watermills and a fishery at Eynesbury. The tax assessment in the Domesday Book was known as geld or danegeld and was a type of land-tax based on the hide or ploughland. It was originally a way of collecting a tribute to pay off the Danes when they attacked England. Following the Norman Conquest, the geld was used to raise money for the King and to pay for continental wars; by 1130, the geld was being collected annually. Having determined the value of a manor's land and other assets, a tax in proportion to value was levied on the land holder. While this was typically two shillings in the pound the amount did vary; for example, in 1084 it was as high as six shillings in the pound. For the manors at Eynesbury the total tax assessed was 24 geld. By 1086 there was already a church and a priest at Eynesbury. Geographical extent At the time of the Domesday Book (1086 AD) the name "Eynesbury" (or its alternative spellings) included all of present-day Eynesbury and St Neots, as well as agricultural land to the east towards Croxton and Abbotsley. As the fame of the Priory of St Neot became widespread in the twelfth century, the name St Neots took hold for the immediate area, and "In honor of the Saint the name of the place was changed to Neots-bury." In time this became "St Neots", and the extent of Eynesbury was correspondingly reduced. After 1113 AD this was formalised, and Abbotsley too was separated off, about 1138 AD. Development of Eynesbury The Parish Church of St Mary dates back to the 12th century and was rebuilt in 1688 and restored in 1857. It is a Grade II* listed building. The manor of Eynesbury was held by the Ferrers and Devereux family (later Viscounts Hereford), until 1571, when it was sold to Sir James Dyer whose family sold it to Sir Sidney Montagu in 1639. His family, later Earls of Sandwich, gave their name to Montagu Street in the village. Caldecote Manor was acquired by the Haberdashers Company in 1624. Thomas Barton, chaplain to Prince Rupert, was rector of Eynesbury from 1629–31. The parish was inclosed by an Act of 1797. William Cole, the antiquary, was rector from 1768 to 1808. In 1876, the village of Eynesbury and part of the rural parish were included in the district controlled by the