Avelin 2

Avelin ‘of Dinton’ (Bucks.), fl. 1066
Male
DWP
4 of 5

Name

Avelin

Summary

Avelin 2 was a thegn of King Edward (Edward 15) with three estates in central Buckinghamshire TRE assessed for a total of 18 hides and with a value of £20, over at least one of which he had the power of alienation; two sokemen in Avelin’s lordship, probably by commendation, had small estates nearby assessed for a total of about 1½ hides and a value of about 28s.

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Buckinghamshire 4,2 Dinton Auelin Avelin 'of Dinton' Edward, king Odo, bishop of Bayeux Helto the steward 15.00 15.00 15.00 B Map
Buckinghamshire 4,23 Aston Sandford Auelinus Avelin 'of Dinton' Edward, king Odo, bishop of Bayeux Robert d'Oilly 2.00 5.00 4.00 B Map
Buckinghamshire 4,4 Hartwell Auelinus Avelin 'of Dinton' Edward, king Odo, bishop of Bayeux Robert d'Oilly 1.00 2.00 1.00 B Map
Totals

Lord 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Buckinghamshire 4,21 Waldridge Auelinus 1 sokeman, man of Avelin Avelin Odo, bishop of Bayeux Helto the steward 1.13 1.00 0.50 B Map
Buckinghamshire 4,3 Hartwell Auelinus 1 sokeman, man of Avelin Avelin Odo, bishop of Bayeux Helto the steward 0.50 0.42 0.42 B Map
Totals

Profile

Avelin 2’s largest estate was a substantial manor of 15 hides at Dinton, straddling a ridge between the River Thame and two tributaries, the Bonny and Standbridge brooks, in central Buckinghamshire.  Avelin was also the holder of smaller estates at Lower Hartwell, 2 miles to the north-west of Dinton, and at Aston Sandford, 2 miles to the south of Dinton (Mawer and Stenton 1925: 114).  In addition, two sokemen, each described in DB as ‘Avelin’s man’, held small estates at Lower Hartwell and at Waldridge, adjacent to Aston Sandford and in the southern part of Dinton parish; since both men held their land with power of alienation, Avelin was probably their lord by commendation. 

The name Avelin is extremely rare and for this to occur in a cluster of estates and interests so close together renders it very probable that all relate to a single man, Avelin 2.  This identification is strengthened further by DB’s record of Avelin’s status, lord and successor, because the entries for the three estates Avelin held directly describe him as a thegn of King Edward and all five estates passed to Bishop Odo of Bayeux (Odo 3) after the Conquest.  For only one estate does DB state explicitly that Avelin ‘could sell’, indicating that he had power of alienation and here at least was likely to have been in the king’s lordship by commendation rather than dependent tenure; for the others, including that at Dinton, the precise nature of Avelin’s tenure and the king’s lordship remain uncertain.

These were the only estates recorded in DB as being held by or associated with someone called Avelin and there is no reason to consider Avelin 2 in connection with any other estate or person.

Bibliography


Mawer and Stenton 1925: A. Mawer and F. M. Stenton, The Place-Names of Buckinghamshire (Cambridge, 1925)