An Outline History of Stanford in the Vale By Teddy Cuff & James Brooks
Browse Chapters: Introduction Prehistory Romano-British Anglo-Saxon Domesday Stanford Medieval Stanford Reformation and Tudor Stanford	Civil War Stanford Early Modern Stanford 19th Century Stanford The Great War The Inter-War Years The Second World War Post-War Stanford
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Domesday Stanford

At the time of King Edward the Confessor (1042-66), the manor was held by Siward. This was most probably Siward Ba(i)rn, a Northumbrian leader who held much land throughout 'England', in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, and in Berkshire (also including West Lockinge and Greenham), Gloucestershire (including at Lechlade) and Warwickshire. The large manor of Stanford, as well as Lechlade, had parts of their geld remitted by the Confessor, indicating that Siward was in the king's favour. Orderic Vitalis tells us that he submitted to William 'the Conqueror' at Barking in 1067, but according to Florence of Worcester he joined the opposition of Earl Morkar, Bishop Aegelwine of Durham, and Hereward 'the Wake' of Bourne, Lincs., on the Isle of Ely, was captured by the Normans at Ely in 1071, was released from imprisonment by William in 1087, and on William's death re-imprisoned by his son William Rufus.

The Manor was acquired by Henry de Ferrers, after the Norman Conquest of 1066, in about 1070, when he 'inherited' other lands of Siward Barn, thus giving Siward ample justification for joining in the rebellion against the Normans. Previously, de Ferrers had aquired lands belonging to Godric the sheriff, probably in 1055-67, and to Bondi the staller, about 1069. Henry was the son of Walkelin, lord of Ferrieres St. Hilaire in Normandy. The 'Domesday' survey of 1086 puts him in posession of estates in 14 counties, chiefly in Derbyshire, although his principal seat was at Tutbury Castle, Staffs. He was a Domesday commissioner in Worcestershire; later, with his wife Bertha, he founded Tutbury Abbey. Of local manors, Henry held Charlton, (South) Denchworth, Fyfield, (East) Hendred, Kingston (Bagpuize), (West) Lockinge, Pusey and Sparsholt. The Domesday reference to Stanford manor in 1086 would indicate that its value had declined from 30 hides to 6 hides, but from the number of villeins (villagers, 21), borders (smallholders, 22) and serfs (slaves, 7) quoted we can estimate the population to be about 200-250 people. Two water mills were noted, probably at the same sites as the mills which operated for a further 820+ years in the village, i.e. Stanford Upper (Old, Bow) and Lower (Ock) Mills.