In 1085 King William decided to order a survey to record details of his lands and resources, who owned the land and how it was being used. Probably so he could tax the land owners more!
The entry into the Domesday Book reads for the manor of Newton, rather than Blackwell, and it is uncertain when it was exactly renamed Blackwell.
Newton was recorded as a settlement in the Hundred of Scarsdale in the County of Derby. It had a recorded population of 19 households in 1086.
Before the invasion of 1066, Newton was owned by two brothers, Leofric and Leofnoth. They had owned quite a lot of land in this area before the invasion, and may have fought on the losing side. In 1086 it was now owned by Ralph, son of Hubert, supporters of King William. One wonders if the peasants noticed any difference?
There were 13 villagers, 4 smallholders, and 1 priest, indicating the presence of a church at that time. Women, childen and slaves were unlikely to have been included in the numbers, but Newton must have been a reasonably sized village then.
There were 5 ploughlands , 1 Lord’s plough team and 5 mens plough teams, 7 acres of meadow and woodland pasture 1 league long and 1/2 league wide, roughly equivalent to 1400 acres. The manor was valued at 80 shillings in 1066, reduced to 30 shillings by 1086.
Dorothy Mellors 2024