The Domesday Book
- departed, deserting with regret and reluctance their king struggling among foreigners. They returned obsequiously to their lascivious wives in Normandy, but neither they nor their heirs were ever able to recover the honours and domains which they had already gained and relinquished on this occasion" (Orderic Vitalis, B. IV. ch. iv.).
The latter remark as to forfeiture does not appear to be correct. Hugh of Grantmesnil certainly did not forfeit his governorship, and Humphrey de Tilleul seems to have retained his sovereign's favour. The story is not consistent with the history of these men subsequently given by Orderic Vitalis. Robert de Rhuddlan, son of Humphrey,[1] was in high favour with the king long afterwards. The Castle of Hastings was probably strongly garrisoned in 1085, when the Danes under Cnut were expected to invade England. William, who was in Normandy, raised and brought over to England with him " a large army of horsemen and foot from France and Britanny, as never before had sought this land, so that men wondered how this land could feed all that army. But the king caused the army to be distributed through all this land among his vassals ; and they fed the army, each according to the measure of his land. And men had great affliction this year ; and the king caused the land about the sea to be laid waste, so that if his foes should land, they might not have whereon so readily to seize " (Peterborough Chronicle).
To what extent the above order for waste affected, if at all, the Hastings district cannot now be ascertained. If it had been very systematic it would surely have left some decided mark which would have been noticed in the Domesday valuation of the next year.
In Domesday the lands described as having been waste, presumably the result of the Hastings campaign of 1066, were the Manors of Drisnesel (near Salehurst), Higham (Northiam), Montifield, Nerewelle (Netherfield), Salherst, Selescombe, Brunham, Bexelie, Wittingham (Wilting), Holintun, Haslesse, Crowherst, I vet (Pett ? ), and Gestlinge, Most of these had recovered and even increased in value at the time of the Domesday valuation of 1086.
Probably beneath the shadow of Hastings Castle, in the valley to the East, there had sprung up one of those Norman boroughs so frequently founded and fostered by the new Lords, consisting of a colony of tradesmen and craftsmen as an adjunct to the new garrison colony. Such may have been the " new burg " which, according to Domesday, was founded on the land of the Abbot of Fecamp, and the " Nove Hasting " of the Pipe Rolls.[2]
Immediately following the above quoted passage in the Peterborough Chronicle, and under the same year (1085), we read that at midwinter (25th December) the King was at Gloucester with his " Witan " :-
- "After this the king had a great council and very deep speech with his Witan about this land, how it was peopled, and by what men ; then sent his men all over England into every shire, and caused to be ascertained how many hundred hides were in the shire, and what land the king himself had, and cattle within the land, or what dues he ought to have, in twelve months from the shire. Also he caused to be written how much land his archbishops had, and his suffragan bishops, and his abbots, and his earls ; and -- though I more narrate somewhat at length - what
- ↑ I find it stated in a MS. (early nineteenth century ; the Herbert MS., see post) that " Robert de Reoclint "son of Humphrey de Tilleul, was appointed Governor of Hastings Castle after his father. I do not know the authority. I presume, however, that there is some sort of foundation for such a statement (?).
- ↑ "In opat cast nove Hasting", "In work at the Castle of Hastings £24 by writ of the King, and by view of Ade de Charringes and Sanson de Gestninges and Master Torold" Pipe Roll 28, Henry II (1182) m.7.dors. "Sudsexe."
