Uhtræd 28

Uhtræd ‘of Clyst Gerred’ (Devon), fl. 1066
Male
SDB
4 of 5

Name

Uhtræd
Uhtræd 27
Uhtræd 29

Summary

The thegn Uhtræd 28 held six manors scattered across four locations in south and east Devon, together assessed at less than 7 hides and worth under £5.

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
Devon 16,59 George Teign Vctred Uhtræd ‘of Clyst Gerred’ - Baldwin the sheriff Roger de Meulles 0.75 1.00 1.00 - Map
Devon 17,47 Woolston Vctred Uhtræd ‘of Clyst Gerred’ - Judhael of Totnes Colbert 'of Manadon' 0.50 0.50 0.75 - Map
Devon 18,1 Clayhanger Vctredus Uhtræd ‘of Clyst Gerred’ - William de Moyon Robert 'the man of William de Moyon' 0.97 1.50 1.00 - Map
Devon 19,20 Whimple Vctredus Uhtræd ‘of Clyst Gerred’ - William Chevre Ralph de La Pommeraye 1.13 0.75 1.50 - Map
Devon 43,2 Clyst Gerred Vctred Uhtræd ‘of Clyst Gerred’ - Osbern de Sacey - 3.25 0.75 2.00 - Map
Somerset 25,40 Chubworthy - Uhtræd ‘of Clyst Gerred’ - William de Moyon Robert 'the man of William de Moyon' 0.25 0.13 0.15 - Map
Totals

Profile

The rarity of the name Uhtræd throughout southern England in 1066 is grounds for thinking that the five occurrences in Devon and one in Somerset referred to the same man, despite their scattering over some 60 miles of south and east Devon.

From north to south, the six places fall into four groups, and are here given with their ploughlands, which give a clearer idea of size than assessments. Clayhanger (Devon) and Chubworthy (Som.) adjoined one another on the southern fringe of Exmoor at around 600 ft. Uhtræd held the 5 ploughlands of Clayhanger alone, and was named in Exon (362r.) as holding the 3 ploughlands of Chubworthy jointly (pariter) with Sericus (Særic ), where GDB says only that ‘two thegns used to hold it’. Some 18 miles to the south, Clyst Gerred and Whimple adjoined one another in the Clyst basin, around 10 miles north-east of Exeter; Uhtræd had the whole 8 ploughlands of Clyst Gerred and an estate of 4 ploughlands at Whimple. Going south-west 15 miles to the Teign valley, the other side of Exeter and on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, Uhtræd had the 4 ploughlands of George Teign. Another 30 miles away in the South Hams was his 3 ploughlands at Woolston, among the tangled lanes west of the Kingsbridge estuary.

The varying post-Conquest succession to these six estates does not tell against identifying all their holders as the same man. William de Moyon, sheriff of Somerset, acquired Clayhanger and Chubworthy; east of Exeter, the French knight Osbern de Sacey acquired Clyst Gerred and William chevre Whimple; George Teign passed to Baldwin, sheriff of Devon; Woolston to Iudichael of Totnes. All this tells us is that Uhtræd’s lands were dispersed among different French lords, as normal for Devon. Baldwin and Iudichael had distinct spheres of influence in the county, centred on their castles (Baldwin at Exeter, Okehampton, and Lydford; Iudichael at Totnes) (Barlow 1991: 16–17), and Uhtræd’s two southerly manors were assigned accordingly. The small fief of Osbern de Sacey and the rather larger one of William chevre lay within Baldwin’s part of Devon, and closer investigation might suggest that Baldwin had something to do with their creation. William de Moyon’s Somerset fief was concentrated in the west of the county, and Clayhanger, only just over the boundary, was his only acquisition in Devon.

Uhtræd’s lands had the low fiscal assessment (less than 7 hides) and value (less than £5) characteristic of Devon, but included as many as 27 ploughlands. He can be ranked among the middling thegns of the shire in 1066.

Bibliography


Barlow 1991: F. Barlow, ‘An introduction to the Devonshire Domesday’, The Devonshire Domesday, [ed. Ann Williams and G. H. Martin] (London: Alecto Historical Editions, 1991), 1–25