Woodford Short History
Norman Times
Less than 100 years later, Saxon England was over-run by the Normans after their invasion in 1066. In its aftermath the great assessmment of the lands of England carried out By William I and recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 provides our first real insight into Woodford, Hinton and Farndon.
Woodford and Hinton were of similar status, both having two hides of land (once thought to have been 120 acres, a “hide” is a measure of value, representing the land that generated £1 income each year.) with five ploughs and a mill and both valued at sixty shillings. Even then, Farndon was the least important of the three. It was valued at only five shillings, with a quarter of a hide with only a single plough.
The three manors of Woodford, Hinton and Farndon were held (along with 100 or so others across England) by Hugh de Grentesmaisnil, a French nobleman, one of only 15 individuals named in contemporary accounts as taking part in the invasion alongside William.