Preston Bagot Medieval Settlement

1 The possible extent of the Medieval settlement, based on the first edition 6″ map of 1886, 32 SW.
2 The ridge and furrow plotting for the parish shows no sign of abandoned houses to help in siting the settlement.
3 Domesday has two entries for Preston Bagot in Ferncombe Hundred. The Phillimore edition has a grid reference of 17,65, which is the grid ref of the manor house centre rather than that of the church.
Ref 16,18 (Land of the Count of Meulan) Thorbern held it ; he was a free man. 5 hides. Land for three ploughs. In lordship 1 plough; 2 slaves. 7 smallholders with 1 Frenchman have 1 plough. A mill at 16s; woodland 1 league long and 1/2 league wide; when exploited value 10s. The value was 30s; now 50s.
Ref 16,62 in Preston (Bagot) 5 hides. Hugh holds from him. Land for 3 ploughs. In lordship 1/2 plough; 2 slaves; 1 villager and 3 smallholders with 1 plough. The value was 30s; now 40s. Brictnoth held it freely before 1066.
4 The first edition map shows the church, church farm and rectory to the north and 600m to the south there is the corn mill, the manor house and Preston Bagot Farm, with the canal through the middle. Otherwise just a few tiny buildings in between. The Phillimore edition of Domesday gives the grid ref for the medieval village as the manor house centre, although our record for the manor house [WA3681] has a post medieval date. It may of course overlie an earlier structure. Ridge and furrow survival abuts the church site, there is some in the middle and more to the south of the manor house. The Dugdale map of 1787 just shows the church, and Greenwood’s of 1822 only has one or two buildings. Domesday indicates a moderately valuable settlement, but its hard to see from this first edition map where they lived.