A HISTORY OF ESSEX lands in Haylesdon, Munden and Mayland ' (i. 349). 1 This manor of ' East Whytenham ' leads us to another inquiry. The only manor Morant could discover was that of ' West Whetenham and Flambards ' in the parish of Cold Norton (i. 349). Yet he knew that 'in 1294 John de Wytenham held of Philip Burnel in Wytenham in the parish of Stow (Maries) one carucate of land by the service of a knight and a half (i. 350). Now due east of Flambards, the manor-house of West Whettenham (afterwards ' West Whetnams '), we still find ' Whitmans,' five furlongs off. I feel confident that ' Whitmans ' is a mere corruption of Whitnams, and that it represents the lost East Whittenham. 3 We may now take a step further. Philip Burnel held an estate formed of manors which Robert Gernon had held in 1086, and the house of Montfichet after him. Accordingly we find a Roger ' de Wytenham ' holding by knight service of Richard de Montfichet ; 3 and, working back to Domesday, we discover Robert Gernon holding a hide and a half in ' Witham ' as well as a manor in Purleigh. It has been naturally supposed by the historians of Essex that this entry relates to Witham where Robert Gernon had a manor, which is entered in its proper place. But as Domesday assigns the above ' Witham,' like Purleigh, to Dengie Hundred, it was probably the existing ' Whitnams,' which immediately adjoins Purleigh. 4 For Stow Maries I have now to suggest a novel identification. The evidence cited by Morant himself (i. 350) shows that it was held of the Bohuns, the heirs of Geoffrey de Mandeville, as two knights' fees. Now Domesday assigns to Geoffrey, in this Hundred, the manors of ' Fenna ' (or ' Phenna ' 6 ) and (apparently) ' Weneswic.' On turning to the carta of his heir, eighty years later, we find a ' Willelmus de Fenna ' holding of him two knights' fees ; 8 and these, I suggest, clearly represent Stow Maries. It is interesting to observe that this parish, which from Stow Creek to Clements Green Creek abuts on the Crouch, adjoins Fambridge, which appears to have derived its name ' Fanbruge ' or ' Phenbruge ' from the fen formed by the Crouch, while, to its west, ' Fen creek ' leads up to ' Woodham fen.' 7 Althorne, which was wrongly identified by Morant with the 1 The ' Hailesdune ' of Domesday became Hellesdon in Norfolk, and in Lincolnshire its ' Hain- tune ' is now ' Hainton.' It is most improbable therefore on this ground that Hayes, in Essex, repre- sents either ' Haintuna ' or ' Halesduna.' From the latter, doubtless, the Robert ' de Halesdon ' of Ancient Deeds, A. 538, derived his name. 2 This corruption is similar to that by which, as I have shown in a note to the text (p. 456), the ' Samantuna ' of Domesday became Sampton, and is now represented by Sampsons. The addition also of the final is found in Dengie Hundred, where the ' Uleham ' of Domesday is now ' Uleham's farm.' 3 Testa de Nevill, pp. 263, 277. 4 The Berkshire Wittenham is represented by three entries in Domesday, in all of which it is ' Witeham.' 8 I have suggested that these entries are duplicates (see p. 410 below). 6 Red Book of the Exchequer, p. 346. 7 I have not been able to identify ' Weneswic ' in this Hundred, but it may just conceivably be re- presented by ' Wellinditch,' a farm in Stow Maries, which adjoins ' Morris ' farm, of which the name is corrupted from ' Mareys,' the family who gave name to the parish (it is Mareys on Morant's map). Although one does not associate the word ' fen ' with Essex, the name of ' Orsett fen ' (as it is still termed) is found at an early date. ' Bulphan fen ' is near it. 394
