Langford in 1086

Domesday Book was commissioned by William the Conqueror (1066-1087) at Christmas 1085. It was designed to show who held every piece of land in the newly conquered Kingdom of England. It was known colloquially as the Domesday Book because it was seen as being as final as the Last Judgement and as difficult to conceal things from. The book does not cover the whole country - Cumberland, Durham, Northumberland, and Westmorland were omitted and London and Winchester likewise, along with some other towns. A separate book, called Little Domesday covered the counties of Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk and, despite its name, it is actually bigger and more detailed than the Great Domesday Book containing the other counties.

The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded that the Manor of Langford was held by King Edward, whose tenant was Leofwin, a freeman of Caddington in 1066. By 1086 the manor was held by Walter of Flanders, he was also the tenant in chief.

The manor was noted as containing 12 villagers, 7 smallholders and 5 slaves in Aspley - 24 heads of household. This figure should be multiplied by a factor of at least four to account for these men's dependents giving a total population of, perhaps, a little under a hundred. The manor included two mills, valued at £1.6s.7d, pasture for 300 sheep and woodland for 16 pigs. There was also meadow for 16 ploughs. It had been worth £15 in 1066 but had increased to £15.10s by 1086.