Renhold 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.

There is no entry for Renhold as such in the Domesday Book, but there is one for Salph - clearly Salph End, but it may include most of the rest of Renhold too. The manor comprised five hides and contained eleven freemen, who held the manor in 1086 and “could buy and sell to whom they would”. This number represents the heads of household. To get an idea of the total population it is probably necessary to multiply this figure by a factor of at least four suggesting a total population of forty four or so. These freemen were dispossessed by the conquering Normans and their land was given to Hugh de Beauchamp who would later be created Baron of Bedford.

The manor included woodland for fifty pigs and had been worth £8 in 1066. By the time de Beauchamp acquired it the value had sunk to one hundred shillings, which remained its value in 1086. The Normans were conquerors and would have seen England as hostile territory, having contempt for its population. It is thought that the value of so many Bedfordshire manors decreased between 1066 and 1086 because of the depredations of the Norman armies as they moved north and east to crush rebellions.

It is interesting that Ralph Tallboys, whose wife Azelina held thirteen manors in Bedfordshire, was originally given this manor by William I (1066-1087). However, the Domesday Book entry tells us that Tallboys exchanged it with de Beauchamp for Ware and that the value when he acquired it was still £8, suggesting that it happened soon after the Conquest.