Domesday Book Records the Manor of Botley

1086

The area that would become Hedge End was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as part of the manor of Botley, held by the Bishop of Winchester. The survey recorded arable land, meadow and woodland, indicating a productive agricultural estate on the edge of the Hampshire lowlands. The Hedge End area was not a distinct settlement at this time but formed part of the wider Botley manor. The Domesday entry confirms that the land was worked and settled, even if the name Hedge End would not appear for many centuries. The Bishop of Winchester was one of the most powerful landholders in medieval Hampshire.