The Anglo Saxon Era (410 AD to 1086 AD)

The only direct evidence of Saxon occupation in Brumstead is one sherd of Saxon pottery (Ipswichware) that was found just north of the Church (01 - SMR 17260). In circa 550AD the kingdom of East Anglia was established and around 827AD was ruled by King Redwald (thought to be buried at Sutton Hoe in Suffolk). However, in 865AD the Vikings started to raid Norfolk and by 870AD they had conquered all of East Anglia and had started to settle here by 879AD. One of the earliest places colonised in the area is thought to be Happisburgh which name translates to Haep’s Burgh (02 - page 64) - the fortified place of a person called Haep and whose land may have constituted the Happing hundred (which includes Brumstead). As majority of local place names date from this era it is advantageous to analyse them for clues (05 - various) ; Place-names ending in ‘ham’ are thought to indicate original major settlements (such as Stalham, Dereham, etc) whilst place-names ending in ‘ton’ are considered to be possibly coined after the Viking invasion of 870AD (02 - page 88) and refer to later ‘outlying’ settlements plus the term ‘ing’ is thought to represent ‘the people of’.

Brumstead - (Brom-Stede) is old English meaning the place of Broom (the plant) and indicates a possible heath.

Eccles - is probably Latin and means an ancient Church. This may indicate the survival of a Romano-Christian community at Eccles after the departure of the Romans or a new Christian community established during the 7th Century (02 - page 55).

Happisburgh - is old English and means the fort of someone called Haep (11 - page 54).

Stalham - is Anglo-Saxon and means a 'settlement by a pool'.

Sutton - (Suth-Tun) is old English and means southern farm, presumably south of Stalham.

Ingham - (Ingas-Ham) is old English and means the people’s hamlet / village. It should be noted that Ingham up to late Medieval times was a substantial settlement.

Lessingham - is old English and means the homestead of Leofsige's people (11 - page 58).

Hickling - (Iclingas) may represent the people of Icel - a tribe that ruled the peninsular during the fifth - sixth century (02 - page 71).

East Ruston - incorporates the term hris tun : the settlement among the brushwood (10 - page 20).

Edward the Confessor

The sea level was steadily rising during this period and it is known from place names that the Anglo-Saxons had a thriving salt pan industry to the south. By 917AD East Anglia had been re-conquered by the west Saxon kings and in 939AD Edmund I was crowned King. A succession of Kings (including king Cnut) levied taxes but between 978 - 1016 Brumstead was not noted on the list of Parishes to pay Danegeld (06 - page 330). Prior to the Norman invasion Brumstead was a Beruite (a separate annex) to the manor of Sutton that was held by Edric de Laxfield (see foot note). In 1066 Harold II crowned himself king of England but William I, Duke of Normandy thought that he had the right to the throne and successfully invaded England and made himself King. Brumstead was made a separate manor from Sutton upon the Norman conquest (07 - Role 180a). Rebellions took place against William in 1068 and 1070 plus in 1075 William gave Ralph of Norfolk the Earldom of Norfolk but Ralph started a further rebellion and in the following skirmish much of the south of Norwich was destroyed. However, there were the lighter sides of life as recalled in the Cartulary of Ramsey Abbey (1088 - Role series 143) when Roger Bigot (the Sheriff of Norfolk) disputed the ownership of a big fish caught at Brancaster (probably a Sturgeon) with Abbot Ailsie at the Shire Court in Norwich (03 - Vol 23 : page 151).

However, by 1086 there was sufficient stability for King William to order a survey of England called the Domesday survey which gives a detailed description of Brumstead. Role No 180a - ‘BRUMESTADA' also appertains to this manor (Sutton). Robert (Malet) holds what Edric (de Laxfield) held, 2 carucates of land. Always 2 villagers ; 4 smallholders. Then (1066) and later (1086) 1 plough in lordship, now 2 ; Always 1 men’s plough. 1 Church, 9 acres. Woodland, 16 pigs ; meadow, 8 acres. Now 1 mill ; 1 head of cattle. Now 10 pigs ; 40 sheep ; 30 goats. Also 17 free men, 110 acres, in patronage only ; St Benedict (has) the patron of 1. Always 2 small holders, 2 ploughs ; meadow, 2 acres. Role No 183 - 'BRUNESTADA' 1 free man, 15 acres. [Note the two spellings : Brumstead & Brunstead].

From this description, the following ‘guestimates’ can be made; The total area of Brumstead was very approximately 890 acres and the population was about 105. The Church was probably an early Anglo-Saxon timber framed building (possibly with a small stone bell tower) and the 9 acres noted may have been separate from the Church. Before the conquest there was about 16 acres of woodland but by 1086 it appears to have been reduced to about 10 acres (the Normans measured a wood by the number of pigs that it could support - Pannage). The Normans had introduced a water mill (possibly either along the boundary stream with East Ruston or at Weyford Bridge) plus various grazing animals. The Abbey of St Benets in Holme had the patronage of 1 free man and only one manor existed in Brumstead. Robert Malet held Brumstead on behalf of Roger Bigot who was born in Les Loges Calvados in Normandy and went on to become the Sheriff of Norfolk. However, in 1088 Roger Bigot joined sides with Robert, Duke of Normandy in his failed attempt to seize the kingdom and is known to have taken Norwich castle in that year when his shrievaly must have terminated (03 - Vol 23 : page 151).

Foot note - Edric de Laxfield ;

Edric de Laxfield (nick-named Edric the blind) who was reported to be Danish (03 - Vol 12 : page 306) but was probably English, and after the custom of the Normans assumed his name from a town, probably Laxfield in Suffolk (08 - Vol 9 : pages 287 to 289) that may possibly indicate his birth place or origin. I am unsure of the status of Edric de Laxfield as one source describes him as not being referred to as being a Thegn (09 - page 6) but a web site listing the King's Thegns in Norfolk does (13) and another web site states that he was a Thane (Thegn) of the first rank (15). Edric held the manor of Sutton which included Brumstead and Catfield (07 - Role 180a), Happisburgh (including Eccles), plus lands and free men in other adjacent Parishes (07 - various) along with several Parishes in Suffolk, including Dunwich (14) and Eye. It is stated that he was the largest land owner in Suffolk next to the King and the Abbey of Bury (St Edmunds) (09 - various). Dunwich at the time of the conquest was one of the largest ports on the east coast of England with an estimated population of around 3000 (14). He may have been a religious man as prior to the conquest a priest called Godric had commended himself to Edric de Laxfield (09 - page 130) and his main Norfolk Parishes all had churches.. He was certainly a very wealthy man with his main 'stronghold' in Norfolk being at Sutton (which included Brumstead and Catfield) where he held 25 horses (presumably for mounted troops) plus four bee hives (for sweetening food and making mead) plus a half share in a salt house (for preserving food) plus a water mill in Brumstead (for grinding corn and wheat). Whilst the Domesday survey does not list any animals in Catfield (a common oversight in the survey), the lands of Edric de Laxfield show large flocks of sheep and goats (for wool, milk, meat and parchment : 07 - various).

For some reason Edric was exiled by King Edward the confessor for outlawry but later became reconciled with the King and allowed the recovery of his lands and free men (09 - page 19). The original charter for this reconciliation still exists (12 - page 68) and dates to between 1042 and 1065. This may be connected with Alfgar, the Earl of East Anglia's revolt of 1056 when he also was exiled and went to Ireland and Wales to gather an army against the King but after a pact between the two, Alfgar was allowed to return to England and given lands. Edric de Laxfield is noted to be 'active' after the conquest (09 - page 12) but was deprived of his lands and exiled for a second time for 'invading' Happisburgh and 'seizing' Eccles (03 - Vol 12 : page 306) by King William before 1075, possibly after the Danish raids on north Norfolk in 1067/8 (was he just trying to regain his lands?). At some stage Edric de Laxfield fell into the hands of Waleram (the Sheriff of Norfolk), whose nephew John appears as tenant in chief at the time of the survey and pledged a 'plough-land' in Saxlingham to the Abbey of St Benet for his ransom, but the pledge remained unredeemed (06).

References

01. The Sites and Monuments Records held at Gressenhall, Norfolk.

02. The Origins of Norfolk by Tom Williamson, Manchester University Press - 1997.

03. Norfolk Archaeology Series (copies held at the Norfolk Records Office).

04. Fieldwork in local history - Faber & Faber ltd - 1967.

05. The placenames of Norfolk by Karl Inge Sandred - 1996.

06. History of Norfolk Vol 1 : Victoria History (copy held at the Norwich Records Office).

07. The Domesday book by Phillimore, English translation (copy held at the Norfolk Records Office).

08. Bloomfield’s history of Norfolk : Vol 9 - 1808 pages 287 to 290.

09. Domesday studies : the eastern counties by R W Finn (copy held at the Norfolk Records Office).

10. The Norfolk Broads by T Williamson, Manchester University Press - 1997

11. A Popular Guide to Norfolk Place-Names by J Rye, Larks Press 1991

12. Early Charters of Eastern England by C R Hart - 1960

13. Web site : King's thegns Norfolk.htm

14. Web site : 11th Century - Domesday Book Millennium Exhibition - The National Archives Learning Curve.htm

15. Web site : Records of the Anglo-Norman House of Glanville from AD 1050 to 1880 pages 1 to 20.htm

Definitions ;

Danegeld was a local tax first imposed by the Vikings.

Pannage was the term used for the self-foraging diet of pigs in a wood.

Patronage meant that someone worked for someone else / another organisation (such as an abbey).

Shrievaly was the office of sheriff.

Thegn was a high rank in Anglo-Saxon times.

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