The Settlement of East and West Flegg in Norfolk from the 5Th to 11Th Centuries
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TITLE OF THESIS The settlement of East and West Flegg in Norfolk from the 5th to 11th centuries By [Simon Wilson] Canterbury Christ Church University Thesis submitted For the Degree of Masters of Philosophy Year 2018 ABSTRACT The thesis explores the –by and English place names on Flegg and considers four key themes. The first examines the potential ethnicity of the –bys and concludes the names carried a distinct Norse linguistic origin. Moreover, it is acknowledged that they emerged within an environment where a significant Scandinavian population was present. It is also proposed that the cluster of –by names, which incorporated personal name specifics, most likely emerged following a planned colonisation of the area, which resulted in the takeover of existing English settlements. The second theme explores the origins of the –by and English settlements and concludes that they derived from the operations of a Middle Saxon productive site of Caister. The complex tenurial patterns found between the various settlements suggest that the area was a self sufficient economic entity. Moreover, it is argued that royal and ecclesiastical centres most likely played a limited role in the establishment of these settlements. The third element of the thesis considers the archaeological evidence at the –by and English settlements and concludes that a degree of cultural assimilation occurred. However, the presence of specific Scandinavian metal work finds suggests that a distinct Scandinavian culture may have survived on Flegg. The final theme considers the economic information recorded within the folios of Little Domesday Book. It is argued that both the –by and English communities enjoyed equal economic status on the island and operated a diverse economy. CONTENTS Acknowledgement i Map of Great Estuary ii Map showing location of Flegg in Norfolk iii List of Figures iv List of Tables v-vi List of Abbreviations vii Chapter One: The Settlement of East and West Flegg in Norfolk from the 5th to 11th centuries 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Research questions 2 1.3 Methodology 3 Chapter Two: Literature Review 2.1.1 Introduction 6 2.1.2 Explanation of ethnic identity 7 2.1.3 The -bys as new or existing settlements 14 2.1.4 The survival of Old Norse as a spoken and written language 21 2.1.5 Danish influences within the legal customs of the Danelaw 32 Chapter Three: The toponymy of place names on Flegg 3.1 Introduction 38 3.2 Sources and Appendix referenced in Chapter Three 39 3.3 The Domesday material a word of caution 39 3.4 What the –by names represented in Scandinavia and their implications for Flegg. 39 3.5 How –by names were coined in England an hypothesis for settlements on Flegg 41 3.6 How –by names were recorded in Domesday 42 3.7 The character of the –by settlements on Flegg 42 3.8 The specifics of –by place names on East and West Flegg 43 3.9 Byname corpus across East and West Flegg: 44 3.9.1 Billockby 44 3.9.2 Herringby 45 3.9.3 Ormesby St. Michael and St. Margaret 47 3.9.4 Scratby 48 3.10 Personal name corpus across East and West Flegg: 49 3.10.1 Ashby 49 3.10.2 Hemsby 50 3.10.3 Oby 51 3.10.4 Rollesby 52 3.10.5 Thrigby 53 3.11 Unassigned Personal name or Byname: 54 3.11.1 Clippesby 54 3.12 Appellative place name corpus across East and West Flegg: 55 3.12.1 Filby 56 3.12.2 Mautby 57 3.13 Old English place name element in –by corpus on East and West Flegg: 59 3.13.1 Stokesby 59 3.14 Other Scandinavian place names on Flegg other than in –by: Repps, Sco and Thurne 60 3.15 Minor field and topographical names found at place names in –by and selective English place names 61 3.16 Geology of Flegg and agriculture value 62 3.17 Model One: The –bys on Flegg a planned colonisation 64 3.18 Conclusion for Chapter Three 67 Chapter Four: The origin of multiple estates and the creation of –by settlements on Flegg 4.1 Introduction 69 4.2 Sources and Appendix referenced in Chapter Four 70 4.3 The origin of multiple estates 70 4.4 The role played by the church, royal centres, emporia and productive sites in the development of multiple estates 78 4.5 The estate structures on Flegg 87 4.6 The manors on Flegg and their holdings 87 4.7 Estate centres of Hemsby and Ormesby 89 4.8 Estate centres and berewicks of Flegg 91 4.9 The interconnectivity of tenurial ties between estates on Flegg 92 4.10 Subservient tenurial ties between English communities on Flegg 93 4.11 Further models for the formation of estates on Flegg 94 4.12 Model Two: A monastic origin for estates on Flegg (St Benet of Hulme) 95 4.13 Model Three: A lay Middle Saxon estate origin for settlements on Flegg: 97 4.13.1 South Walsham (Walsham Hundred) 97 4.13.2 Horning (Tunstead Hundred) 99 4.13.3 Mileham (Launditch Hundred) 101 4.13.4 Other links with estates outside of East and West Flegg 102 4.14 Model Four: emporia, productive sites and monastic links: 102 4.14.1 The productive site of Caister 103 4.14.2 The productive site of Burgh Castle 106 4.15 Conclusion to Chapter Four 107 Chapter Five: The Archaeology found at Settlements on Flegg 5.1 Introduction 111 5.2 Sources and Appendix referenced in Chapter Five 112 5.3 The material culture of metal work finds 112 5.4 The archaeological finds on Flegg an overview 121 5.5 Early Anglo-Saxon archaeology (410 to 650) 122 5.5.1 Grubenhäuser identified on Flegg 123 5.5.2 Brooches found on Flegg 126 5.5.3 Other Early Anglo-Saxon archaeological finds on Flegg 126 5.6 Middle Anglo-Saxon archaeology (651-850) 127 5.6.1 Growth of a monetary economy and coin finds on Flegg 128 5.6.2 Coin finds at specific settlements on Flegg 129 5.6.3 Pottery finds at settlements on Flegg 130 5.6.4 Brooches and other metal work finds on Flegg 131 5.7 Late Anglo-Saxon archaeology (851-1066) 132 5.7.1 Late Anglo-Saxon stirrup-strap mounts 132 5.7.2 Late Anglo-Saxon strap-ends 135 5.7.3 Late Anglo-Saxon Pottery 138 5.7.4 Late Anglo-Saxon brooches 139 5.7.5 Late Anglo-Saxon silver ingots 141 5.8 Conclusion for Chapter Five 145 Chapter Six: Domesday data and economic position of –by names on Flegg 6.1 Introduction 149 6.2 Sources and Appendix referenced in Chapter Six 149 6.3 Domesday debate 150 6.4 The fiscal/neo-fiscal school: 151 6.4.1 Support for fiscal school from Domesday satellite texts 153 6.4.2 Domesday hide and ploughland 156 6.4.3 Domesday Book and tax evasion 159 6.5 Norman Order School: 160 6.5.1 Domesday Book and satellite texts 161 6.6 Political and Economic School 164 6.7 Economic status and origin of freemen and sokemen recorded in Great Domesday and Little Domesday Books 166 6.8 Origin of sokemen 168 6.9 Domesday data recorded at settlements on Flegg: 172 6.9.1 Domesday data 172 6.9.2 Little Domesday peasant totals and distribution across place names on Flegg some minor issues 172 6.9.3 Peasant totals 173 6.9.4 Freemen 174 6.9.5 Sokemen 174 6.9.6 Unfree peasants (Villeins and Bordars) 175 6.9.7 Plough numbers across settlements and peasants 176 6.9.8 Acreage per freemen and sokemen 178 6.9.9 Manslot 179 6.9.10 Livestock numbers: sheep 179 6.9.11 Livestock numbers: cattle 181 6.9.12 Livestock numbers: pigs 182 6.9.13 Livestock numbers: horses 183 6.9.14 Meadows 184 6.9.15 Woodland 184 6.9.16 Mills 184 6.9.17 Churches 185 6.9.18 Value of settlements 186 6.9.19 The salt Industry on Flegg 187 6.10 Conclusion for Chapter Six 189 Thesis conclusions 191 Wide Implications of conclusions 198 Bibliography 201 Appendix 1 214 Appendix 2 238 Appendix 3 257 Appendix 4 315 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to offer my sincere thanks to my wife for her patience and guidance in the writing of my thesis, and her willingness to undertake field walking on a cold winter’s morning on Flegg. i The Great Estuary, Flegg and river connections to Norfolk (Late Roman Period) Figure i. The location of Flegg circa AD 200 showing the marine estuary surrounding Flegg and the principal rivers in Eastern Norfolk. In David Gurney, The Outposts of the Roman Empire A Guide to Norfolk’s Roman Forts at Burgh Castle, Caister-on-Sea and Brancaster (Great Yarmouth: Norfolk Archaeological Trust, 2002), p. 12. ii The Location of Flegg in Norfolk Figure ii. The location of Flegg in Norfolk in Trevor Ashwin and Alan Davison, ‘Norfolk Parishes’, in An Historical Atlas of Norfolk ed. by Trevor Ashwin and Alan Davison (Chichester: Philimore, 2005), p. 1. iii List of Figures 3.1 Distribution pattern of the five smallest hundreds in Eastern Norfolk 216 3.2 Soil map of Flegg 220 4.1 The Hundred of East and West Flegg 245 4.2a Various Domesday sokes from the Danelaw 246 & 4.2b 4.3 The berewick of Martham and Hemsby and Caister 246 4.4 Tenurial patterns on Flegg 247 4.5 Tenurial patterns on Flegg 247 4.6 St.