Episodes

  • DD - Episode 35 - Malpas

    DD - Episode 35 - Malpas
    Apr 22 2025
    In this episode of Domesday Delving, we travel to Malpas in Cheshire—a place whose name, from the Old French mal pas, means bad passage.

    But long before that name took hold, the Anglo-Saxons called it Depenbech: the deep stream valley. Once held by Earl Edwin of Mercia, Malpas stood at the edge of Anglo-Saxon power and Norman ambition. We explore what the Domesday Book reveals about the manor’s collapse into waste after the Conquest, and how it began the slow process of recovery under a new Norman baron.

    This episode also dives into the life and downfall of Edwin himself—a powerful noble caught between loyalty and survival, and a man whose story ended in betrayal. We’ll trace the passage from valley to ruin to resilience—and reflect on how the Domesday Book preserves not only wealth and ownership, but silence, loss, and endurance.

    Join the Domesday Delving Facebook group for community and discussion, and if you’d like to help support the show, here’s the link to the Patreon: patreon.com/DomesdayDelving
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    14 mins
  • DD - Episode 34 - Saltby

    DD - Episode 34 - Saltby
    Apr 15 2025
    Saltby in Leicestershire is no sleepy Domesday backwater. In 1086, it was a bustling, high-output manor with an astonishing workforce: 24 villans, 23 sokemen, 14 bordars and 16 slaves.

    Once held by Earl Morcar, the rebellious Anglo-Saxon noble and son of Lady Godiva, Saltby passed into the hands of Norman baron Roger de Bully after the Conquest but its productivity didn’t falter.

    In this episode of Domesday Delving, we explore the remarkable scale of Saltby’s agricultural economy, uncover the biography of the powerful and ill-fated Earl Morcar, and delve into the lives of those who made the land work including those who had no freedom to call their own.It’s a story of hierarchy, continuity, and quiet endurance set in the fields of a village that still remembers its name, but not always its past.

    Here’s the link to the brand-new Patreon account - patreon.com/DomesdayDelving

    If you enjoy high-stakes storytelling, don’t forget to check out my cyberpunk novel Kidnap—available now: https://books2read.com/u/3JwE0e

    Until next time, keep delving!
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    15 mins
  • DD - Episode 33 - Corby

    DD - Episode 33 - Corby
    Apr 8 2025
    In this episode of Domesday Delving, we explore the curious note that "many things are wanting to this manor"—including woodland and ironworks that had belonged to it in the time of King Edward. What happened in the twenty years between the Confessor’s reign and the Domesday survey to cause such loss? And what can Corby’s vanished iron industry tell us about resilience, change, and the fragility of local economies in the wake of conquest?
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    13 mins
  • DD - Episode 32 - Camelot

    DD - Episode 32 - Camelot
    Mar 31 2025
    Sometimes, Domesday surprises even me. In this episode of Domesday Delving, we explore an unexpected and little-known entry recorded near the Welsh border: Camelot. With its mix of ploughland, meadows, a vineyard, and a hall already falling into disrepair by 1086, this manor raises fascinating questions about the line between history and legend.

    We’ll look at the landholders before and after the Conquest, including a shadowy figure named Earl Artor, and explore what this record can teach us about medieval administration, cultural memory, and the persistence of local tradition. Plus, we dive into the Arthurian mythos, its early sources, and why stories of Camelot still resonate today.

    And if you enjoy a good mystery, my cyberpunk novel Kidnap is out now! You can find it here: https://books2read.com/u/3JwE0e

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    21 mins
  • DD - Episode 31 - Battlesden

    DD - Episode 31 - Battlesden
    Mar 25 2025
    A look into Battlesden at the time of the Domesday Survey, including a look at the ruthless High Sherrif of Cumberland.
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    21 mins
  • DD - Episode 30 - Eckington

    DD - Episode 30 - Eckington
    Mar 18 2025
    In this episode of Domesday Delving, we explore what Eckington’s Domesday record tells us about life before and after the Norman Conquest. Who were the coliberts, and why are they so rarely mentioned? What did the shift from Anglo-Saxon to Norman rule mean for the people who worked the land? And how does this entry highlight the layers of status and servitude that shaped medieval society?
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    20 mins
  • DD - Episode 29 - Ledbury

    DD - Episode 29 - Ledbury
    Mar 11 2025
    In this episode of Domesday Delving, we head to Ledbury in Herefordshire, a manor divided between knights, a priest, a radman, and the all-powerful Bishop of Hereford. But its Domesday entry also tells a tale of land disputes, shifting power, and the slow disappearance of Anglo-Saxon traditions under Norman rule.

    We’ll uncover why Harold Godwinson is never called King Harold in the Domesday Book, what it meant to be a radman in a changing world, and how a stake in a salt pan at Droitwich linked Ledbury to one of medieval England’s most important industries. And we’re busting the myth that the medieval world was grey and dull. From bright clothing and painted houses to decorated furniture and colourful markets, everyday medieval life was far more vivid than you might think.
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    22 mins
  • DD - Episode 28 - Aylesbury

    DD - Episode 28 - Aylesbury
    Mar 4 2025
    In this episode of Domesday Delving, we journey to Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire—a town with deep historical roots and a surprising connection to one very famous duck! Recorded as a royal demesne manor in the Domesday Book, Aylesbury saw major changes under Norman rule, from increased taxation to shifting landownership structures.
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    12 mins
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