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OLD-BUKENHAM

Received its name from the number of bucks with which the woods here formerly abounded, Bucham, Bukham, and Bukenham, being plainly the village of bucks, and not of beech trees, as Mr. Camden imagined, there being none of them in this county, as Sir Henry Spelman, righly observes; and the additional title of Old was afterwards added, to distinguish it from New-Bukenham, which was taken out of it.

Ralf Guader Earl of Norfolk owned the whole town (except the carucate which belonged to Bury abbey) in the Confessor's time, when there were 3 carucates in demean, and woods sufficient to maintain 182 swine, 21 socmen of his own, and 43 that were under the protection of other men, all which the Earl joined to his manor. In the Conqueror's time it was worth 6l. 13s. 4d. and two sextaries of honey; and when all was joined, it was risen to 32l. 13s. 4d. and 20s. as a present or gift; it was two miles long and as much broad, and paid 19d. geld or tax out of every 20s. raised on the hundred. This Earl fled the realm, and so forfeited all his estate to the Conqueror, who owned it at the survey, when it was one of his manors that he entrusted Earl Goderic with the management of. At this time there were only two parishes, viz. All-Saints and St. Andrew's, and a castle which stood just by the abbey. The land on which New-Bukenham was after built was that part of St. Andrew's parish which belonged to the Bishop of Thetford's manor of Eccles, and was Called Bishop's-Haugh, the tithes of which now are, and always were, paid to the rector of Eccles, the land belonging to that manor originally, and the Bishop granting them to the domestick chaplain of his palace at Eccles, to whom he generally gave that rectory.

Albini. The Conqueror gave the castle and manor, and all that belonged to Earl Ralf, to William de Albany, Albini, Albigni, de