as a vill

What can these three references tell us ? First of all they reveal that Caldecole was a vill or village within the hundred of Stow in the “shire” (the old English is “scit”) of the Borough of Cambridge. This shire was probably an artificial division representing the district occupied by the Danish armies and centred on the town of Cambridge. The shires were subdivided into “hundreds”, which were units of local government in the tenth century mainly dealing with the administration of justice and finance. In theory each hundred was assessed at 100 hides for the purposes of taxation. Hundreds were in turn subdivided into vills or villages each usually containing one or more manors (demesnes) in which the local peasantry were obliged to work.

Hides, virgates and acres

A hide consisted of 4 virgates and a virgate consisted of 30 acres. A hide, therefore, was 120 acres. However, this must not he taken as an actual measurement of acreage on the ground. It was more like a notional term for taxation purposes or in the medieval phrase “geld” liabilities. Thus, although we can deduce that the total “acreage” held by the three land owners in Caldecote was 200 acres (Table 1), this figure should not be taken as referring to actual acreage, but rather used as a guide to how much the village was liable to pay in tax.

Table 1. Deductions from the Domesday Survey of Caldecote

Land holder	Hides	Virgates	Acres	Total acres
Count Alan	½	-	-	60
Harduin	-	3	10	100
David	-	1	10	40
Total	½	4	20	200

Arable and meadowland

Arable land (usually referred to only by the Latin term “terra” or "land", as in our three references) was calculated in terms of plough-teams (carrucae) that could be employed on it. Each plough-team was considered to have eight oxen. The references to Caldecote provide land for four and a half plough-teams, i.e. 36 oxen, for Caldecote land holders; this was divided between the “demesne” land of the manor or home farm of the Lord (count Alan had one plough-team, Harduin none and David none) and the other classes of population (holding land for three and a half plough-teains). Meadowland (pratum) was land bordering a stream which produced hay and was usually two or three times more profitable than arable land. Our three references show that the unit of measurement for such meadowland was again the plough-team, with the total meadow given as land for four and a half plough-teams. In short, the total amount of arable and meadow is exactly equal. Whether this was simply an administrative total or an actual indication of the respective amounts of meadowland and arable is unclear, but the answer does have considerable implications for the Highfields area. Indeed if the total acreage of the parish in 1086 was only 200 acres then it can be confidently asserted that the boundaries of the parish could not have extended north of Stinnages Wood.

Population

The population of Caldecote can be deduced as 17, made up of 2 sokemen (who were free men and descendants of the rank and file of the Danish armies of the ninth century). They could or could not (i.e. they had the choice) dispose of their land without obtaining the permission of the land holder); 12 bordars, 1 cottars (bordars and cottars possibly cover the same basic class of “cottagers” and 2 serfs (bondmen or servi were undoubtedly slaves). It must not be assumed, however, that this was the total population of Caldecote at the time of the survey. These figures refer only to the heads of households and in order to reach an accurate figure of the population of Caldecote we must multiply (as most scholars now agree) by a figure of 5. This gives a population of 17 x 5 = 85 people living in (perhaps) 17 dwellings. Most if not all of these would have been either in the old village of Caldecote or on the hill above the village, i.e. in the vicinity of the present Carrara Pig Farm area. It can be concluded, therefore, that with a population of about 85 Caldecote was an established agricultural village in 1086.