| The first inhabitants of Knapwell were early Anglo Saxon settlers who began to clear the woodland for farming purposes. Knapwell is recorded among the lands belonging to a wealthy Saxon landowner called Athelstan Manessone, who died in 986AD. It passed eventually into the hands of Bishop Aednoth of Dorchester, 1044 to 1049, who bequeathed the estate to the Benedictine Abbey at Ramsey, together with the manors of Over and Barton. Ramsey Abbey was one the most important landowners in the country, leasing its lands to lay tenants, until it was finally suppressed. |  |
These ancient elm stumps once marked a boundary. Photos: David Farnell |
In1086 Knapwell was described in the Domesday Book among the property owned by Ramesy Abbey Abbot of St. Benedict Holds the manor of Chenepewelle. "There are 5 hides here. There is land for 8 ploughs. There are 1 and a half hides in demesne, and there are 2 ploughs here. There are 8 villeins and 4 sokemen having 1 and a half hides, and 4 cottars and 4 serfs. There is wood for the fences and meadow for 2 ploughs. In all it is worth £6." |