marble basin. Roman bricks can be seen in the ruins of St Peter's and were also found in the foundations of Stable Cottage, Alresford Hall. At Marsh Farm pit five sherds of Late pre-Roman Iron Age/early Romano-British pottery and four struck flint flakes were recovered. A double-ditched Romano-British enclosure (60x80m) was found with second century samian pottery shards between the Quarters and Plumptons Farm. There were also several ring-ditches containing graves in land quarried at Broomfield Plantation overlooking Alresford Creek. A Saxon ironhead and 4th century axe were found in the area of the Roman Villa excavation. From 886 East Anglia was under Danelaw, ruled by Guthrum. This lasted until the sieges of nearby Colchester and Maldon in 917 which were won by the Wessex King Edward. Ælfar had estates on both side of the Colne. On his death around 951 these were willed to his daughter, Ælfflæd, and her husband Byrhtnoth. Byrhnoth became Ealdorman of Essex in 956. The Vikings raided periodically from 980 until Olaf Tryggvason returned in 991 with 93 ships. They landed and destroyed Folkestone, Sandwich and Ipswich before heading to Maldon. Here Ealdorman Byrhtnoth and the Essex forces were defeated at the Battle of Maldon. Ælfflæd, his widow willed Ælesforda, consisting of 2 hides and 50 acres, in 1000x1002 to her lord the king. "..In Essex the Domesday hide usually comprised four virgates, each of 30 acres, making a total of 120 acres. On royal manors, however, or at least on some of them, the hide was abnormally large…" So the estate could have been between 290 and 1000 acres. This land is the location of the current Alresford Hall. In 1086, recorded in separate four Little Folios of the Domesday Book, Alresford was in the ancient hundred of Tendring. There were nineteen households (2 villagers, 13 smallholders, 4 slaves), 2 plough-teams, 60 sheep and 100 pigs owned by four tenants-in-chief. Nominally these were the Bishop of London (St Paul's), Bishop Odo of Bayeux, Eustace II, Count of Boulogne (formerly the King's land valued at £3) and Richard son of Count Gilbert but were let to separate tenants. The land was only valued at about half of its 1066 value and three of the four tenants had changed. No church was mentioned. Within a year, Count Eustace was dead and succeeded by his son Eustace III, Count of Boulogne. In 1088, Bishop Odo and Count