History Crowfield - a frontier forest settlement's history Prehistory to Domesday There were people living in the area in prehistoric times. Iron age settlements and various artefacts have been found close by. Within 3 miles at Falcutt, there was a settlement with ditched inclosures and fields. There is evidence of a very early settlement on the edge of Crowfield, with stones from an early house and from the air a soilmark is visible. See the archeaology map reference 868/0/0 The settlement was on the top of a rise with a natural clean water source. With fuel and game available from the woods, this was an attractive site for the early settlers here. Roman pottery has been found in the field next to Geary house and Arial photos show four long rectangular closes bounded by low banks to the south of Crowfield, extending eastward from the access lane to the hamlet and are thought to be Roman. See the archeaology map reference 713 It is thought the Anglo Saxons populated Crowfield because of its proximity to the woodlands, which were used for hunting as well as building material, fuel and food. In the 7th Century with the coming of Christianity to the area, a priest would hold services in the open. It is mooted that the current church in Syresham is located on the site of an ancient pagan shrine and so the priest kept his services out of the village on a hill looking down. There are fields still known to this day as Church Hill between Syresham and Crowfield. Before the Domesday Book, the area was in the Alboldestow Hundred in the kingdom of Mercia and for many years this area was the subject of intense border conflict between various interests as the borders between the shires fluctuated. The civil war between Stephen and Matilda would have been largely fought close-by. Crowfield would have been on the frontline and as a clearing in the woods it can be imagined that the marauding troops were frequent visitors. The Domesday Book records: " Earl Aubrey's Lands. Earl Aubrey held of the King two hides in "Hasou" and two hides in "Sigresham" and one hide in "Brackelai" with a church and a mill rendering ten shillings. In these five hides there is land for twelve and a half plough. In demesne there are two plough and six serfs. Twenty villeins with the priest and ten bordar have six ploughs. There are twenty acres of meadow. 'There is woodland two and half furlongs long and one and a half furlongs in breadth. Their Osmund holds the third part of two hides in "Sigresham". The whole, was worth twelve pounds when he (Earl Aubrey) received it; now it is worth nine-pounds. Azor held it freely. " (NB, A hide was 120 acres and a hundred (or ton) was 100 hides Villein is a holder of land in return for a duty of labour Bordars held less land for less duties) The reason for the drop in value has been attributed to the plunder of the Viking incursions into the area and the retribution meted out by William the Conqueror following the guerilla warfare of Hereward the Wake who had his castle at Castle Farm nearby. Crowfield was again in the middle of national conflicts! Earl Aubrey's land was granted to Robert de Beaumont, the first Earl of Leicester. Of note to Crowfield was it was they who made Whistley into a park and built the boundary ditches clearly seen till this day.