Domesday Survey - Angmering
The Domesday Survey of 1085-86 was drawn up on the orders of King William I. It describes, in remarkable detail, the landholdings and resources of late 11th century England, demonstrating the power of the government machine in the first century of the new Millennium and its deep thirst for information.

The following is a translation of an extract from the Domesday Survey covering two entries for ANGEMARE (Angmering). They probably relate to the original two manors - East and West Angmering.

"Warin holds ANGEMARE of the Earl. Earl Godwine held it. It then vouched for 5 hides. Now one of these hides is in the rape of William de Braiose. There is land for 2 ploughs. In demesne is one and 6 villeins, and 4 cottars with 1 plough. In the time of King Edward, and afterwards, and now, worth 40 shillings.

Geoffrey holds ANGEMARE of the Earl. Three freemen held it in the time of King Edward. It then vouched for 5 hides. Now one of these hides is in the rape of William de Braiose. There is land for 2 ploughs. In demesne is one and 6 villeins, and 2 cottars with 2 ploughs. There are 3 acres of meadow, and wood for 3 hogs. In the time of King Edward, and afterwards, it was worth 50 shillings, now 60 shillings."

From the mid-16th Century, following the Reformation, Angmering comprised three old parishes, namely, East and West Angmering and Bargeham. Bargeham was a village up in Angmering Woods which is today identified as Barpham (Upper and Lower Farms). The village was probably dessimated as a result of the Black Death and, together with its substantial church, fell into ruin. Read more about Bargeham/Barpham by clicking here.

The church itself was excavated by the archaeologist Alec Barr-Hamilton in the early 1950s and what he found appears to be the site of a Saxon apsidal church overlayed later by a larger Norman church. Apsidal churches were pre-Norman. This being the case, it is strange that Bargeham does not appear in the Domesday Survey of 1085/6. Or perhaps it does! Alec Barr-Hamilton and some later historians believe(d) that Bargeham is actually the "Bercheham" mentioned in the Domesday Survey and not Burpham a little way over towards Arundel, and that Burpham was included in the Wepham entry. Earlier historians, unaware of the large church which once stood at Bargeham, understandably associated the Bercheham entry with modern day Burpham. A record of 1121 calls Bargeham "Bercham" and in 1233 calls it "Bergham". The Bercheham entry reads as follows:
"Roger holds Bercheham of the Earl, and Alward of him. Lewin held it of King Edward. Then, and now, it vouched for 5 hides. There is land for 4 ploughs. In desmesne are 3 ploughs, and 8 villeins and 12 cottars with 3 ploughs. There is a church and 10 serfs, and 8 acres of meadow, and wood for 3 hogs. In the time of King Edward, and afterwards, and now, worth £8, and yet it returns £10".

There seems to be evidence that the church at Bargeham was originally Saxon but there is no evidence to date that the church at Burpham is other than early Norman. One translation of the word Bercheham" is " beorh-ham" meaning "Hill-Homestead". The word "Bercheham" sounds phonetically closer to Bargeham than it does to Burpham. The size of Bercheham in the Survey is bigger than the Angemare villages which is consistent with the sub-areas in today's parish. Finally, the Domesday entries for villages bordering the River Arun all gave details of their fisheries but Bercheham did not and would not have done if it was Bargeham located on a hill some miles from the river.

It is of some interest that Lewin (possibly King Harold's brother, Leofwin) also held Sompting which had a pre-Norman church. Lewin, as we can see above, also held Bercheham.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, many Saxon villages are not identified in the Domesday Survey and Bargham may be one of these. It could have been included in one of the larger manors such as Goring.

Notes:
RAPE - Ancient administrative division in Sussex

HIDE - A piece of land large enough for one family to live on. It could be between 40 and 120 acres.

PLOUGH - This means a team of oxen and a plough

DEMESNE - This word sounds like 'dough-main' when you say it. It means land which only the earl or lord of the manor used. People in the manor would have to work on this land for him.

VILLEINS - A higher class of unfree peasant. Villeins owned land, but they also had to work on the earl's land or demesne.

COTTAR / BORDAR - An unfree peasant, who had very little or no land. They probably lived in a cottage outside the main manor. Most people in England during the Middle Ages were bordars or cottars.

WOOD/WOODLAND - Small patches of land for grazing pigs or used for firewood. Anyone could use the woodland.

Last updated 31 January 2004