SOME EARLY WORCESTERSHIRE SURVEYS In most counties the Domesday Survey is followed by a period of peculiar darkness, for which we have no assistance from documents, and in which the changes of tenure were often great and violent. In Worcestershire, however, we are fortunate in possessing certain surveys which help us to bridge this dark period, especially one of the Hundred of Oswaldslow, which was printed by Hearne in Heming's Cartulary, but the date of which had not been realized till I showed that it belonged to the reign of Henry I. It may safely be dated as having been made between the years 1108 and 11 18. A translation of this survey, com- pared throughout with Domesday, is here appended. Survey of Oswaldslaw Hundred These are the 300 hides which belong to Oswaldes Lawes Hundred : Into Kemesige [Kempsey] are 24 hides. Of these Walter de Beauchamp has 9,* and Hugh Puiher 2,^ and the Bishop 13 with his demesnes. Into WiKE [Wick Episcopi] 15 hides. Of these Walter de Beauchamp (has) io|,* and Nicholas ^ (a hide) at Lawern,* and Hugh Fitz Osbern i at Kodere [Cotheridge],^ and the Bishop 3 with his dem[esne]. In Fledebyri [Fladbury] 40 hides. Of these the bishop of Hereford (has) 5 hides,^ and Walter de Beauchamp 22 hides, and Hugh de Laci 10 hides,^ and the Bishop 3 with his demesne. ^ i.e. the 7 at Mucknell, Stoughton, and Wolverton which had been held by Urse, and the 2 at Wolverton which Roger de Laci had held. ^ i.e. the 2 at Whittington which Walter
- Ponther ' had held.
^ i.e. the 9f which Urse had held, and apparently | hide more.
- i.e. the half hide which Robert the De-
spencer had held there. ^ Which his father Osbern had held there. " At Inkberrow. ' He seems to have secured 5 more in addi- tion to the 12 held by Urse and the 5 held by Robert the Despencer in 1086.
- The 10 hides at Bishampton which Roger
de Laci had held in 1086. In Bredune [Bredon] 35 hides. Of these the monks of Worcester (have) 4 hides,' and Walter de Beauchamp 16 hides,^" and the King I hide,^^ and ' Gile ' i hide, and the Bishop 13 with his dem[esne].** In RiPPEL [Ripple] and Uptune [Upton on-Severn] 25 hides. Of these Walter de Beauchamp (has) 6 hides,*' and Hugh de Laci 3,** and the King 2,'* and the Bishop 14 with his demesne.*^ ' At Teddington and Mitton. 10 The 16 hides at Redmarley d'Abitot, Pendock, Little Washbourne, and Westman- cote, which Urse had held in 1086.
- At Bushley, which was in the King's
hands in this survey, as in Domesday.
- ^ On this manor the Bishop had gained, for
he had only 10 hides in demesne in 1086, Durand having 2 at Bredons Norton, and ^thelric the archdeacon 2 at Cutsdean. " To the ' I hide held by Urse,' in 1086, he had evidently added the 5 hides at Crombe (d'Abitot), which Siward had held at the time of Domesday.
- The 3 hides at Hill Crombe, which Roger
de Laci had held in 1086.
- ^ At Queenhill and the adjoining 'Burge-
lege ' of Domesday, as in 1086.
- ® The Bishop had increased his 13 hides to
14 by regaining the hide at Crombe, which Ordric had held in 1086. 324
