To understand the history of Cratfield let’s start with The Domesday Book. William the Conqueror wanted to know what he owned so undertook a survey of those parts of England under Norman control, starting in 1086. The Little Domesday Book was a first draft covering Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and never integrated into The Great Domesday Book which dealt with the rest of the country.
This is the entry for Cratfield or Cratafelda
- Hundred: Blything
- County: Suffolk
- Total population: 48 households (very large)
- Total tax assessed: 4.1 geld units (medium)
- Head of manor: Blythburgh.
- Taxable units: Taxable value 4.1 geld units. 3.5 villtax.
- Value: Value to lord in 1066 £4.5. Value to lord in 1086 £5.6. Value to lord c. 1070 £4.
- Households: 5 villagers. 34 smallholders. 1 slave. 1 free men. 7 other.
- Ploughland: 2 lord’s plough teams. 14 men’s plough teams.
- Other resources: Meadow 5 acres. Woodland 262 pigs. 1 church. 0.05 church lands.
- Livestock in 1066: 1 cobs. 8 cattle. 40 pigs. 26 goats.
- Livestock in 1086: 1 cobs. 14 cattle. 47 pigs. 32 goats.
- Lords in 1066: Thorth son of Ulfkil; Freeman, one.
- Lords in 1086: Ralph Baynard; William Baynard nephew of Ralph Baynard; free man, one.
- Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Ralph Baynard.
- Phillimore reference: 33,10
The information above is taken from ‘..the first free online copy of The Domesday Book..’, and the photographs are on The National Archive site.