Liverpool Domesday Book Record Translated

Liverpool and wider Merseyside
Domesday Book record translation

Learn your Wulfberts from your Beornwulfs!
Find out who owned what in the “West Derby Hundred” in 1086.
This is the original Latin page from the Norman Domesday Book.
The rough translation is below. It lists many placenames that still exist today.

The main landowner at the time is listed as Uhtred (also translated over history as both Uchtred and Uhtræd )
Uhtred was a descendent of the Kings of Northumbria. Anglo-Saxon Northern Merseyside was once part of this kingdom.

Click here to read more about Norman Liverpool and how the Domesday book was created.

Liverpool Domesday Book Page

Map of Anglo-Saxon Merseyside in 1086.
The West Derby Hundred (Roughly a 100 farms)


Summary of main places in the West Derby Hundred (Merseyside) Domesday Book Page

Modern Place

Recorded in Domesday Book as Name Meaning Owned By:

Value

Allerton Alretune Village with Alder trees 3 Thenes (Noblemen) 8 Shillings
Bootle Boltelai A place with important building (Dwelling) 1 Priest
4 Thenes (Noblemen)
5 Shillings
Childwall Cileuuelle Field of the well / spring. Possibly where children swam? 1 Priest
4 Radmen (Riders) Knights for the Lord of the area.
8 Shillings
Crosby Crosebi Village with a cross Uthred Non Given
Formby Fornebei Old Village
Possibly owned by Forni family
3 Thenes (Noblemen) 10 Shillings
Huyton Hitune A High Town Dot 1 Pound
Kirkby Cherchebi Village with Church Uthred None Given
Kirkdale Chirchedele Road to the Church Uthred 10 Shillings
Litherland Liderlant Sloping Land Almer 8 Shillings
Roby Rabil Boundary farm Uthred None Given
Sefton Sextone Settlement near rushes
(steam side plants)
5 Thenes (Noblemen) 16 Shillings
Smithdown Esmedune Area running downhill (smooth down?) Aethelmund 2 Shillings
Speke Spec Place with dry woodland Uthred 5 Shillings
Tarbock Torboc Stream / Brook Dot None Given
Toxteth Stochestede A stockade (an enclosure) to protect livestock.
Possibly deer.
Uhtred 5 Shillings
Walton Waletone An old town with woods Wynstan 8 Shillings
Wavertree Wauretreu Tall moving trees Leofing 5 Shillings
West Derby Derbei Deer Park
(West of Derbyshire)
King Edward £26 Pounds
Wootlon Uluentune  Wulfa’s village Wulfbert 2 Shillings

Rough Translation of whole Domesday Book Page:

Roger de Poitou held the undermentioned land
between the Ribble and the Mersey in West Derby Hundred.

There King Edward had 1 manor called West Derby, with 6 Berewicks.
There are 4 hides. There is land for 15 ploughs. There is a forest 2 leagues long and 1 broad and a hawk’s eyrie.

This manor of West Derby with these aforesaid hides rendered to King Edward 26l2s at farm.
Of these, 3 hides were free, the rent of which he pardoned to the thegns (noblemen) who held them. These rendered 4l14 s8d.

All these thegns had by custom to render 2 orae of pennies for each carucate of land, and by custom they made the king’s houses and whatever belonged to them, like villans, and the fisheries and the enclosures in the woodland, and the deer hays; and the man who did not go to these works when he ought paid a fine of 2s , and afterwards came to the work and laboured until it was completed.
Each one of them sent his reapers 1 day in August to cut the king’s crops. If not he paid a fine of 2s.

If any free man committed theft, or highway robbery, or housebreaking, or broke the king’s peace, he paid a fine of 40s.

If any committed bloodshed, or rape of a woman, or if he remained away from the shiremoot without reasonable excuse, he paid a fine of 10s. If he remained away from the hundred court or did not go to a plea when the reeve ordered, he paid a fine of 5s.

If the reeve ordered anyone to go upon his service and he did not go, he paid a fine of 4s.
If anyone wished to withdraw from the king’s land, he gave 40s. and went where he would.

If anyone wished to have the land of his deceased father, he paid a relief of 40s ; the king had both the land all the chattels of the deceased father of the man who would not pay the relief.

Uhtred held Little Crosby and Kirkdale as 1 hide, and it was quit of every custom except these 6: breach of the peace, highway robbery, housebreaking, and fighting which continued after the oath was made, and non-payment of debt to anyone when bound by the reeve’s judgement, and non-observance of the due date given by the reeve; for these he paid a fine of 40s. But he paid the king’s geld like the men of the country.

In Meols , and Halsall and Hurlston there were 3 hides quit of the geld on the carucates of land of the forfeiture of bloodshed and rape of a woman. But they rendered all other customary dues.


These men now hold land of this manor of West Derby by the gift of Roger de Poitou:

Geoffrey 2 hides and half a carucate,
Roger 1 ½ hides, William 1 ½ hides,
Warin half a hide, Geoffrey 1 hide,
Theobald 1 ½ hides,
Robert 2 carucates of land,
Gilbert 1 carucate of land.

These have in demesne 4 ploughs, and 46 villans and 1 radman and 62 bordars and 2 slaves and 3 female slaves.
Among them all they have 24 ploughs.

Their woodland is 3 ½ leagues long and 1 ½ leagues and 40 perches broad, and there are 3 eyries of hawks.
The whole is worth 8l12s. In each hide are 6 carucates of land.

The demesne of this manor which Roger held is worth 8l.
There are now in demesne 3 ploughs and 6 oxmen, and 1 radman and 7 villans.

Uhtred held 6 manors, Roby, Knowsley, Kirby, Little Crosby, Maghull and Aughton.

There are 2 hides. There is woodland 2 leagues long and broad and 2 eyries of hawks.

Dot held Huyton and Tarbock.
There is 1 hide quit of every customary due except geld. There is land for 4 ploughs. It was worth 20s.

Beornwulf held Toxteth.
There is 1 virgate of land half a carucate of land. It rendered 4s.

Stenulf held Toxteth.
There is 1 virgate of land half a carucate of land. It was worth 4s.

Five Thegns held Sefton.
There is 1 hide. It was worth 16s.

Uhtred held Kirkdale.
There is half a hide quit of every customary due except geld. It was worth 10s.

Wynstan held Walton .
There are 2 carucates of land 3 bovates. It was worth 8s.

Almær held Litherland .
There is half a hide. It was worth 8s.

Three thegns held Ince Blundell as 3 manors.
There is half a hide. It was worth 8s.

Aski held Thornton . There is half a hide. It was worth 8s.

Three Thegns held Raven Meols as 3 manors.
There is half a hide. It was worth 8s.

Uhtred held Woolton.
There are 2 carucates of land half a league of woodland. It was worth 64d.

Æthelmund held Smithdown .
There is 1 carucate of land. It was worth 32d.

Three thegns held Allerton
as 3 manors. There is half a hide. It was worth 8s.

Uhtred held Speke.
There are 2 carucates of land. It was worth 64d.

Four Radmen held Childwall as 4 manors.
There is half a hide. It was worth 8s.
There was a priest having half a carucate of land in alms.

Wulfbert held Woolton.
There are 2 carucates of land. It was worth 64d.
Two thegns held Woolton as 2 manors. There is 1 carucate of land. It was worth 30d.

Lyfing held Wavertree.
There are 2 carucates of land. It was worth 64d.

Four Thegns held Bootle as 4 manors.
There are 2 carucates of land.
It was worth 64d. A priest had 1 carucate of land belonging to the Church of Walton .

Uhtred held Aughton.
There is 1 carucate of land. It was worth 32d.
Three thegns held Formby as 3 manors. There are 4 carucates of land. It was worth 10s.

Three Thegns held Ainsdale.
There are 2 carucates of land. It was worth 64d.
Stenulf held Up Holland. There are 2 carucates of land. It was worth worth 64d.

Uhtred held Dalton.
There is 1 carucate of land. It was worth 32d.

The same Uhtræd Skelmerdale. There is 1 carucate of land.
It was worth 32d.

The same Uhtred held Litherland .
There is 1 carucate of land. It was worth 32d.

Wigbeorht held Argarmelles.
There are 2 carucates of land. It was worth 8s. This land was quit except of geld.

Five thegns held Meols .
There is half a hide. It was worth 10s.

Uhtred held Lathomwith 1 Berewick.
There is half a hide.
There is woodland 1 league long and a half broad. It was worth 10s8d.

Uhtred held Hurlston and Half Martin .
There is half a hide. It was worth 10s8d.

Godgifu held Melling .
There are 2 carucates of land. There is woodland 1 league long and half a league broad. It was worth 10s.

Uhtræd held Lydiate.
There are 6 bovates of land. There is woodland 1 league long and 2 furlongs broad. It was worth 64d.

Two thegns held 6 bovates of land as 2 manors in Downholland.
It was worth 2s.

Uhtred held Altcar.
There is half a carucate of land.

Teos held Barton in Halsall.
There is 1 carucate of land. It was worth 32d.

Ketil held Halsall. There are 2 carucates of land. It was worth 8s.
All this land paid geld, and 15 manors rendered nothing to King Edward except geld.

Read about Liverpool in the Domesday book at:
Open Domesday (Cheshire Page)