Medieval period

Lawshall was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) and the entry for the parish states "St Benedict held Lawshall as a Manor with eight caracutes of land". The parish held the following:

16 villagers
10 smallholders
5 slaves
3 ploughs in Lordship
10 men's ploughs
8 acre meadow
1 cob
10 cattle
30 pigs
100 sheep
12 goats

Value £12
A church and 30 acres of free land

There is documentary evidence that the Abbot of Ramsey still controlled the manor with an agreement drawn up between the Abbot and William Herberd in 1269. The agreement required Herberd to provide for the widow of Alexander Hemning, the tenant of Lawshall Hall, and her two sons. Herberd was to "maintain the sons and land in as good or better state than when he first had access to the wife of Alexander". There is a possible link with a current parish place name as Herberd could have had connections with the current Herberts Farm.

In the 1327 list of Subsidy Returns for Lawshall 38 names were mentioned and it is assumed that the subsidy was only levied on people in the parish with a degree of wealth. Names listed in the return that can still be recognised in today's place names (shown in parentheses) include Roberto Herbard (Herberts Farm), Alicia de Hanningfield (Hanningfield Green) and Johanne de Rownei (Rowney Farm).

References:

1. Lawshall Village Appraisal Group, ed. (1991). Lawshall: Past, Present and Future - An Appraisal. Appraisal Group.